Hazard Herald, Thursday, May 17, 1934 Solly Collins Is Given Life Term Found Guilty of Participating in Murder of J.A. Simmons, Two Others Will Go On Trial. A jury in the Perry circuit court returned a verdict of guity in the case of Solly COLLINS, charged with participating in the killing of J.A. SIMMONS, and fixed his punishment at life in prison. COLLINS went on trial at 8:00 o'clock Wednesday morning. COLLINS, together with Marcellus FUGATE and Ed NAPIER was charged with killing J. A. SIMMONS, an aged peddler, who's lifeless body was found on the highway near Ary on the night of January 11. He had been stabbed to death and had nineteen wounds in his body. Following the finding of the body officers began an investgation and secured leads that placed the three defendants near the scene of the killing about thirty minutes before the lifeless body of SIMMONS was found. A large knife found near the body was said to be the property of COLLINS and was enough to have him under arrest. Collins denied any part of the crime and said that the knife found by officers was his property but had loaned it to Marcellus FUGATE. He admitted getting out of a car near where SIMMONS was killed but alleged that he had gone directly to his home. He explained that blood stains on his clothing with the statement that it came from a cut on the back of his left hand. NAPIER and FUGATE will go on trial at the present term of court.