Putnam patriot., 1914-09-04
AGED SHOEMAKER
 FOUND MURDERED
John Green Of kewtown Killed
 by Mysterious Visitor
ROBBERY SUPPOSED MOTIVE
Blood Stains on Hands, Lsborer Is Arrested-Robbsry Believed to Have Aetuated Slayer
 of Shoemaker.

Newton.-Brutally murdered with an axe, John Green or Greenberg. a shoemaker of this place, was found dead by psrishioners of St. Roses church on their way home from mass. The body was lying face downward in corner of his little shop, and GOV cred with a bloodstained mattress and bedding from the room in the rear. John ColliIs, a laborer employed on the building of the state road through here. is under arrest on suspicion, because he was found with his clothes bespattered with blood and blood stains on his hands.
 The town of Newtown was stricken with horror when the discovery of the murder was made. Green, an inoffen- sive little man. who had gained many friends in Newtown and Hawleyyille. was found with his battered in, his skull crushed and his features rend. cred almost unreeognizable. The top of his skull had been knocked away, his Left ear was almost torn of and the left side of his head was torn as if by glancing blow. Altogether he had marks of apparently five blows from the axe. which lay at his side.
 In reach of Greens fingers was an nwl, apparently escaped from his lifeless fingers as he fell dead on his floor. In his right hand was a shoe. which he is thought to have been just mending at the time of the at tack Less than a foot from his body was the bloody axe, its handle spattered by the blood of the dead eobbler Bed clothes. believed to have been dragged from the rear room and a mattress, all blood-stain- ed, were found piled on the body of Green.
 It was soon after 10 o'clock mass at St Roses Roman Catholic church was concluded that Charles Cava- naugh, an employe of the Newton Bee, passed the office in which he works. on Church Hill and leaving 8 group of other men and women on their way home from church, entered the store of Green to get a pair of shoes he had left for repairs. He was struck by the confusion of the place and the absence of Green. Then he stepped to the counter and his eyes met blood-stained pillow case. He ran from the store and summoned Deputy Sheriff A. B. Blakeman. The latter went to the store and after lift ing the mattress found the prostrate and bloody body of Newtowns shoe- maker lying on the floor, with his hands grasping a shoe and an awl.
 The local police authorities imme- diately began search of the town in company with the State police. About a mile and a half from the scene of the murder the State police came upon James Collins, seated at the roadside nursing a cut thumb. His clothes were spattered with blood and he was placed under arrest. Then he was taken to the town lookup and searched and it was found that he had a handkerchief saturated with blood. Dried blood was on his hands. but he said it all came from the thumb, which had been bruised and cut and had bled He denied abso- lutely all knowledge of the murder.
 Collins is q laborer employed on the State road. He has been in this vicinity for about four months.
 Greens body lay just behind his counter, which was covered with shoes that he had apparently been re- pairing Saturday night In the belief of the police his assailant had walked behind the counter with the axe con cealed behind his back while engag ing Green in conversation. and had dealt the death blows while Green was intent in his work. While noth- ing definite is known. it is believed the murder was committed in the neigh borhood of 10 o'clock