The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-08-29

through Cpppsess honx.s sSzsssa. EttoSSsdkss
sur that he had landed his WIN
fendish glee he jumped upon him and
trampled on his face and head. Then.
Dry club and beat the mans head Is 4
pulp.
Mrs. Couple, the wife, attracted "a
the scene by the shots and cries for
help, with q lighted lamp went to me
door and called to her husband and, re-
ceiving no answer. called for Higgins.
For her reply h received q bullet
through the head.
She dropped In her tracks.
While the blood flowed In great streams
from the wound, Higgins placed the mug
zle OF the gun close to her breast and
again fired, the charge literally tearing the
body exposed The club was again used
and her head battered, much of the hair
being torn from the scalp.
During all this time of the terrible trag-
edy, tho hve small children, the Oldest "A,
were in the o and Higgins after his
crime cody walked into the room where
they were, and sitting down on q chair,
took the twin babies In his arms and
nursed them to sleep. He locked all the
doors n the children were told that
there were burglars In the barn when they
asked about the shooting.
Stayed TO Guard Children.
After the children were asleep Higgins
forever ar hour sat at the window with
his gun across his knees, asserting that
he would kill the first maj or woman who
tried to enter the house. Just before dawn
he made his ecape on the mule.
It was not until 6 o'clock In the morning
that the children discovered the crime.
They climbed out Of the window and start
ed to do the chores when they found the
bodies of their father and mother. bespat.
tered with blood and horribly mutilated,
lying in the yard, with the hogs gnawing
at the flesh. The beasts. vicious after their
first taste of human blood, practically had
eaten all the flesh from the head OF Mrs.
Couple.
There are no near n%eighbors Of the Cop
pie family and no one knew OF the GRIND
until late in the morning when the little
boy, only Z years OLD, ran three miles to
inform a %neighbor that papa and mams
ma were dead and he wanted his break,
fast
Pursued by Posses.
The news of the crime spread Tx d
prairie fire and posse after posse was or.
gan.zed for the purpose of capturing the
fiend. Higgins abandoned the mule early
the next day and was hoofing it to Omaha,
when captured by the town marshall Of
Hooper. AT that time, both at Rosalie
and at Bancroft, where Copple's brothers
reside. there was talk of lynching. Rosalis
farmers were outspoken and stated in the
open that If they could get their hands on
the murderer they would string him up.
Ihurston county authorities were afraid
to bring Higgins back to the county seat
OF Fender, near Resale, so took hin tic
Omaha where he has been kept for safe
keeping until this morning. The trial waA
to take place today at Pender, and IIig-
gins attorneys were prepared to argue
for a change of Venue, their contention
being that their client would not receive
a fair trail in a community where the feel.
ing was 80 strong against him.
1t was while the officers were on their
way with their prisoner, to the county
seat Of Pender. when Higgins was taken
by the mob and lynched.