Murder of Mayor Harry Higel Happened Friday January 7th 1921 as per Rose Wilson Sarasota Times and other Newspapers

Sarasota mayor Harry Lee Higel was murdered by newsman Rube Allyn during a pistol whipping on Friday morn Jan 7th, 1921 at the north end of Siesta Key Fl. Sarasota private investigator Bill Warner's results of a year long investigation into the unsolved pistol whipping murder of Sarasota Mayor Harry Higel. Note: No Cold Case Begins With the Wrong Date of the Murder, the Murder of Mayor Harry Higel Happened Friday January 7th 1921 as per Rose Wilson Sarasota Times and other Newspapers. On Thursday March 10th, 1921 the Sarasota Times published their weekly newspaper with a story about how respected newsman Rube Allyn was freed on March 9th from jail in the investigation of Harry Higel's murder that took place on Friday, January 7th, 1921. Rose Wilson editor of the Sarasota Times gleefully reported on how fellow newsman Rube Allyn was let go as the Manatee County Grand Jury failed to return a True Bill to indict Rube Allyn for Mr. Higel's murder on Siesta Key. The weekly 'Sarasota Times' newspaper was published on Thursdays with the paper mailed to subscribers by US Postal Service for a yearly cost of $2.00.

Harry Higel was murdered on Friday, January 7th, 1921 at about 8:25 a.m. there is no doubt. At the time of his death, Harry Higel was 53 years old, Director of the Bank of Sarasota and the Seaboard Airline Railway. He had been Postmaster, City Commissioner, and elected Mayor of Sarasota three times. Harry Lee Higel was born in Philadelphia, PA on December 30, 1867. The misinformation of Harry Higel's murder taking place on Thursday Jan 6th, 1921 has been reprinted in numerous books, magazines and newspaper publications for decades, sorry to rewrite history but the facts are the facts! Unsolved murder cases have to present hard and true facts, the date and time of the unsolved murder is number one!

Sunday June 27, 2021, Former Sarasota mayor Harry Higel was murdered on Friday Jan 7th, 1921 (by newsman Rube Allyn) according to every newspaper from the Tampa Daily Times that put out an EXTRA edition, to the Ocala Evening Times, to the Miami Times to the Boston Globe, even the AP Wire in New York City noted the Higel murder by Rube Allyn on Friday Jan 7th, 1921.

FLORIDA NEWSPAPER DELIVERY SYSTEM IN 1920's WAS HANDS ON: In the US the heyday of print newspapers was during the early 20th century, (1920's). The 'paperboy' was often a young person's first job, perhaps undertaken before and/or after school. Most large newspapers like the Tampa Tribune and St Pete Times had an early AM delivery and an evening PM delivery directly to your house. There was also the newsboy or newspaper hawker who would sell newspapers to passersby on the street in urban areas, like in Tampa or St Pete in 1921, with very vocal promotion. 'Newsboys' were common when multiple daily papers in every city and as many as 50 in New York City alone competed in the 1920's. The number of 'Daily Newspapers' in Florida was 33 in 1921. The St Pete Times was/is the largest daily newspaper in Florida it began publication as a twice daily in 1920. In 2012, the St. Petersburg Times changed its name to the Tampa Bay Times to more accurately reflect the geographical area it served. Then, in 2016, the Tampa Bay Times bought its long-time rival, the Tampa Tribune, which then ceased publication. The Sarasota Times newspaper in 1921 was a weekly published on Thursdays and then mailed by USPS to your house with subscriptions of $2.00 per year, not very timely news reporting.

Sarasota Times first edition on June 1, 1899, Rose Wilson was the publisher of the Times from 1910 until 1923 when the paper folded. The Sarasota Times newspaper was a weekly paper that came out every Thursday with ads for local merchants, which is the day BEFORE Mr Higel was murdered. Mr Higel was murdered on Friday Jan 7th 1921 and he was buried on Saturday Jan 8th 1921 in Sarasota according to his obituary penned by what appears to be his brother Frank Higel. News reporters in spring of 1921 influenced the outcome of the Manatee County Grand Jury by repeatedly reporting that Rube Allyn was just a "good ole boy and could have never murdered Higel".

