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/

Harry Higel Murder Suspect Rube Allyn was Director of Publicity for Old Indian Trails Association Highway Scam in 1920 Out of St Pete.

SCAM ALERT: Harry Higel Murder Suspect Rube Allyn was Director of Publicity for Old Indian Trails Association Highway Scam in 1920 Out of St Pete. In June 1920 Harry Higel murder suspect Rube Allyn, from his office in the Detroit Hotel St Pete, was the Director of Publicity for the 'Old Indian Trails Association' that sought the building of a highway from west coast seaport Vancouver in British Columbia Canada to Miami Fl with part going through Tampa, St Pete, Bradentown, Fort Myers, over 4,000 miles, NEVER HAPPENED. Turns out the 4,000 mile intercontinental Old Indian Trails Association "highway" was a scam, there never was any such highway in 1920 or 1921. It was all cooked up by L. A. Whitney, Chester Val-Rez aka Valrez, and Rube Allyn, the "highway" never broke ground, it never existed, it was a scam. Chester Val-Rez and Rube Allyn were “Irish Travellers" fraudsters, swindlers, con men. In July 1920 L. A. Whitney was appointed the first President  of the 'Old Indian Trails Association', he was also Secretary of the Pinellas County 'Board Of Trade' for several years. Chester Willington Val-Rez aka Valrez, and Rube Allyn scammed thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting business men all over the state of Florida. 

The 'Old Indian Trails Association' highway SCAM was a play on words for the REAL Old Spanish Trail highway built about 100 years ago. The REAL Old Spanish Trail, when it was completed in 1929, was 2,743 miles of brick, asphalt, concrete, and wooden plank, and it crossed the southernmost states from East to West. It stretches coast to coast on a all southern route that mimics I-10 today. The REAL Old Spanish Trail highway went all the way from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California. Mobile, Alabama was where the first meeting of businessmen interested in building the REAL Old Spanish Trail highwaymet, in 1915. At the time, there was no formal, federal system of interstate highways; instead, businessmen and activists from the Good Roads Movement (Harry Higel was a stalwart of such) were banding together to advocate and fundraise for roads where none had been. The Florida portion of the Old Spanish Trail follows the route of the authentic Spanish trail from St. Augustine Fl to Pensacola Fl and the southern Alabama state line near Mobile. The REAL Old Spanish Trail highway never reached or came anywhere near Tampa, St Pete, Bradentown, Sarasota or Fort Myers or Kansas! Chester Val-Rez and Rube Allyn were “Irish Travellers" fraudsters, swindlers, con men.

When the 'Old Indian Trails Association highway' national director Chester W. Valrez and "Jim" where in Oberlin KS on April 22nd, 1921 looking for cash membership subscription in the Old Indian Trails Association highway, a telegram indicated that there was an state arrest warrant for them and to hold for pick-up by the Sheriff of Decatur County. Turns out there were 5 County Sheriff agencies hunting national director Chester W. Val-Rez aka Valrez and "Jim". Rube Allyn was the Director of Publicity for the 'Old Indian Trails Association' in St Pete Fl all through 1920, right up till he was arrested for the murder of Harry Higel on Jan 7th, 1921

On March 17, 1920, Old Indian Trails Association highway promoter Chester Willington Val-Rez was arrested by Deputy Sheriff R. B. Forman of Natchez Mississippi for passing bad checks. Chester Val-Rez had been in Natchez Mississippi several months ago and collected considerable money for the Lone Star Highway Association, play on name of Old Indian Trails Association highway, he also passed bad checks in Mobile. So besides scamming business men out of thousands of dollars for the non-existant nationwide highway, Chester Val-Rez was passing bad checks at the hotels where he was staying, Sheriff's in Texas were also looking for Val-Rez.

3 months after his arrest in Natchez Mississippi on bad check charges Chester Val-Rez and his pal Rube Allyn are in Sarasota Fl on Saturday June 26, 1920 running their Old Indian Trails Association highway scam. Chester Val-Rez and his pal Rube Allyn left Sarasota Sunday morn June 27 and went to Tampa to meet with the Board of Trade. Sarasota mayor Harry Higel had been influential with the U.S. Corps Of Engineers to get roads built on Siesta Key. Harry Higel as mayor of Sarasota was involved in getting streets paved and building roads and promoting the area, legitimately. I wonder if Harry Higel found out that the Old Indian Trails Association highway was a scam and confronted Rube Allyn about it. Either way Rube Allyn was the con man's con man to the end.

Rube Allyn was the poster boy for the 'Old Indian Trails Association highway' SCAM from Vancouver CA to Miami Fl in 1920 but he could not even traverse a road to his own house on the northern tip of Siesta Key because his neighbor Harry Higel had erected a fence across the road that led to Rube Allyn's house, talk about irony. Rube Allyn must have been extremely irate when he came back from St Pete late at night on Thursday Jan 6th, 1921 and found the gate locked on the fence that blocked his way to his house on the northern tip of Siesta Key. After Harry Higel was murdered early in the morn on Friday Jan 7th 1921 the Sarasota council members pushed even harder to separate itself from Manatee County, sighting the ineffective investigation of Higel's murder by the Manatee County Sheriff Dept and Bradentown Public Officials. It should have been a slam dunk to indict murder suspect Rube Allyn but it turned out to be a farce with the Manatee County Grand Jury issuing No True Bill after a 10 minute deliberation, a real 'Kangaroo Court'. Sarasota County Centennial 100 Years is July 2021, mishandling of unsolved murder of Sarasota Mayor Harry Higel by Manatee County Grand Jury caused split form Bradentown Politicians.

OLD INDIAN TRAILS MAGAZINE by RUBE ALLYN failed in early 1921 because promoter Chester Val-Rez had been arrested for fraud and bad checks in several southern states and the editor Rube Allyn had been arrested for the murder of former Sarasota mayor Harry Higel on Jan 7th, 1921. The Old Indian Trails Highway itself was a scam it never existed, it was perpetrated by Chester Val-Rez and Rube Allyn who both kept any of the cash payments for subscriptions.

Harry Higel along with local businessmen A. B. Edwards and R.W. Grinton from the Sarasota Trade Board were active in the 'Good Roads Movement' from at least 1913. Harry Higel was one of the "good roads" supporters in the construction of better roads between Sarasota, Venice, Bee Ridge and Fruitville. Harry Higel would have called out Rube Allyn when it was found that the  Old Indian Trails Highway association was a scam, no such highway ever existed! As of June 1920 Harry Higel murder suspect Rube Allyn, from his office in the Detroit Hotel St Pete, was the Director of Publicity for the 'Old Indian Trails Association' that sought the building of a highway from west coast seaport Vancouver in British Columbia Canada to Miami Fl with part going through Tampa, St Pete, Bradentown, Fort Myers, over 4,000 miles, NEVER HAPPENED.

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.

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