A Body in the Garden: The Homesteader, the Hoe, and the Borrowed Coat

A shocking murder was committed near Pullman about a week ago. The victim, Thos. Higgins, was living on a homestead about five miles southwest of Pullman. About Wednesday, April 9th, some of the neighbors, thinking all was not right, went to see what had become of Higgins. By scraping in the garden with a hoe they found his hand just below the surface; they soon uncovered his head and saw that he had been shot in the head. At the inquest it appeared that he had been shot twice, once in the back of the head and once in the temple, the latter bullet passing entirely through the head. This shot had been fired at such short range that the powder burned the side of the victim's face. A young man by the name of Nott has been arrested for the murder. Nott had in his possession, after the murder, a revolver and some papers belonging to the murdered man. Nott was also wearing a coat which belonged to Higgins, and after the murder Nott tried to get a filing on Higgins's timber culture by presenting Higgins's filing, which was signed to him (Nott) and stating that Higgins had left the country. The papers were not properly made out and he did not get it. Nott had his preliminary examination today and was remanded back to jail to appear before the Grand Jury in June.