In the story line of the Sarasota Times front page article about the murder of Harry Higel on Jan 7th 1921, editor Rose Wilson reports that Rube Allyn did not drive himself back to Siesta Key from St Pete where he was working on his fishing magazine on Thursday night Jan 6th. It appears that Rube Allyn was having some sort of psychotic episode that caused him great depression. Rose Wilson writes Rube Allyn was so depressed he could not drive, she writes that parties carried Rube Allyn out to the Siesta Bridge late on Thursday night, January 6th 1921, in an auto and Rube Allyn was going to give up working for a few days and stay home on the Key. Rose Allyn (wife) later declared on Friday Jan 7th 1921 that Rube had been out of his head for days and was not in his right mind, she later retracted this statement. Rube Allyn had exhibited all the traits of a person with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) for years. It appears that the Sarasota Times, which was published weekly on Thursdays, had already had it's masthead dated Thursday January 6th, 1921 but had not yet gone out for delivery in the early morning hours of Friday January 7th, 1921 when Harry Higel was murdered on Siesta Key. In her story, editor Rose Wilson points out that Harry Higel had multiple wounds on his head, one over his right eye that split open the skull, one on the left side of his head and several on the back of his head, most likely what would be the result of a pistol whipping. It appears that Rose Wilson, the one woman editor and publisher of the tiny Sarasota Times, had done a rewrite of the front page and inserted the breaking news on Friday morn Jan 7th of the murder of Harry Higel. Rose Wilson alludes to the murder having taken place on Friday Jan 7th in the copy of the story and states "just as we go to press information has come in that Mr Higel has died on the way to the hospital in Tampa". Rose Wilson then states in the copy, "about two o'clock this (Friday) afternoon Rube Allyn, former editor of the Sarasota Sun was arrested by Chief Deputy Sheriff Brown in connection with the tragedy". Rose Wilson delayed printing and delivery of the Sarasota Times newspaper until later Friday afternoon January 7th, 1921.

"Gun Buried on Siesta Key": 1920's Era Colt Revolver Found Buried on Siesta Key Verified by Sarasota County Sheriff Cold Case Detective as Possible Link to Murder of Sarasota Mayor Harry Higel. Get real here, nobody buries a perfectly fine, loaded gun with a broken grip on Siesta Key unless it was used in the bludgeoning murder of former Sarasota Mayor Harry Higel on Friday January 7tth, 1921. The Colt revolver went into the muck and mud of salt water wetland on Siesta Key in 1921 looking real shiny and pretty as seen in the top photo and came out of the ground 100 years later a rusty mess. But 6 live bullets remained in the cylinder of the Colt revolver, I have it on my desk.

Sarasota's Rube Allyn Sr appears to have been the poster boy for someone with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). Rube Allyn Sr was a hot tempered, erratic, hard drinking Irishman whose eccentrics were condemned in Sarasota. Rube was known for fierce outbursts of temper. Rube was venomously bitter when confronted or disagreed with and frequently drunk in Sarasota. Rube had been in bitter disagreements with Harry Higel for years. Rube's testimony before a US Senate Committee in Feb. 1918 reveled a racist, bigoted man who hated Jews and German speaking people. Rube acted violently and impulsively and was arrested for Attempted Murder during the commission of a Hate Crime in Philadelphia in 1918, he also shot a neighbor boy Brooks Brewer, 19, in Ruskin with a shotgun in 1929 for no apparent reason. Someone with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) could destroy property, react way out of proportion to things that happen and could attack or kill another person. Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) involves repeated, sudden episodes of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior or angry verbal outbursts in which the affected person reacts grossly out of proportion to the situation (Rube Allyn Sr.) and then going into a deep depression. Rage, domestic abuse, throwing or breaking objects, or other temper tantrums may be signs of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). Intermittent Explosive Disorder is a chronic disorder that can continue for years, although the severity of outbursts may decrease with age. Problems with alcohol often occur along with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Rube Allyn Sr often drunk). The explosive verbal and behavioral outbursts are out of proportion to the situation (Rube Allyn Sr), with no thought to consequences, and can include: Tirades, Heated Arguments, Shouting, Slapping, Shoving or Pushing, Physical Fights, Property Damage, Threatening or Assaulting People (Rube Allyn Sr). They're often perceived by others as always being angry. They may have frequent verbal fights (Rube Allyn Sr) or there can be physical abuse.

Bill Warner Private Investigator Sarasota 941-926-1926 - Cheaters and Child Custody Cases at http://www.wbipi.com/