The Tupelo journal., 1904-10-28
KILLED BY An AvENG|NG SON
Tragedy in High Life Reported
From Peoria, Ill.
Children Of a Prominent Citizen
Were Jealous Of Attention. Of
Father to other Women.

Thomasson wife Of a former promi-
nent real estate dealer in this city,
died at IL o'clock at Lacon Thursday
night, as the result of injuries re-
ceived last Saturday noon in a sen
sational encounter with Richard and
Jennie Higgins, children Of John G.
Higgins, a prominent member OF the
board of supervisors of Peoria u
ty. and prominent in republican poll
tics.
The Higgins children intercepted a
letter written to Higgins senior by
Mrs. Thomasson, in which she asked
him to meet her in the depot OF the
Rock Island in this city.
Higgins was at st. Louis, and his
son, Richard, opened the letter. The
missive asked Higgins to be in the
waiting room.
When Mrs. Thomasson arrived
there she was confronted by young
Higgins and his sister. What took
place is a mystery, as only the three
and Douglas Mcdonald, Of Momia, Ill.,,
an uncle of Higgins, were present.
Some time later, however, Mrs.
Thomasson asked E. A. Brant, the
ticket agent, who found her alone In
the waiting room, to assist her to a
train. He did so, and when h was
gone it was discovered that the floor
of the waiting room was covered with
blood. The woman fingered in great
agony at her home in Lacon until
Thursday night, when she died. .
Mrs. Thomasson had lain in a COM
atose condition since Wednesday
night, rallying enough to speak a
word or two at times. During her
last hours she vonn:ted blood excess
sively. Her body presented a horri-
BILE appearance. Her lip was severed,
both eyes blackened, one shoulder dis
placed and her back was covered
with bruises, as evidently inflicted
with a boot or heavy instrument.
The intestines and tnterna, mem
branes were evidently ruptured.
DR.. John Potts, the attending ply
stefan, was unable to rouse the pa
tient sufficiently to get a dying state
ment, although this was attempted
by Judge Richmond. of Marshall
county, at whose suggestion the Pc
oria authorities arrested young Hig-
gins.
John Higgins, the father of Rich
ard Higgins, has been prominent in
-1J;4;a. ,-J NTNInrr affairs
and Mrs. Thomasson is the wife OF
Glenn Thomasson, who recently fig
ured in trouble inside the order.
Young Higgins wept when arrested.
He said:
I'VE had been trying for years to
break up the relations between my
father and this woman.
when we got that letter my sister
and | went down there to see If we
could not make ONE arrangements
with her. We met her in the waiting
room. l went up to her and touched
her on the shoulder.
"'Mrs. Thomasson, l believe ]
said. She turned around quickly and
said:
ooh, it's you, it is?' and drew out
her hat pin. l then pushed her sharp
,y against the side of the face and
knocked her over on a chair. My sis
ter then pulled me away and told me
l would be arrested; that we couldn't
do anything with her. That's all
there is t. it."
His sister corroborated the above
statement.
Miss Jennie Higgins made the fol
lowing statement:
"I had nothing to do with the at
fair, whatever, only as a witness. j
saw Mrs. Thomasson attack my
brother with a hatpin, and then he
struck her several times. l did not
engage in the scuffle."
Mrs. Thomasson has not lived with
her husband, J.. w. ThomassOn, for
three years, and at the time of her
death did not know where he was To-
Gated. They were not divorced.