Evening star., 1936-04-13
Higgs

trigger, the youth told police and hos
pital attendants.
After wounding himself he walked
almost two blocks up the street from
his house to a restaurant, where with
a bottle of beer he toasted his own
death.
Later at the hospital George Higgs,
the father, waiting with his other son.
Martin, for blood tests to make pos
sible a TRANSMISSION for oJseph, re-
marked:
It meant to get rid of that old % a
dozen times.
Neither Could Find Work.
The happiness of the married life Of
the young Higgses. who eloped almost
three years ago, had long been marred
by the inability of either to find job,
Mrs. George Higgs said this morning.
Yesterday, for the third time in re-
cent months, young Mrs. Higgs took
her two infants to her mothers. De-
spondent at this turn OF events, the
husband four times last night called
at his mother-i to beseech
Leona to retur nto him.
At 7:30 am. today he went once
more to the Smith house. All the doors
were bolted, and Mrs. Smith denied
him adr2ittance. To his plea for a
glimpse of his wife and children, his
mother-in-law replied that Leona was
faalfro o1tTiv1 in, tha kitrhnn
So vigorous did his entreaties be-
come that Mrs. Smith opened the
kitchen window to permit him to con-
verse in that fashion with his wife
and see his child. Later Mrs. Higgs
explained that policeman had adj
vised her that the best way to pre-
vent the husband getting custody of
his son while she sued for the divorce
was to keep the child out of his reach.
Saw Son Collapse.
Mrs. George Higgs, the youths
mother, later this morning was oper.
ating a washing machine in the kitch'
en- of the M street house, where she
and her husband, Navy Yard EN-.
PAOyC, l1fCs "llCA odN AlCl OIL
descend the stairs and walk out the
front door.
If Higgs shot himself in his second.
floor room. where police later found
the .22-caliber rifle, his mother die
not hear the report, and she said
there was nothing in his manner which
aroused her suspicious as he turned
the corner toward Eleventh street
when he left the house.
But several minutes later, wonder.
ing why he took so long, she went
again to the door and glanced down
the street. She saw her son collapse
on the sidewalk a block away
Meanwhile, Higgs had gone to Mat,
Place, short-order restaurant al
1922 M street.
"a bottle of beer" he ordered from
Belgium Borzella, the waiter, whose
father is proprietor of the restaurant
Borzella took the beer to Higgs
who sat at the counter. The youth
lifted the drink in shaky hand
His face was deathly white.
Didn't Want Help.
whats the trouble?" Borzells
asked him.
"Nothing's wrong with me-" repliet
Higgs, taking another sip of his beer
But Borzella, certain something wa.
amiss, watched his customer closely.
Say" he insisted, something il
the matter. What is it?"
Il Just shot myself" Higgs tole
the waiter, the latter reported.
What! Well, I'll call the ambu.
lance"
"Oh, no, don't do that" PLEADED
Higgs, according to Borzella. He rost
from the table and walked to the
sidewalk, where he collapsed.
Despite the wounded mans remoo.
strances, Borzella had called the am.
bulance and the police. The patro
wagon from the fifth precinct station
reached the scene first and hurried
Higgs to Gallinger.
l