The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-29
IT DIDN'T WORK.
Bud' Higgins Shamming In
sanity, Say the Experts.
Faces a Term in the State
Penitentiary.
MADElA POOR EFFORT
Apparently Didn't Understand
i How to Be Crazy.
Charged With Trying to Kill a
Woman.
MADEgA POOR EFFORT

| Bud" Higgins effort to simulate
| insanity so that he could enjoy the
pleasures of a visit to the state hos
pital rather than take the chance of
getting a good long term in the peni-
| Tertiary on a variety of criminal
charges which are pending against
| him. was of no avail. He was tried
| in the probate court today on an in
sanity charge instituted against him
py MS father. Alfred Higgins. by a
commission of three physicians, Drs.
l. A. Ryder, H. H Hazlett and Seth
A Hammell- After a lengthy exami-
nation of Higgins and his relatives
ana friends the physicians expressed
the unanimous opinion that Higgins
Is IN his right mind and he will have
to stand trial on the charges against
him.
Bud is a short heavy set negro, of
rather ferOciOuS mein, and has de-
veIoped an unenvia BILE character dur
ing his residence here in Topeka and
ne has been particularly active of late
IN doing those things which he ought
10 nave left undOne in order to enjoy
his liberty. He has been the head of
gang that made It's headquarters in
little untenanted shack in the south
east corner of the city. They have
constantly disturbed the peace of the
neighborhood there with ''keg" par
ties and other affairs which took on
the nature of orgies. Mrs. Bessie
Spradley.- who lives near this shack
had BUD arrested a week ago for
treSpassing on this property. He got
out on bond and that same afternoon
met Mrs SpradIey and her mother
when they were returning home from
the court house where they had filed
the complaint against Bud" He be-
gan to abuse them for having him ar
rested and struck Mrs Spradley's
mother with such force that he broke
her left arm He was arrested on a
charge of assault for this offense and
has been in jail since There. is. an
other charge against him of stealing
several bushels of wheat from a Santa
fe car consigned to the Crosby mills.
When Bud was brought to the pro-
bate court room this morning to face
the insanity commission he made a
rather feeble effort to act queer" He
had a little cap in his hands which he
twtrled continuously. He would rise
from chair for no apparent purpose
and gaze vacantly around the room.
Then he would sit down and OCCASION
ally he would polish up railing in the
court room with his cap. He rubbed
his eyes at other times until tears
came.
He was examined at length by the
physicians and ]. J. Schenck, the eouf-
ty attorney, and about all the fnfor-
nation that they were able to get
out of him was that he was "a pretty
good fellow" that he didn't fight and
always tried to help his father and
Did not some one tell you that you
would have to play insane or be sent
to jail?" asked County Attorney
Schenck.
why. what's you talking about?'' re-
piled Bud. Amt I already in jaiI?''
Bud insisted that he did not know
what he was in Jail for and he could
not tell how long he had been there.
He admitted to having been arrested
several times and was also insistent
that he had always treated everybody
fairly.
Officials of the Jail took the stand and
testified that Bud had acted in nor
NAL manner until this morning when he
had made repeated requests to send tele-
grams to Minnesota and North Dakota
and several other places on the map He
did rot know who he wanted to send
these kilograms to.
It did not take the physicians long TO
arrive at the conclusion that Bud was
sane and he stands the good chance of
being convicted some of the charges
against him and sent to the Denitentiary
for a good long term of confinement