Evening journal., 1903-03-20
Father Saw Letter.

"She was stepping high, as II she was
mad" he said. when she got in the
house | saw her throw a letter i'm the
stove" he continued. 1.-The fire was not
high and when she left the room !
pulled the letter from the stove. It was
partly burned. but / saw Elmer ]. Col
Inns name, and the words. why don't
you do what you promised me, or what
| asked you in. could not make
out the other words"
Could Read Well.
He was oss-examined by Mr..
White. Rhoads said he did not know
Collins handwriting Il can read
writing" he said, 'fbut not readily"
When handed a letter by Mr. White he
could not read il. All he could make
out was March 9.
When handed a printed pamphlet ho
said he could read it. When asked to
do 80 he hesitated fumbled the book, adj
| iusted the glasses handed him, and fl
nally read few words. He said he
had told his wife about the letter.
After Garland Fitzgerald had been
sworn, Mr.. Ward said to him before
questioning himc Garland. take the
gum out of your mouth
The witness said he and Jim Lewis
were driving by the Collins place after
the murder and called 10 Collins: Say,
say. can we get to see the bodyTCollins
sat down a bucket he was carrying and
led the way into the house and lifted up
the lid Of the ice-bON so that We could
see the body. AS we were leaving the
house Collins said, apparently to him
self: This is the worst days work /
ever did I told several persons about
/ Collins remarks. George Kitchens
and Jack Lowe were among them
Told Of Prayer.
Henry Niblet, SO years old with flow
ing white Yhiskers. said that at the
time Of the murder he lived about four
miles from Sharptown He now lives
in Maryland. On the Sunday after the
murder he was at the Collins farm He
was there again in July.
Il happened to be passing the house,
and saw Collins coming from toward
the branch, but not far from the house
I went up TO the house to get a drink
Of water. l did not see Collins then
but heard a noise In the stable. / stood
There and listened, but did not get q
drink.
1T seemed is if someone was max
ing a groaning noise. walked into the
carriage house and stopped and listen
ed. l heard a few words coming from
the stable loft
"The first words were Give me for
giveness for the crime have commit
ted Then l heard, Lord, thou know
est l killed my wife and cannot hide
it from thine all-seeing eye I recog-
nized the voice. afterwards saw Col
Inns coming from the carriage house.
Told it at Camp Meeting.
Mr.. White cross-examined the wit
ness. Niblet said he did not hear the
whole prayer, as he was not disposed
to listen to it. Il heard more than
wanted to-" he said. THE first man
told of this was Solomon Rhoads at a
campmeeting. Rhoads was having a dis
pute about the Collins case with an
other man and then stepped up and
told them about the prayer"
When asked what his occupation
was, Niblet said: Il do nothing one
day, hut pile it up the next" Mr. Ward
objected to this line Of examination
and Mr.. White said he was trying tc
show that Niblet had nothing to do
and was telling this story for a con
sideration.
Expert Blood Testimony.
DR.. Alfred Robin. bacteriologist fol
the State Roard of Health at Newark
gave the expert testimony. He explain-
ed to the jury what bacteriology meant
At the instance of Mr.. Ward ne said
he made tests Of several articles sub
mitted to him. He examined a pair Of
Overalls, shirt, piece of wood, an eai
, % corn, ben manure, iron pa'. hatchet
and blocks. They were examined q
. determine whether there was blood OF
whether it was human blood.
b Test in Court Room.
Tho doctor made an actual test II
, the court room, using chemicals t
show how the presence of blood is made
known. He said the hen manure show
ed no blood. He said he failed to no
tice 81 at on the shirt. Who1 il WA
D pointed out to him he made a test OF
e the witness stand. and said the spo
was blood.
{ The hood on the pieces of wood from
e the hen house, he said. was birdi
blood. BY making a test he said a slive
j Of wood taken from the corn crib ol
v which there was blood he said he foun'
S that It was consistent with the theor.
that it might be human blood TIL
blood from the boards from the corr
n crib and corn-cob indicated humal
Y blood as far the concensts Of scirn
a tific opinion goes. He did not make an.
I test of the blood on the bolt or hatche
r to determine whether it was humal
. blood In his opinion he said he though
q the spots on the floor Of the corn
r crib was blood 1t was also his opin
q ion that the blood on the overalls wa
o applied in fluid condition to MAX
the kinds of spot shown him. BLOOD,
he said. "ccaiulatss in five minutes.
. Therefore he reasoned that the b1oo