The Cairo bulletin., 1914-01-22
HIGGINS KISSED
| HIS WIFE AS He
PLANNED MURDER
Carelessly Flioked Cigaret Apparently
Viewing Crime Without Emo
tons of Regret.
IS WILLING TO ACCEPT
PUNISHMENT METED HIM
Spscial Guard Surrounds Jail rs
Threats oI Lynching Freely
Mldc.

Galesbrrg, IL, Jan. 2l-"Wh-le I
| cor sideycd the best way to Kill my
wife, | kissed heT-full Oh the lips. -
Robert Higgins, confessed slayer
of his wife as a result Of the plead
ing OF h. stepdaughter, ffteen-year-
old Julia Flake, today started a re-
markablc story Of his crime with
thi- statement.
1t was his first public statement
since making his confession. As he
spoke lie carelesslY fiioked a cigaret
and appeared to view the crime with
nc emotions nc. regrets
i killei her because Julia asked
me to, and I am wiling to take my
punishment now he said Il an
not particularly interested IL what
they d. to me.
Higgins is in the Mercer county
jail here and special guard has beer
rut around him Threats of lynch
ing have been made by the towns
folk.
He said he had confessed to save
the girl If possible.
Blames Girl for Love.
How did the love between myself
and Julia start? Well, lets see. il
! wal last S smmer, | believe. She be
gan tb place love motes=if., my Isss,ls-
cts. She would do this two or three
tin cs a week.
When saw her she told me OF
other love affairs I dill moi think
she was telling the truth-but who
wo1ld refuse n girls love when Of
ferad to him?
who suggested the hilling?" was
ash cd.
She Gid" was the prompt reply.
she met me on the street January
( 9ftee seeing some friends aboard
tain.
When arc you going 10 Kill
mo,hcr?' she asked ne.
i did not answer and she called
me aoward she told me that if
was going to do it at all had bet.
ter do it at once.
Kissed Wife, Then Shot Her
My work was easy, as my wife
nGFer suspected me Of loving any
ong else went back to the house.
Ny wife kissed me and | kissed hey
vas still thinking of Julia's taunts
'On ;he morning of the murder
went for the mail. When | came
hole. | again kissed my wife-~for
the las, time. Then shot her.
Il love Jllia. l did not at first,
but | havo come to have q greater
aft, ction for her than | had for my
wile. 1t was because of her threats
to ne that she would commit suicide
unless killed my Wife that | did a.
she told me.
Tho police told me that she had
confessed everything. They said
that they could prove that l killed
my wife They said that Julia would
be punished unless | confessed. That
is why | told them ALTO save
Julia
higgins then stretched his legs on
The beach in his cell, closed his eyes
and went to sleep.
Il is thought that Julia Flake will
go FREQ despite her part in the slay-
ing OF her mother.
States Attorney A. ]. Boutelle OF
Knox county and States Attorney
Joha NJ. Wilson of Mercer county,
where the crime was committed,
agrae upon this.
Higgins will be held for trial next
April on a first degree murder charge
for the death of Mrs. Robert Flake
Higgins.
Guarded From Lynching.
Higgins confession is that the girl
loved him and urged him to commit
the murder. The letters attributed
to her are said to bear out this state
ment. Yet all the talk in the streets
and sh .. s-for all Galesburg Is talk
ing of this strange tragedy-com-
meras the prosecutors plan to free
the girl
Higgins is a man. He might
have sent the girl away to school or
done something other than he did.
He alone should be punished