Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-02
A SORROWFUL CASE
STORY OF A TEXAS MAN OF GRIT
DoVu anc Out the Fifth Time but
NOT Discouraged at the Age
OF Sfxty-iiVe

- IN
The folio wing pathetic story is re-
printed from the Georgetown, Texas,
Commercial, for the reason that Inc
editor Of the Journal met the subjectof
this unusual story just two years ago
in Texas, aud held a conversation with
him. 1t goes to show that the man
has real genuine ambition after 1--WE
failures in business and goes forth to
try it again:
"In an editorial in the Waco Tribune
Senator A. r. McCollum relates the
circumstances of the retirement OF
MAJOR j. w. Higgins under the head
ing 1.-THE Tragedy and Triumph of j..
w. higgins" 1t relates that Mayor
higgins was twice mayor, once re-
moved from office, going away to Cal
ifornia, and returning, building the
Higgins hotel, being reelected mayor,
losing his fortune aud Senator McCol-
lum says: ut may be doubted If in
any community in u country there
is a career that in point OF its human
interest outrauks that of j. w. Rig
gins, twice a mayor of Waco, a
town of $4,000 p~eople-now
closing his last term and retiring, he
says for good and all. His term virtu-
ally wei he has relinquished office for
the few days that would be left him,
and today he goes hence, to the Pacific
Slope. For what? ITO rebuild my
shattered fortunes" he says, 'provide
for my old age, and for my loved ones"
He is past sixty years of age. His
hair is white but he has the courage
and purpose of a young man.
ION Thursday night, preparatory to
his departure today, he asked his CO.
laborers ia the city government and
his fello w-citizens lat least those who
cared to hear him to meet him in the
city hall, hear his report of his steward
snip and hear his farewell. at is the
last time l shall ever speak of public
affairs in Waco,n he said. 1t was an
Indictment evening aud the hall was
not crowded, but it was an audience
that as to numbers and personnel did
him credit. He faced the audience
and made his talk. 1t is printed on
this page as a matter of fairness and
justice to Mr.. Higgins and it ought to
be read and considered by bis fellow
citizens. In the address he detailed
conditions that existed when he went
into and when he leaves office, and the
difficulties he had to face-oyercome
or make the best of them. We desire
to go on record and say that the recital.
does him credit. 1t was not his "swan
J eong1, that talk of T%hursday night.
Far from that. Rather did it breathe
the indomitable, the wonderful purpose
and courage of the man whose career In
Waco had the elements Of tragedy and
triumph. In 1902 he was the mayor of
Waco. He was srraigned, tried and
elected from office-not for crime, but
for mistaken concepts of duty and pre-
rogative. Then, after a dozen years,
he was recalled, reelected to the office
from which he had been elected. He
had come back-with money, pluck and
purpose. He built here a hostelry that
cost over q half million dollars, One
can never tell what the whlrligig of life
will bring. He lost his hotel lost it ab-
solutely. 1t is called by anothed name
now. His name, Ia the stone initials
were cut out. His term as mayor is
over. He is leaving, as he says, past
sixty years of age, to rebuild his broken
fortunes. 1t he lives and keeps mind,
health and strength, he will do it,"
Recently at the Texas Good Roads
convention In Taylor l walked down
the street to the depot with Mayor Rig
gins and he told ma that his desire for
office and power had ceased. His term
of mayor was closing and his fortune
was gone. Mayor higgins said that
while he was broken financially (hav-
ing lost 5000, 900 which he had made in
the Golden West) he intended to make
the fifth fight for financial independ-
ence. Mayor higgins did not seem to
fear failure and was going into the
struggle at the bottom of the ladder
again with the exuberance of youth,