Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-22
Repudiates Confession and
Claims to Have Been
Lursd by Girl.
SHE TURNS AGAINST HIM
81 Will Send Him to the Gal
lows" Declares Julia Flake
on Her Birthday.

Aledo. ILL.,, Jan. 22.-Robert Higgins,
] in jail here charged with the murder
/ of mis- wife at North Henderson on the
morning of Jan. 5, repudia ed last
night his signed confession given to
! States Attorney John NJ. Wilson at
Alexis, ILL.,, and denied that his love
/ for his stepdaughter, Julia Flake, had
caused him. to murder his wife. He
declared he did not know that the
weapon with which his wife was kill
ed was loaded. and he said Julia Flake
had not persuaded him to kill her
mother because the young girl loved
him. He blamed the work of a de-
tective and his nervous condition"
for his story of guilt and of his step
daughters completely.
The girls relatives say they will do
everything to clear her of guilt. His
father, Albert Higgins, visited him to-
day.
Dictates a Statement.
Robert Higgins dictated the follow
ing statement:
Il consider myself an innocent man. |
think l can prove this statement |
That confession made in Alexis and |
that has been made public is untrue |
made that confession when / was /
in a nervous excited state. The de-
tective told me 1 had 10 make a con-
fession to clear this girl. He never
gave me a chance to talk to anybody
else nor TO obtain counsel. i am inno-
cent of all intimacy with Julia. /
think that girl is as pure as anyTsfr11
who ever lived. / should have to be
otherwise convinced before / believe
It.
Il consider Myself innocent of my
wife's death. 1 didn't know the gun
was loaded. I'd gone Saturday with
a party of five young men and 1 can
prove that / unloaded the gun before
| came home on Saturday. i loaned
my gun on Sunday.
Surprised by Arrest.
THE shooting took place on Monday
a few minutes before 9. The
gun must have been left loaded and
never knew IL. for was always very
careful TO unload the gun before |
brought It home. / was surprised on
he way home from Galesburg on the
morning of the 18th. when 1 was ar
ested for numbering Mrs. Nettie Flake
Higgins. who was my second wife.
&C w. Ernst OF Galesburg. her
,rother, caused the arrest. l was sur
'rised. although 1 knew he was an ]
nemy of both ME and my wife be-
ause he wanted to boss the spending
Z the money she collected from the
raction company for her first hus-
and's death. He wanted half of the
money. We had had trouble prior TO n
ur marriage.
Defends Name Of Girl. :,
Now as to Julia have known that G
tile girl ever since she was a baby a
NO and a half years old / was a s
eighbor of the Flake family for seven
r eight years, worked for them and C.
elped them with their threshing. My OF
rst wife died about a year and eight il
onths before / married Mrs. Flake
er husband was killed within a week r
. my first wife's death Grief drew Y
5 together. Before that l mad re- y
irded her as a friend. When my
,cond wife died l heard gossip that
had murdered her. but because II
asn't sue, / ignored il all. 1 knew
rnst was trying to make trouble.
81 never knew about those letters T
lila wrote TO her uncle until after
y wife was dead. only loved Julia
a stepfather should. When ] said
loved her / didn't mean loved her
the way people have said did.
Repudistes His Confession. ar
The confession / disclaim was TAX tr
in Alexis. I was frightened into La
Zning IT. The detective made me be- ra
we that had to do as he said. ! br
YER knew OF any man mis- .reating an
liza. ] would have protected her as lu
father should nave done had she re
sed any sucn condolences in me.
rs. Higgins was expecting n child
2 latter part OF February or March. ie
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