The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-09-10

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Ward, Hon. J. II. Heaton, Hol
j. Ii. Putnam, Hon. Lewellyn b
ber, Committee, Columbus, Ohio
VILLAIN UNMASKED.
Extraordinary Case Of Mans Perhd
and WOman's Credulity.
From the Lansing Republican,
VIM. K. Hibbard, who has TO
eight months past been a resid mt o
Kalamazoo, is man Of about 3
years old, carriage maker by trade
of superior education, talks well o.
any subject, quotes Scripture like
class-leader, delights in religion
meetings, and passes for q saint o
the first water wherever he goes. Ill
was born in Dundee, Monroe county
this State, where his mother still re
sides. There he married his frs
wife, of an excellent family, but sh'
did not live long enough To mourn
over many of his crimes. He neg
lected her after a few months wed
ded life; went TO Adrian to folloV
his trade, and spent his earnings il
riding around with questionable
women instead of providing for his
family. At intervals he would re
turn to his home, "blarney" his wife
into forgiveness and his mother ouI
of money. He has three orphan
children at Dundee. living with his
first wife's parents.
During the rebellion, Hibbard en-,
listed as a private in the 18th Michi
gan Infantry. talking patriotism as
glibly and fervently as he generally
does piety, and with as much hypoc-
risy for he made worthless sol
dier, shirked duty, slammed sick
ness, and really did but very few
days military service. He kept the
society of loose characters in the
rear, instead of fighting bravely in
the front. More than once, in South
ern towns, he was seen riding around
with dubious females.
At some period he went into the
Empire State, and at Rome married
one wife, and not long afterward an
other at Bstayia-both very attrac
tive and superior women. He lived
with his victims a few months each,
and then forsook them, Not tar
from Rome he played the religious
game with such success as to deceive
the deacon OF a church, and get a
good position in his store. He
boarded with a very nice widow
lady, and ere long debauched her,
and then made an accomplice OF her
TO hide the clothing and other choice
goods he stole from his employer.
Sue secreted for him some S400
forth. But one day, when she was
out of town, he packed up his plun
der. stole her gold watch, and de-
camped with the whole property fer
Michigan.
He haa been absent several years
from Dundee; he was welcomed
there as returning prodigal, and
found little difficulty, with his bland
manners and oily tongue, in induc-
ing beautiful young woman, a
school teacher, to marry him. This
was in 1866. Only ten days after
his wedding, he was arrested on re
quisitlon from the governor of New
York, taken back to Rome, tried for
grand larceny in stealing the cloth
ing and watch above mentioned,
upon the testimony of his
penitent victim and accomplice, the
widow, and sentenced to Auburn
State prison for two and half years.
He there became acquainted with q
fellow convict whose term was to
last some five months longer than
his own term; and learning that this
young man had q pretty young wife
with property in her hands, he look
ed her up after the expiration of his
term, wormed himself into her conf
dence, seduced her and got consid-
era5le sum OF money from her. He
this victim but three
weeks before her husbands impris-
onment ended.
Last winter Hibbard went to
Kalamazoo, put on his nice apparel
and his most sanctimonious face,
attended all the religious meetings,
talked theology eloquently with the
minister, and fattered the women
quite delicately and successfully.
They thought he was the very pink
of perfection and, as elsewhere, it,
was but a short time before he enter
ed into a marriage engagement with
one of the sweetest and most intelli
gent young ladies of that famous
village. Her brother-in-law Jour in
formanD has spent both time and
money 10 unmask the villain being
led to suspect him from his showing
such a snowy religious cloak and
this week the exposure will take
place. By the time these lines reach
our readers, VIM. X. IIibbard is
either in the sherilf's clutch for the
crime OF bigamy, or he has fled in
terror from the State lie is said to
hsve murdered one wife in the State
of New York, and to have desolated
hy his lust secen families besides
those recorded above.