The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-20
C. A. COLLINS TAKES LIFE
 - Committed Suicide Near Electric Park. IA LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER He Was Learning the Line of the M. & O. Came to Montgomery from Little Rock Ark, to Get Place, Took Nor phine and whiskey and Died.
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER

With every indication pointing to suicide on account of hts inability to let whIskey alone, and the lack of funds, the body of Charles A. Collins, 40 years old. a locomotive engineer, was found early yesterday afternoon by Charles Lewis, negro, in Walkers Grove, about 100 yards from the Mount Meigs Road directly opposite Electric Park.
 Three empty haif-pint bottles which had contained whiskey and q box ia- beled '.morphine,'i told the story. The top to the morphine box had been torn, but when the pieces were coll Jectei and placed together, the former contents of the box was shown. Collins, 1t seems. was out of work. but had been running on the engines of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad be- tween Montgomery and Artesia in or- der to learn the road and thus qualify himself for permanent position. A service certificate in his coat pocket showed that he had been in the employ of the Iron Mountain Route for more than eight years, running out of Lit tie Rock, Ark. The certificate showed that he had been employed September 1 26, 1897; was promoted to be engineer January 16. 1901; and resigned June 2i of the current year The paper was | endorsed. services satisfactory Was Learning HI. and Q. Road. The order for Mobile and Ohio en- | gineers to allow him Co ride on their 1 locomotives was Issued August and was signed by Master Mechanic J. F. Enright Since the pass was written railroad men say that he has been making the run to Artesia frequently The chance to make showing with | the Mobile and Ohio after his resIs- nation from the service of the Iron Mountain was, 1t seems from letters or l the dead man, secured through ths good services of a friend in the em. ploy of the Mobile and Ohio at Jack son, Tenn.
 This letter also contained an inslgh | into the probable reason for the sui eide In referring to conversation he had had in regard to Collins witt ono of the officials. the author of tn 1 letter says: q told him you were good man and sober Now. old boy. | want you to cut the boozs out if yol do come here. as they do not do bust ness here like on the L M. (Iron Noun I and master mechanic have confidence in what tell them. Of course ther, is booze here, but they are very stric and do not hesitate to tie wash boiler 1 to a man.
 Among the other papers found on thu dead man was a little string of half | dozen pictures, each about the. size O a postage stamp, showing the decease' with a little girl. A letter from al insurance company showed that he ha,
 been paid s4s for an accident whiel | occurred May 27. Other papers WET
 in regard to the trial which he wa
 being given on the Mobile and Ohio
 With the exception of these letters
 telegrams, etc, which were found Il l the inside coat pocket. of the dead maj he had nothing else in his pockets. No Marks of violence.
 An examination of the body after
 had been taken in charge by Corone
 w. H. Tice showed no marks indicat
 ing that the deceased had met wit
 yioleace. A few scratches were foun
 on his arm. but they were only skin deep and could easily have been cause
 by merely rubbing against the root of the tree he was under. or even tn
 bare ground, for his skin was yer
 tender from the effects of the pint an
 half of whiskey he had evidentl 1 drank.
 Although the body presented sick | ening sight and decomposition had SC
 in, 1t is not thought that Collins ha
 been dead for more than eightee
 hours. The body was embalmed an
 will be held for few days, or unt | given by relatives or friends.
 Coroner Tice was notified by Yard
 master L. c. Campbell of the Mobil
 and Ohio, that Collins family lived 1
 Little Rock. Ark. They were notifie by wire through Superintendent H. ]
 Alexander of the Iron Mountain at tha
 place Collins had a run on MT. Alex
 ander's division. No word wassreceive from Little Rock last night
 Looked for Man Saturday. An Advertiser representative was ir formed at the yard office of the Mobii and Ohio that efforts were made Satui
 day afternoon at Tuscaloosa and O Sunday in Montgomery to find Collir , and put him to work regularly as a , engineer The officials knew nothin
 of his whereabouts, however, until the
 heard of the tragedy near Electr
 Park.
 For the two or three hours Collins body remained on the ground in Wall
 CT Iirovo large crowds of morb. , , sight-seers were attracted to the spo When found the body was lying fac' downward with his coat under his hea
 He had a good suit Of clothes. whic i; had been soaked by the rain. Railroad men, who have met ColliI
 in Montgomery. knew him to bo 5 sore need of money. He has been heal to say several times that he didn
 know what he was going to do for
 watch. something which tLe regulation
 of all railroads require an engineer possess. So far as can be learned, e' } erythlng he had except his engineer , overalls, was on bis back. He was m
 known tn have any room or oth' |