Ilda Collins was born in 1873 to James E Collins (1837-1909)
and Nancy Calloway Collins (1840-1882). She had a number of brothers and
sisters. She was a distant cousin to Elmer Collins
whom she would marry in 1897. Elmer
Jacob Collins (1872-1955) was the son of Jacob Adam Collins and Julia Jane
Hitch (1838-1877). He also came from a large family. His
sister, Lutetia, would marry Thomas
Phillips and live in Delmar. Elmer and Ilda would live in the small community
of Portsville on the south bank of Broad creek and the Jacob Collins Portsville
Mill Pond a few miles from Laurel. He was farmer. They had two daughter Hazel Marie (1897-1992)
and Kathryn Ida (1899-1976).
above Elmer Collins
On April 12th 1902 according to Elmer Collins he
had left his wife at the farm at 6:30 AM while he and his two daughters went to
work a field a mile away planting tomato seed.
His wife was to join them after she finished working in the hen house. When he came back an hour later he found her
in the stable house with her skull bashed in and with her throat cut. The newspapers would always refer to her as Alda Collins.
On April 14th her funeral was held at Mount
Pleasant Church, there were over 2,000 people at the church. She was buried in the cemetery beside the
church. Later that night Elmer Collins
returned to his home where Detectives arrested him for the murder of his
wife.
Little motive could be found for
the murder but that his clothing had blood on them, which he had said was from
when he held his dead wife in his arms after finding the body. When he was arrested he was surrounded by
hundreds of relatives and friends at his home.
His sister, Mrs Thomas Phillip, swooned and was ill for several
days. Both fathers, James Collins and
Jacob Collins, proclaimed Elmer Collins innocents.
His uncle Dr J W Hitch and Dr Edward Fowler hired ex-attorney
general Robert C White to defend him and obtain his release. His relatives hired Pinkerton detectives to
find the real murder and Detective Maull of the agency and W G Butler were
assigned the case. The detectives
located William White Pratt alias William Waite alias Charles de shiell, a
negro who would confess to the crime. It
was said that his confession was written by the detectives and he signed
it. It would later be determine he was
half witted and was lying about the murder. However he had assaulted farmer James Anderson
of Delmar and he was guilty by insanity and committed to the Farmhurst Asylum.
Rev. Marion Clark, a colored minister, was arrested next but
it was determined he had never ever been in Laurel so he was released.
Elmer Collins was arrested after the funeral but was bonded
out for $500. When he returned to his
farm he found it had been almost destroyed by sightseers and curiosity seekers
looking for souvenirs. Governor John Hunn, Jr "Honest John" offered a reward of $500 for the apprehension of the criminal. Elmer's two daughters were taken to live with
their grandfather, Jacob Collins, until this was over with.
His wife’s sister, Sarah Virginia Collins (1861-1918), had
married William Luther Elzey of Exmore Va.
Her other sister, Annie May Collins (1865-1950), had married William E. Thomas
of Franktown, Va. When Sarah Elzey died
in 1918, William Luther Elzey would marry the other sister, Rose Otehia Collins
(1871-1954). Elmer Collins was a frequent
visitor to the Exmore, Virginia area. After Elmer’s release on bond he attempted to
visit Exmore for the wedding of his brother Harvey (Hobbs) B. Collins to Alcora
West but people thought he was trying fled so he came back to Laurel.
People were split over rather he killed her or not and it
became quite bitter between the two groups.
Captain James Smith who supported Collins found his hog with his throat
cut.
A couple of weeks after Mrs. Collins murder another murder
of a woman occurred about a mile away.
Mrs. Kate Riggins 87 years old.
She was found in the river with her apron strings tied to a bush.
On October 16th 1902 a jury in Georgetown
Delaware indicted Elmer Collins with these words “Elmer Collins did feloniously
kill and murder his wife Ilda D, Collins on the twelfth day of April, 1902”. He
was committed to the Georgetown Jail.
The murder trial started in March 1903, lasted nine days. It was tried by Chief Justice Lore and
associated Judges Grubb and Pennewell. The
courthouse was packed and the on lookers in the court house got a surprise when
34 jurors were eliminated and 18 talesmen ( person added to a jury usually from among bystanders to make up a
deficiency in the available number of jurors) had to be
selected from the on lookers. There was
a rush for the door but the bailiff stopped the 65 on lookers and 18 were
eventually selected. There still was not a clear motive for the
murder. The main evidence was the blood
stained overalls and the appearance of May Rhoads (Rhodes) who said she “made
love” (kissing and embracing) to Elmer Collins and that he didn’t love his
wife. Henry Niblett of Sharptown said he
heard Elmer praying and heard him say he killed his wife. Henry Culver from Delmar said Nilbett was not
to be believed. Harrison Wrotten said he heard threats of “I will kill you” coming
from the Collins house the night before the murder. Six people from Dorchester County said
Wrotten was a liar. The courthouse was packed.
Perhaps the most damaging testimony was from May Rhoads
(Rhodes). She told the Jury she had gone
to school with Elmer Collins and in the past year had received four letters
from him saying he loved her. She
however burnt the letters. She also met
him in the woods where they kissed and embraced. Elmer said yes they had gone to school
together but the most contact he had with her after school was to say hello
when they would meet. Another witness said
May had wrote the letters herself. May
said in the fourth letter Collins had said he would put his wife six foot
under. May had said to reporters that
she would like to pursue a career on stage but as of yet had not accepted an
offer.
May Rhoads on the stand
On March 25, 1903 at 10:37pm Elmer Collins was acquitted of
the murder of his wife, after three hours the jury returning a verdict of not guilty.
After the trial Elmer would move to the Elizabeth City - Newport
News Virginia area taking with him his daughters. He would marry again this time to Ella Lee
Barney (1870-1960). He would continue to
be a farmer. Elmer would die in 1955 in
Hampton Va. His daughters would marry;
Hazel Marie (1897-1992) married Richard Hampden Nottingham (1893-1956) of
Exmore Va. in 1917 and Kathryn Ida would marry Benjamin H Cordrey of Laurel.
Kathryn was a school teacher in Laurel.
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