Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-09-13
Especial Cor. OF the Chicago Tribune


/ papers, a well rs in the columns OF the
Chicago Tribune through the medium Of
the telegraph, "a paragraph stating that
a man named j. W. Hillman, who had
formerly been resident of Lawrence,
kas., had been accidentally killed. II
miles north of Medicine Lodge; and that
/ Hillman had. but short time previous
! ". obtained insurance upon his life for
the amount of $500 When this news
l reached the City Of Lawrence, where
1 Hillman was well known, serious doubts
were expressed as to the truthfulness Of
the newspaper reports.
WHY THESE DOUBTS?
In the month of December last Hill
( man. Il resident Of Lawrence, applied
for AN insurance upon his life for the
snug amount of 81, 900. in the following
companies Connecticut Mutual Life,
$1,000; Mutual Life of New York, Sl0,-
Coo: New York Life, $4,000, the pre-
miums amounting semi-annually to
about 1913. Hilman applied for this
insurance of his own volirion. He rep
resented Ia the agents OF these conIpa-
MES that he was engaged in the business
/ of a stock-dealer, purchasing and ship
ping stock in large quantities from the
frontier After the usual medical exam
ination of the applicant, he passed, be-
ing graded a acceptable in every par
ticular; and paid his first semi-annual
premiums rs soon a. the policies were
received. Hillman was a married man;
and. of course, in ease of death, the loss
was PAYABLE to his widow
Time passed on. 1t was in the midst
of winter, and during the winter Hill
man and a man named J ii. Brown
made several Journeys to the Town Of
Wichita. which is about - miles south
from Newton, on the line of the Atchi-
son. Topeka * Santa Fe Railroad. From
Wichita a trip was made through Bar
bour and kingman Counties. returning
via Dodge City. Last February Hillman
returned to Lawrence.
SUSPICION AROUSED.
While he was at Lawrence he met
Maj. Wiseman, special agent of the AIu-
tual Life Insurance Company. who had
taken IIillman's application in the
month of December previously for Slo.-
600 (Wiseman knew Hillman WELD. and
eonyersed freely upon many topics.
Casually Eiillman asked the Major many
pertinent neutrality-suspicious. which
aroused the Majors suspicious that Hill
man WAS contemplating something
..crooked" The special agent at once
/ began taking notes a 10 the more pre-
else aud positive identification Of Hill
man. should he in the future turn up
dead In the Majors survey of Hillman
he noticed II tooth out in his upper left
jaw; which fact eventually proved of
very material Importance in this ease.
Hillman, in a short period after this
visit 10 Lawrence, returned to the Town
of Wichita; and shortly afterwards
Wiseman was made aware or the pur-
ported accidental death of Hillman
I Hillman had
A BUsINEss-PAITNEE NAMED J. IL.
BROWN,
and Hillman's death was said to have
been from accidental shooting AT the
hands of this partner; and it was further
said that the body of the deceased was
buried at Medicine Lodge Wiseman
instantly suspected something wrong in
this reported death of Hillman. It was
but a brief period after Hillman had
made those pertinent and suspicious
queries At Lawrence, and only short
three months after lIillman had obtain
ed the large insurance upon his life.
The insurance agent began a most thor
ough investigation, with the view of as
certaining if Hillman was dead As as
serted. Wiseman proceeded to Medi-
cine Lodge, the alleged burial-place. ac-
companied by an attorney (Col. Walker,
well known attorney Of Lawrence),
with the determination to have the al
legged body Of lIillman disinterred, and
prove beyond doubt that if was Hillman
Wiseman, Col. Walker, and Mr.. Til