The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-04-17
THE HIllmAn Mystery.
The Two Questions Now Agltating
the Coroner's Jury at
Lawrence.
Was ii Deliberats Murder or Was it
N, Accident ?
Or 10 the Body on Which tie Jury is
Sitting That of Hillman?

The Hillman case was briefly mentioned
in the local columns of this paper yesterday
A brief resume of the case will not be out Of
place. John w. Hillman left Lawrence to &c
to the southwestern part of the State on q
| hunting trip. He was accompanied by Nj.
]. II. Brown. HiIlman's life has been insur.
ed for $4,000 in the New York Life IDsur-
ance Company. In Barbour county, near
Medicine Lodge, ii is claimed that Hillmsn
| was xii ed, just sitter breakfast, by tine acct
dental discha rge OF n gun, which Brown was
taking from the wagon belonging TO the par
| ties. The inquest now In session has two
points 10 settle which have been raised-the
| identity of the body clsimed TO be that of
Hi man, and as TO whether or not he was
| murdered. The Insurance Company is con-
cerned in the former question in monetary
| sense and the whole community in both.
| Thus far, positive testimony in regard TO the
identity has been taken on each side of the
question. AT least half dozen witnesses
have positively sworn that The body is not
that of HilIman, and bringing in to estab-
lish their deposiiions 'orroborating state
ments I'm regard to certain very prominent
pecuIiarities which marked Hiilman which
this body now the subject Of the inquest does
not possess Physicians testify as TO the con-
clifton Of the stomach, that in the body it
was found empty, whereas, had 1t been Hill
mans body, on the claim that he had jus
arisen from breakfast when shot, his ston-
sch would be found foil. On the other hand,
the testim ony of Hillman's wife is
straight to the point that the body is indeed
that OF her husband, and in this she Is sup
ported bv Brown, who claims 70 have done
the accidental shooting, and by other wit
ne~s@s. This case will recall a number in
the history of Jurisprudence, wherein the
question % Identity was the subject for de-
ciSion. The Gel. br.ied TIchbOrne case will
readily be REM mbersd one I'm which wit
nesses wore 20 positively a to the claimants
identity that even the mother OF the lost heir
was convinced that Re WAS found in the one
who was adjudged by the courts an imios-
ter.
ss to the change that II the body is Hill
man's he was foally dealt with by Brown,
there Is 81 et 10 testimony produced, the
question of irdentity b-iug Of paramount I'M
po-tance before tax ing steps to bring out the
cause of the death. suspicion points its
finger at Brown. OF course, and there is a
great deal of excitement over his alleged dis
appearance from Lawr nee Wednesday
morning OF the other hand, he came for
ward at the first and told plain, straight
forward story in regard TO the matter, and,
up 20 the time IL j. said that he suddenly
disappeared, he has been one Of the mos in
terested parties in watching the progress of
the inquest and assisting il il every manner
possible,
Certainly, there pre- several very interest
ing points IN the case. The Lawrence pa
per are to be compIimentcd for their volum-
inous reports of the sff'ir. he inquest will
continue for several days yet.
The Lawrence .SilndoYd of the'9th says:
Mr. Lowell. wife Of VI. l. Lowell, of this
CITY, as a brother who !sfG here on the 5th
oi las March, for Wichita, a, TO go from
thee so rihw',,, aud return TO Ind pendence
and Humbp!dt.
She has not heard Of him since he went
away although ii was customary for MIN L"
W rite TO her often From the description OF
the dead body brought here sh" thinks IL Is
her br ,ther, and ss we 90 press parties are
on the way to thu cemetery 10 take up the
remains and let her see them.
Brown has not yet been found or heard OF.
+. TillinChast, the Insurance agent 81 the
New York Life Insurance Company. return
ed yests rday from Lawrence. where he has
been interested in the Hillman insurance
mysIery He says tie who g thing l. "A fTaui
anu that it is his opinion that foul murder
wa commit; d for the purpose Ofgetiing the
insurance money.