Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-22
FIGHT ENDS
 IN A DEATH
Sensational Affair in Rail. road Station-Son and Daughter Intercepted Lett ter Sent to Their Father by a Woman.

Peoria, III, Oct 22-MrS Nellie Thomason, wife of a former promi- nent real estate dealer in this city, is dead at her home in Lacon, as the re suit of injuries received in a sensation al encounter with Richard and Jennie Higgins, son and daughter of John C.. Higgins, a prominent member of the board of supervisors of Peoria county and prominent in republican politics. Young Higgins is, 24 years old and his sister is 20 They inter cepted letter written to Higgins sen for by Mrs Thomason, in which she asked the older Higgins to meet her at the station of the Rock Island rail road in this city.
 Higgins was at St Louis and his son opened the letter which asked Higgins to be i'll the waiting room at noon last Saturday. When Mrs Thomson arrived at that hour she was confronted by young Higgins and his sister What took place is mys- tery, as only the three and Douglas Mcdonald, an uncle of Higgins, were present Some time later, however, the woman asked the ticket agent to assist her to the train. He did so and when she was gone, discovered the floor of the waiting room covered with blood. The woman fingered in great agony at her home in Lacon iin- til she died.
 Higgins is under arrest charged with murder. Mrs Thomson had been in a, comatose condition since Wednesday night, rallying enough at intervals to speak word or two. One of her lips was severed, both eyes were bIackened, one shoulder was dis. placed and her back was covered with bruises. She was also suffering from internal injuries. The attending phy- sician was unable to rouse the pa- s tient sufficiently to get a statement from her.
 Higgins wept when placed in jail, .sWe had been trying for years to break up the relations between my. father and this woman, he said. When we got that letter my sister and went down to see if we could not make some arrangements with. her. We met her in the waiting room I went up to her and touched her on the shoulder.
 Mrs Thomason, believe said. She turned around quickly and said: Oh. it's you is it9 and drew out her hatpin. n then, pushed her sharply against the side of the face and knocked her over q chair. My sister then pulled me away and told me that would be arrested; and that we could not do anything with her. That's. all there was to il"
 Miss Higgins corroborated her brother and made the following state ment:
 T had nothing to do with the af- fair whatever, only as witness. r saw Mrs Thomson attack my brother with hatpin and then he struck her seyerals times. did not engage in the scuffle."
 Mrs Thomason has not lived with her husband. J. w Thomson, for three years.
 Detective William E. Murphy, who was murdered under sensational cir cumstances in this city last June, was connected with the Higgins -Thomas-. on case. On the night Murphy was killed he was shadowing John Higgins at the instance of members of the Higgins family. Young Higgins says that either on that night or on the following night Mrs Thomson called up the Higgins residence by telephone and said: Murphy was a good friend of yours. Well, he got his tonight. Kierans Ca fellow detective of Mur- phy) is your friend, too. He will get his next"