The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-23
COLLINS IS FREE.
Continued from Page One.)
John Collins Story.


John Collins. the son. who has beer
| attending the state university returned
| to his home yesterday. He said:
came home because was sick. L tried
to find DR.. Grubbs yesterday to con-
| suit him about my health but did not
see him, so 1 came home early and
went to bed I slept soundly and this
morning early l heard a noise. 1t was
loud but 1 did not know what 1t was
until l heard mother call me. I rush
ed down stairs and saw father lying
| across the bed, in pool of blood Then
L ran up stairs and got my trousers on
and ran across the street in my bare
feet to awaken Mr.. Lange, and tele-
phoned for doctor. 1t is a horrible
thing. The gun that belonged to my
father was lying in the front hall The
front door was not open the dining
room window was unfastened and the
window upstairs was was also unlatch-
ed "
Arrested at Funeral.
John Collins was arrested May 16
while in attendance at the funeral of
his father, three days after the murder
Chief Steele OF the local police force ar
rested the young man and turned him
over to Sheriff Cook. There was some
criticism at the time over the officials
action in making the arrest at the fun
eral, but the chief defended himself by
stating that Collins was only placed
under surveillance and this was done
so quietly as to attract no attention
After the coroner's jury had brought in
the verdict that J. s. Collins came to
his death from the hand of some I'M
known party the espionage of John
Collins was relaxed.
1t was later in the summer that the
discovery of John Collins watch in the
hands of Johnson Jordan. the negro
thug and the latter's arrest and dam
aging story of how John had. tried to
hire him and Jesse Harper, another
negro ruffan to murder his father
he NJ
around him.
Trial Lasted Four Weeks.
The trial lasted four weeks and the
case was given to the jury at O'Clock
on the evening of Dec. "a, 1898. At
o'clock that night the jury returned a
verdict of guilty and John Collins, who
listened coolly to the foreman's fateful
words. lighted a cigar and said to
Sheriff Cook: This is an awful Christ
mas present for me"
County Attorney Jetmore, Galen
Nichols and Harry Stafford conducted
the case for the prosecution and A. A
GODDARD and Chas. HAYDEN appeared for
the defense. The following comprised
the jury: G. NJ. Berber, William Keck,
Emery Probst and John Dickey of Au-
burn; Henry Porter of Wavelandi
Miller of Valencia: John KeIiinger, a.
H Buchanan and. J. S. Goodwin of
Vidette: ]. S. Jordan of Wakarusa.
John Collins Court Room Speech.
From the State Journal of March q,
1899 is the following account of the
nassine of sentence on Collins by Judge
Hazen, then judge of the Shawnee dis
trict court:
John Henry Collins received the death
sentence in the district court today
Before sentence was passed he made
sensational speech which brought tears
to the eyes of many of the women and
some of the men present in the court
room The announcement that he would
he sentenced this morning brought out
a large gathering. The court room was
hacked with men and women, but I'M
like the scenes attending the trial, a
large majority of those present were
men.
In response to the question, Have
Won ANYTHING to say why sentence
Should not be passed upon you?" John
Collins replied as follows, speaking in
a low voice and looking up often from
his manuscript square into the judges
eyes:
Il do not come here as a criminal
but / come here as an innocent man.
protesting against the commission of