Evening journal., 1903-03-18
NeighbOrs Tell of Find
ing the Body and Ac-
tiOns of the Hus-
band
Speculation Rife as to
Testimony of May
Rhoads, "the Woman
in the Case"

STAR Correspondent Evening Journal
Georgetown, March Speculation
Is rife as to when May Rhoads. the
woman in the Collins wife murder case.
wfll be called to the stand. The State
regards her as her star witness, and is
depending much on her testimony re-
garding letter she is alleged to have
received from Collins.
The defense will try to impeach her
estimony, claiming she had a griev-
nee against Collins. She sat in the
curt room this morning alongside of
sister Of the murdered woman. They
did not exchange words.
An official Of the State this morning.
said the strongest witnesses were be-
ing reserved until the last
Another Elmer Collins.
i There was an exclamation of surprise
when Attorney General Ward called
Dinner Collins" A man in the back
OF the room got up and walked toward
Z the witness stand. He was not the pris-
|oner but a witness for the State, who
ives about a mile from Collins home
When sworn he said he heard Of the
murder and went to the scene. After
dlking with some neighbors, he drove
over to the farm of James Collins, and
told him his daughter had been killed.
5. p. Gosley, another neighbor, who
went to the scene Of the murder as soon
as he heard of it, said he made an ex-
animation of the stables There he
found a bloody hatchet and a long bolt.
The latter is supposed to be the in
strumenlt with which the murder was
committed. The bolt was found be-
hind some crates in the carriage house.
There were blood, flesh and hair on the
bolt Threads were cut on one end and
the blood, flesh and hair were ON this
end. The bloody end was pushed be-
hind the crates, but the other end stuck
out. The hatdhet was in plain sight,
and on one edge of it was blood.
The witness said that Collins told
him the bolt was used to drive in the
ground to tie a calf to. Collins did not
account for the hatchet. In cross-ex-
animation the witness said he saw foot
prints in the rear Of the house leading
TO the stable. He found other tracks
leading to a small stream a short dis
tance from the house. He followed
!, these tracks ON the other side of the
lstream as If a person had crossed there
He lost them near the gates of a mill
1t was during the afternoon when he
found the tracks.
The bolt and hatchet were turned
yer TO Collins Afterwards the wit
ess found the implements in Collins
.,edroom and turned them over to the
undertaken.
Eliza A. l.. Lowe was called to prove
the footprints GOsley saw were not
made by the murderer, but by John
Cooper. a man who stayed at her house,
on the night before the murder. She
ives near the Collins farm. and said
at when Cooper left the house early
the morning he went across the field
ID crossed over the stream where the
otprints were seen.
Mrs. Lowe said she saw prints or
,gers on the left wrist of Mrs. Collins
Aen she was washing her.
Ellen Morris told of the part she
ok i'm undressing and washing Mis-
1tilins. She said she heard Collins say
he had heard it said that detectives
were to make an Investigation. but
that he would not have anything to do
with it. Afterwards two men came up
and told Collins they had arrived TO
make a search for the murderer. Col
Inns told them he knew nothing about
it.
Mrs. Rachel Henry corToborated the
statement Of the preceding witness, as
to Collins saying he would have moth
ing to do with the case
Collins, said the witness, told her he
had got blood ON his overalls by pick
ing up his wife from the floor. In
ross-examination, Mrs. Hearn said the
prisoner was making strange noiso
WAS he crying?" asked MIR Rich
ards.
/ ''Well, when I cry, shed tears, but
when weep feel as if my heart was
broken" said the witness. collins
was not shedding any tears"
Mrs. Ella HeaIm, who lived about 4OC
yards from the tomato patch where Col
( Inns was working, said she could see IL
'At about o'clock" she said. Il saw
him in the patch plowing." She saw
I the John Cooper before referred to gt
[ TO Collins farm from the Lowe house
N % her home. In the afternoon she wen
+ over TO the Collins home and hearC