The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-08-30

throusn Copies BODY. Tscn, to be
sure that he had landed his Z with
fendish glec he jumped upon him and
trampled on his face and head. Then,
not satisfied, he picked UP a stout hick-
DRY club and beat the mans head to a
pulp.
Mutilated the Wife, Too.
Mrs. Couple, the wife, attracted to
the scene by the shots and cries for
help, with a lighted lamp ven to the
door and called to her husband and, re-
ce!ving no answer called for Higgins.
For her reply she received a bullet
through the head.
She dropped in her tracks.
While the blood flowed in great streams
from the wound, Higgins placed the muz-
ze of the gun close to her breast and
again fired, the charge literally tearing the
breast away. leaving the organs of 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, the five small children. the oldest IA.
were in the house and Higgins after his
crime cody walked into the room where
they were, and sitting down on a chair.
took the twin babies In his arms and
nursed them to sleep. He locked all the
doors and 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
for over an hour sat at the window with
his gun across his knees, asserting that
he would kill the first man or woman who
tried to enter the house. just before dawn
he made his ecape on the mule.
1t was not Until 8 O'Clock in the morning
that the children discovered the crime.
They climbed ont of tho urip1nu q nd ctort-
ed to do the chores whoa 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.
Coppie.
There are no near neighbors of the Cop
pie family and no one knew of the crime
until late in the morning when the little
boy, only Z years old. ran three miles I'd
inform a neighbor that papa and nam
ma were dead and he wanted his break
fast
Pursued by Posses.
The news of the crime spread like a
prairie fire and posse after posse was or.
gan.Zed for the, purpose of capturing the
flend. Higgins abandoned the mule early
the next day and was hooting 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 ak of lynching. Rosalie
farmers were cutspoken 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 Pender. near Resale. so took him tic
Omaha where he has been kept for safe
Keeping until this morning. The trial wan
TO take place today at Fender, and Hig-
gins attorneys We're prepared to argue
fof a change of venue their contention
being that their client would not receive
a fair trail in a community where the feel.
ing was so strong against him.
1t was while the officers were on their
way with their prisoner, to the county
seat of Fender. when Higgins was AXE
by the mob and lynched.