Evening journal., 1903-03-17
Great Difficulty Expert
enced in EmpaneIing
a Jury to Try the
Case
Collins Retains His Nerve
But the Ordeal Is Too
Much for His ReIa-
tives

LIHCS
stam Correspondent Evening Journal.
Georgetown. March ITO give notice
that court had opened and that the trial
of Elmer Collins, charged with the muir
der Of mis- wife, had been resumed, the
bell on the old Court House was tolled
this morning. This was not necessary,
however as every one who could get in
were packed in the court room.
There was no apparent change In Col
iins when he was brought into the room.
He spent a good night and ate hearty
breakfast. Chief Justice Lore announced
that 1t was the intention of count to hurry
THE case as much as possible. The case
will be a long one and the strain on the
jurors, who are not used TO being closely
confined. is great. There are few ac-
commodatlons for the men and last night
they slept ON the floor Of the court room.
This morning when they were taken out
under the care Of two bailins they were
tired looking. Except for the morning
walks, the jurors will be held prisoners in
the court room until the trial ends. Be
fore the opening Of court the attorneys de-
cided not to excuse p. r. Layton. who
said he was sick and he will remain on the
jury.
When the court opened Attorney-Gen-
eral Ward said that the defendant is. as
you know. charged OF murder In the first
degree. The court when 1t comes TO de-
liver the charge, wiM define homicide. 1t
Is proper that the prosecuting officer give
you some statements Of homicide. Mr..
Ward then defined the different degrees
Of murder. In illustrating circumstancial
evidence, he used a piece Of paper tearing
it up and then fitting the pieces together.
Facts and acts, he said, often state more
correctly than direct words.
The State expects to prove, said he, that
on April Il Ida Collins was killed; that
she was found in the stable connected
with the property where she lived. She
was seen by nobody that morning. At
O'Clock, or httle after, Collins went e
the house OF George Henry, near by, and
told Henry's family that his wife was
dead The woman was found lying partly
on her face, dead. When the woman was
found her face was down in the manure
She had upon her head three wounds. on
her forehead was another wound. Hei
throat was cut. The State will prove tina
the wound on the head would have caused
death. We will prove she was cold wher
found, proving THAT she was killed hour
before. She was at that time stiffening
That indicates she had been dead a con
siderable period.
The blood stains were dry on the heat
and the blood had dried in the wounds II
her neck. We will prove sne was no
killed in the stable, where found, but il
the corn crib. On the day she was foun'
the corn crib was fastened. 1t was locke'
next day. on that day when some one go
in was found a blood stain ON the boar'
wall. On the floor was another bloo'
stain. There were splatters Of blood ol
the beard. We have had the blood teste'
and will show 1t was human blood. w
will show that who killed the woman di
so IN a place when he was concealed
After the killing. she was put i'm a plac
where she could be easily discovered.
The defendant made various statements
B These vary from the facts in the case
We will show that on Collins overall
were blood stains. We will show the
were put there when the blood was fresh
The defendant accounts for them by say
ing he lifted his wife to his breast an
kissed her. When he put her back he pu
her face down I'm manure. The State wi
prove that on the right leg is spatter Z
blood which 1t is Claimed splattered froi
"a human body. If she had been dead &c
minutes the blood could not have pro
duced that spcl We will show you th
instrument of death. an iron bar. We wi
prove he came upon her as she was lear
ing down. After She bled sufficiently III
person concluded 20 draw her to a plac
of openness. We will prove the motive
Prior to the killing Collins had been IL
innate with a young woman. He Wa
trying TO get her TO go away with hin
The State Will argue that this other loN
and that of his wife, which stood in II
way, led ito this murder.
The woman Mr. Ward referred 10 is Ma
Rhoads. who has been summoned. 81
sat on a bench back OF nhe jury box ar
n attracted much attention. She wore
black and white hat and light reef
coat.
Frank r. Carswell, engineer, was Il