The Davis City Advance, Davis City, Iowa
Thursday, September l9, l895

The trial of Father BECKER came off Friday, Sept. 6, at Andover, Mo., and was bound over to the circuit court. The charge for which he was tried is assault with intent to rape on the person of MRS. VICTORIA HIGDON, on Aug. l4. Rev. BECKER was holding a Mission at the Catholic Church near Akron, and on the morning of the l4th, he left the church about ll o'clock, went to MRS. PIUS HIGDON's to stay until the next morning. MRS. VICTORIA went to spend the evening with her aunt and while her aunt was in the kitchen, Rev. BECKER called her into his room and attempted to outrage her, but she overpowered him. MRS. VICTORIA then went home and informed her husband of the offense. The next day he consulted his father, J.L. HIGDON, and they decided to have BECKER arrested. Rev. BECKE hearing the state of affairs hurriedly left for St. Joseph. JOSEPH HIGDON, J.L. HIGDON and J.A. FLANAGAN went to St. Joseph Sunday, Aug l8, to look for their man and located him at the Brothers Institute, but could not arrest him without first having the papers endorsed by a justice of that county, which they failed to do that day. The warrant was left with the sheriff, who made the arrest next morning. JOSEPH HIGDON, his father and father-in-law returned home Sunday night, and MR. FLANAGAN left for St. Joseph next morning and brought the prisoner home Tuesday.

The barn of MRS. PIUS HIGDON was destroyed by fire, Sept. l0. The fire was discovered about 11 p.m. by MISS HILL, who has been visiting her sister, MRS. HIGDON. She immediately notified the boys, but when they reached the barn, it was ready to fall in and they failed to recover any of its contents. The barn was a large one almost new and contained about twelve tons of tame hay, l00 bushel of wheat, 25 bushel of oats, three set of harness, two new saddles and about all of the farm implements. How the fire started is not known.

-- J.F.H.

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
September 7, 2003