The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-15
Murder Will Out"

'THE proverb is that ssmurder will OUT This
perienee is still the same waV At least this much
must be sad that the chances of escape against
the murderer. The probabilities that he will be
This applies Of course, to deliberately planned cold
booded crimes and not to those committed In the heat
Of passion.
The recent tragedy in this city is no exception to
the rule, for while Riggs speedily overtaken and
to have done great many foolish things likely
to lead to his Identification with the crime he had
planned, he supposed, to avert suspicion. He
had correspondence to show that his relations
with his victim purely of business nature BY
means Of cipher letter he had induced her to come
to Minneapolis alone and register under false
He entered the same house under assumed name,
and after his victim had at his instigation, drawn
from the bank the money which he wanted he went
to her and, while she asleep lulled to a
sense Of security, struck blow which he supposed
fatal. Believing her dead he undertook to efface
all means of Identification taking away from her not
only any papers which might lead to that result but
everything in the form of metal other noncombusti
BILE material including her ring, her watch and even
medicine bottle and spray. Then, supposing her
dead he covered the body with alcohol set fire to it
and left hurriedly. He expected the body and the
clothing to be burned beyond Identification. He may
have expected the building to be destroyed. He did
not hesitate to endanger the lives Of many others
the hotel.
If his plan had worked out as he expected he would
have succeeded in creating mystery to the origin
and might have succeeded in dverting sus-
picon from himself entirely Of course there was left
the chance Of tracing from the disappearance of the
with him, but then the commission of a crime
would have been difficult to establish if the fire had
done the work which he expected. AS it happened
however, the reaction caused by the pain from the
burning aroused the wounded and she made
outcry which led to discovery of the fire before
the traces Of its probable origin and purpose had
entirely destroyed s#
And so the murder out, and Riggs, feeling the
hand Of the law placed upon him, realizing that his
plans had failed and that the other
disposal of her effects at his house and in his
own safety deposit yault-would convict hm of the
No terrible crime one which has been
attended with such rapid and dramatic unfolding has
occurred in this community for many day. but the
tracing Of the facts shows that while apparently the
plans were wisely and skfully laid they aborted
entirely by circumstance which altogether within
the control Of the murderer and left him chiefly re-
sponsibe for his swift undoing.
The subject is grewsome and horrible to
contemplate, and yet 1t teaches lesson which ought
not to be lost and which, made clear, may have a
deterring effect upon others who are contemplating
similar crimes. They almost certain to make a
mistake somewhere which will be fatal in it's results
They can hardly plan skillfully than NJ M Riggs
And Riggs is dead.