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Thursday, January 19, 2023

15-Year-Old Mary Collins In Jail for Killing Uncle When He Tried to Rape Her, Jan. 19, 1923

15-Year-Old Girl Tells of Ending of Uray Smith

Morganton, Jan. 13—The mysterious murder of Uray Smith, who was found dead in his uncle’s house several miles from this city last September 6 came to light this afternoon when his 15-year-old cousin, Mary Collins, told officers of the part she had in the affair. The child is now in the county jail, and just before dark her mother, Mrs. Rosalie Smith, was placed in jail also charged with being connected with the killing.

Since the time of the murder the entire community has been guessing but scarcely any suspected this girl of the crime. Her story was told this afternoon in a cheerful manner, many times smiling as she related the horrible events. She declared that she had not told any member of her family that she was the guilty one, and that she had been keeping her secret all this time. Shortly after the murder the girl was sent to Mountain Island, Gaston county, to stay with relatives there. Investigations by Solicitor R.L. Huffman, of this district, led to the belief that she was the last person seen with the dead man, and a warrant was sworn out for her.

According to her story, which was told to Miss Beatrice Cobb, newspaper correspondent, her cousin, sister of the dead man when out in the field after dinner and the other members of the family, including Mrs. Collins went to Glen Alpine. Mary started out with the other girl, Irene Smith, but Smith says she held her back. While they were in the house alone, she told Miss Cobb the man tried to assault her and they had a fight. She stated this afternoon that he offered her $20 if she would submit to immoral relations and when she refused he said he was going to cut her throat. She tried to run, she says, but every time he would catch her and drag her back into the house. Shortly before he was killed, she says, he did cut his throat with the knife and she accounted in that way for the blood found on his shirt.

After the attempted or alleged suicide did not prevail o her to submit to his requests, the girl says that she got a shotgun hanging over the door and started toward her. There was a scuffle over the gun which resulted in a load being discharged into the breast of Smith man, says the girl.

She stated that after the shooting she ran out into the field where Irene Smith was, but did not tell her what happened. According to Solicitor Huffman, who claims he has damaging information to the effect the girl came in the field in a highly nervous state and refused to let her cousin go back to the house. The girl denies this statement.

Mr. Huffman stated this afternoon that he had witnesses to swear that Mrs. Collins, mother of the girl, had stated a few days before ethe killing that she was either going to kill Uray Smith or have him killed. She, as well as her daughter, denied that statement.

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Later.—After a night of mediation the Collins girl told Solicitor Huffman that her mother had killed Smith.

From the front page of The Reidsville Review, January 19, 1923

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