The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-12-23
SALESMAN
IS Slain IN
HOTEL HERE
Mysterious Shooting May
Have Been Caused by
Quarrel Over Woman
THE ASSAllANT ESCAPES

Srhoh|N w" - Wotfttti III haa
Ina may have prompted the mur.
d~~ Of -. 4. Collins. Is. sales
man. In the Hotel DilIer Sunday
morning. This was n clue upon
which The police In Seattle are
working.
Collins was brutaIiy beaten
with the butt Of n revolver. then
shot Blood was smcarud on his
pillow. indicating THAI hc had
bc~n struck while asIeep. this BE-
Ing cosrvtpratcsi by q derp ga~h
over his left ey~ and srother on
his cie-k. Furniture Was over
turned In what WAS evidently =
slss~sI fight f0 iif~ ON the part Of
Coiilns. The body was lying to
the Irff cf the door. ou-the floor.
when the gs1iec discovered II.
several hours later.
A mysterious hotel guest. who ap
pcared in the office between 3 and 4
the hour Of the shooting. asking 10
check out. IL being sought as n logic.
nj suspect. He had scrawled his
name on the register In such man
ncr that IL could not be deoiphered
Investigation disclosed that he had
been a guest at the hotel on two pre-.
vious occasions.
Seattle detectives went 20 Yakima
Monday TO investigate correspond.
ence between Collins and Miss Ruby
waidy. OF ?ii n. Ninth st. Of that
city. 4 letter addressed to her was
found in Collins room.
According TO this correspondence.
the police claim. Il has developed
that more than year ago. in Yaki
ma. man appeared at the police
station there. and asked that the
police interfere 10 prevent Collins
paying attention TO the young
woman.
The Seattle police department be.
iicve the police OF Yakima knows
this man, and may be able 10 locate
him.
Special operatives from Captain OF
Detectives Tenants department
carefully went over the ground for
additional clues at the scene OF the
murder In Collins room at the Diller
late Monday morning.
Altho the hotel was filled at tho
time. only one man heard the shot
and n portion of the struggle. This
was Jack Desmond. OF Fairbanks
the hall Desmond was awakened by
shot and sounds OF "A scuffle be
tween J and 4 n. m. he informed the
police. Desmond. however. remain.
cd in his room until 7 n. m. nj which
time he arose. dressed and told the
hotel clerk.
Both returned TO the room and dis.
covered Collins eead. According to
his statements. Desmond said he
heard Collins door open after the
shot. and n sound as tho some one
were cjecting a shell from revolver.
Feared He'd Re Shot
Questioned as to why he did not
investigate at the time. Desmond is
said TO have stated that he feared
tho man might take n shot at him.
also. that he was not certain that a
crime had been committed. People
sleeping in rooms on either side OF
Collins declare they heard nothing.
In regard TO the motive, Detec.
tlves NJ II. Ballard and G.. l.. Cor
don, assigned to the case. believe
primarily that the murder was un-
premeditated. altho this major
theory may ut any moment be sup
planted by another. that OF revenge.
The detectives think the assailant
was n robbcr. who. discovered by Col
Inns. endeavored to silence his vic.
tim by blow on the head, the affair
resolving into a life and death strug.
gle. Collins valuables were undis,
turbcd
Collins is survived by brother.
Fred Collins, and mother, both living
at Attn ave. S. w. and Massachusetts
st. Fred Collins is an employe OF the
skinner & Eddy corporation.