 Why did the tear gas that the police were using on Mr. Higgins not work to run him out of the house?
Mr. Higgins, it was learned later, had suddenly erupted from his bedroom, brandishing a .30-.30 hunting rifle and, being annoyed at the shrieks of his wife and sister, had fired seven shells at them, killing his wife on the spot and wounding his sister in the hand and shoulder. The police used loudspeakers to tell Higgins he might as well give up, they had the place surrounded and could eventually starve him out anyway. Higgins used his own good lungs to shout obscenities back and challenge anyone present to hand-to-hand combat. The police fired tear gas shells at the house, but it was a windy day and all the windows in the Higgins house were either open or broken.
 The windows were either broken or open and he was able to throw them back out.
 He was unaffected by the gas because of his deranged mindset.  The windows were either broken or open and he was able to throw them back out.  Higgins was too preoccupied by the burns on his hands to care about the tear gas.  Higgins was hanging out the windows shooting and was able to breathe fresh air.