The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-23

very attractive. young woman and
she had several suitors. 1t was proved
| that John was very Jealous of her.
To entertain slaer he spent all the
money he could get and he. Went largely
into debt. His father was continually
| finding fault with him and scoIding
| him because of his eXtravagance. The
| father had gone so far as to threaten
to take the boy away from the college
| and to cancel $4,000 worth of life insur
ance he held in favor of the boy. The
father went to Mr. Steele. chief of po-
lice in Topeka, and asked him to find
out what John was doing to spend so
much money. The boy came home
often from Lawrence and was always
cause of his extravaganza.
1t was proven at the trial that when
Mr.. Collins was killed John owed the
iiveryman, the cigar dealer, the book
man, the restaurant man, the shoe
man. the halter, the florist and he
owed $50 to the Watkins bank. This
sum he had borrowed without the
knowledge of his father. his note was
overdue and the bank had asked him
to pay and had threatened to notify his
father.
The Negro Witnesses
Two of the principal witnesses
against Collins were negroes, Jess Har-
per and Johnson Jordan. Both were
disreputabl They were sporty" ne
groes, gamblers and petty thieves.
Both had been in jail. One had been
Jess Harper testified at the trial that
he was Introduced by Joe Smothers, a
negro, to John Collins in Lawrence and
John said to him:
.'You look like a big, strong. burly
fellow, with lots of strength. I want
a fellow like you to go to Topeka for
me to do a job there, a piece of dirty
work.
Jess said he knew a man in Topeka,
johnson Jordan who would do it.
Collins told him to telegraph to Jor-
dan to come to Lawrence, and gave
him fifty cents with which to pay for
the telegram. That afternoon he met
Collins in the park and Collins gave
him a diamond stud.
Jordan came down to Lawrence on
an early night train and he introduced
a room in his house. After introduce
ing them he whispered to Jordan to
strike Collins for SIS.
After Collins left Jordan told Harper
that Collins wanted him to kill a man
in Topeka and had promised him SIS.
The money was to be paid to Harper
for Jordan. The next day, April 81,
Collins gave him the SIS. He gave
part of the money to Jordan.
Got Collins Revolver.
Harper testified that shortly before
the murder John Collins gave him
revolver to pawn and that he took it to
Dave PASSIONS pawnshop and borrowed
$3.50 on it.
johnson Jordan's story upon the
witness stand agreed with that of
Harper.
The state put upon the stand many
witnesses to corroborate them.
A Tell Tale Letter
Kitty Smothers, a negro woman of
Lawrence, testified before Mr.. Collins
was murdered John Collins came to her
home and asked for her brother joe
Another evening soon after that John
called again, and when he learned that
Joe Smothers was not in he gave her a
sealed letter fo- him.
This letter was introduced In evil
dence at the trial. 1t was as follows:
Joe: Keep things mum if anything
comes up. Will make it worth your
while TURNER HALL
Joe Smothers. a musician and singer
who used to play for the college stud
ents. corroborated the testimony Of his
Ed Miller, a negro porter in a drug
store in Lawrence, testified that short
time before Collins was killed John Col
Inns was looking for Jess Harper and
that John wished to buy poisons from
him.
Martin Maloney and Harry weymul-
Ter young white men, testified that
John Collins inquired of them If they
had seen Jess Harper. Samuel Jeans,
negro policeman of Lawrence, testified
that John inquired of him, about that
time where he could find Jess Harper.
Lizzie Moore. daughter of the sheriff,
and Julia Shaw, white women testified
that they saw John Collins in and
around the Smothers home in Lawrence.
Frances BabcOck Testifies.
Miss Frances Babcock, Collins for
mer sweetheart, was an important wit |
Eess against John Collins, although she
tried as well as she could to shield him. |
She told the following story:
During several weeks before Mr.. Col |
Inns was killed John talked a great deal
about his father being followed and
Swallowed and in great danger from ne |
groes. He said his father had told him |
he had noticed a negro on the street |
watching and following him, and he |
feared he meant HARM
The burden of the testimony intro |
duced upon behalf of John Collins was |
to show the loving relations that ex- |
listed between him and his father A |