Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-03-28
HIS BLUFF CALLED

Man Makes Believe He Is Trying to
Commit Suicide, When His Wife
Beats the Idea Out of His Head
i With a Club.
The sensational Heggens case,
wherein MIS- Eeggens was charged
with assault with intent to kill, the
complaining witness being Ter hus-
; band. was brought to a sudden close
at Minot when Judge E. B. Goss, after
, taking testimony in the case, dis
! missed the action against the RertholI
woman and taxed the costs Of the case
against the defendant Previous to
dismissing the criminal action, Judge
Goss granted Mrs. Heggens an abso-
lutte divorce.
| Mrs. Hesgens was cleared rom the
criminal charge, upon which she was
arrested last Wednesday, by her little
seven year old daughter, Isabella
The testimony of this young witness
proved very interesting and disclosed
; the entire facts in the case. James
! o. Heggens, who is prosperous
farmer residing near Berthold. alleged
! that his wife attempted to kill
him by stabbing him with butcher
knife while he slept. This attempt
was made, it was alleged early last
j "Wednesday morning
The testimony of little Isabella Heg-
gems, however, placed an entirely diff
fe-ent aspect upon the case Accord
! ing to her testimony, Heggers arose
early Wednesday morning and going
! into the kitchen secured large butch
er knife. Returning to the BEDROOM.
where Mrs. Heggens and her three
year-old daughter were sleeping, Heg-
gems standing at the foot OF the bed
and drawing the knife across his
throat shouted: 81 can die like
man. even if can't live hhe one"
Mrs. Heggens fearing that fer hus-
! band had lost his mind and was about
! 10 commit suicide. ran from the room
in her night clothes going to the wood
shed where she procured a large stick
OF wood On her return to The bed
room, she discovered Heggens stand
ing over their three-year- old daughter,
with the butcher knife tightly ciasDed
in his right hand. Believing that he
intended TO kill the little one and do
away with the entire family. she
struck her husband several blows
over the head with the club. The
trouble between the husband and wife
aroused little Isabelle, who was sleep
ing in an adjoining room, and she ran
TO her mothers rescue She demand
ed that her father give her the butcher
knife which he did. Later with the
assistance Of some of the neighbors,
Mr.. Higgins was persuaded to leave
the house. That same day he came
to Minot and secured warrant for his
wife's arrest On the charge of assault
with intent to kill.
The trouble, which took place at
the Heggens home last Wednesday
was simply the elimination of series
of domestic disturbances which have
visited the Heggens household on
several occasions during the past
year. About a year ago, Aeggens
; sued his wife for divorce On the
grounds of cruel and inhuman treat
ment. Later the wife put in cross
bill which, contained several sensa
, tional charges, including that of adul
terry. Realizing that his wife might
, be able to win out in the case, Heg
gems conceived the idea of aTousins
his wife's sympathy by attemptin:
A. suicide, in the hope that she would
q forgive him and drop the divorce &C
:, ton. His scheme, however, failed ant
c his farce" resulted disastroasly II
h himself.
Il In granting Mrs. Heggens divorce
J. Judge Goss awarded the custody o
4 the six children to the mother; tn
J. homestead at Berthold and $500 il
! oo1S,