The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-01-17
An Appalling Career.

The st. Louis Republican has pub
lished story from the lips Of G. ID.
Ilildenbrand, a convict recently released
from the prison at Jacksonville. II was
received by him from fellow crimina
named " Hawkeye," alias "Raleigh Bill"
who recited it on his death bed, His first
crime was the killing Of man in Char
lesion, in 1850. Two years later be COM
mitted murder and arson in Miledge.
vile. In 1865 he killed man in New
Orleans. In 1858 he was in ST. Louis
working with some confederates, with
whom he quarreled, and as one Of them
knew all about the New Orleans homi'
eide, he was very anxious about his own
safety. One night he saw them exceed
ingly drunk, and Hawkcye met them as
they were going to the Pacific hotel,
where they were stopping, Az they
staggered along he shadawed them and
conceived the idea of burning the hotel
and them too, After waiting until they
mad probably fallen asleep, he attempted
to force an entrance to the laundry, but
was driven away by largo watch dog.
Later, however, he got into an unoccu.
pied room through window, and there
started the conAagration, making good
his retreated undeteCtod. The fire spread
so rapidly that many of the guests were
smothered in the smoke and flames, or
killed in attempting to escape from the
windows. The two men whom Hawkeye
feared had rooms close to the roof and in
their drunken stupor they suffered the
fate designated for them. As they never
gave any further trouble to him, it is
probable they roasted in bed. Hawkcyc's
after career did not abate in ferOCity A
title. In 1860 he started for Canada in
company with gang Of horse thieves,
four in number. On the way they de-
coyed a girl off train of cars near Pom
tiac, Ill.,, and after maltreating her in
the most brutal manner, completed the
crime by murder. An innocent man, Il
negro was afterwards hanged for this
and the doctors got his skeleton. A few
days later, the gang committed another
similar murder and escaped the country
IIawkeye always denied having anything
to do with these two crimes, and said the
same on his death-bed. The following
year he helped to kill man at the rcsl.
dence of n countcrteitcr named Bigeiow,
about twenty miles above Rock Island.
The next great crime in the calendar wa
the burning of large livery stable in
Galeshurg, ILL., , to create an excitement
while the gang could beat the bank in
that place. The stables burned, but the
scheme tailed. The next was the murder
of an old man, his wife and three dAugh
tcrs, ON the road near Welton, Dewitt
county, Iowa. Three horse thieves wer'
with him in this, and they got 5000
three horses and n wagon. This was il
1862. In 1864 he was in bank robber
at Hamilton, Canada, for which one &
the gang was sent up for three year
Afterward he dec0yed IL man from lOled
to Windsor, Can, and there put hIl
under water, robbing him, On the sam
night heavy silk robbery was perpt
trated in Detroit. In January, 1860, h
killed negro sub-broker in Dunkirk, !
Y. This was the list OF llawkeyt
oilenses, which weighed heavily on h
soul. He died soon after telling the stor!
and, in accordance with his express n
quest, his body, instead of being buriet
was packed in box, weighted, and sun
in the Mississippi, Hilderbrand sen
word to his relatives where they couI
find his body, but il is not known whethe
they ever took it up or not.