The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-09-12

Proves to be That Of One Frank Nichols.
Especial Cor. of the Chicago Tribune.l
LAWRENCE, Kas., Aug. 25.-Las
March there appeared simultaneously il
several of the Kansas and Missouri news
papers, as well as in the columns of the
Chicago Tribune through the medium o.
the telegraph, paragraph stating thai
a man named j. w. Hillman, who haG
formerly been resident of Lawrence
Has, had been accidentally killed, IA
miles north of Medicine Lodge and that
Hillman had, but short time previous
ly, obtained insurance upon his life fol
the amount of $4,000. When this news
reached the City of Lawrence, where
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, a resident of Lawrence, applied
for an insurance upon his life for the
snug amount Of $25, 600, in the following
companies: Connecticut Mutual Life,
5000; Mutual Life of New York, &c.,
600; New York Life, $4,000, the pre-
miums amounting semi-annually to
about 1913. Hillman applied for this
insurance of his own volitiOn. He rep
resented to the agents of these cOmpa-
MES that he was engaged in the business
of a stOck-dealer, purchasing and ship
ping stock i'm large quantities from the
frontier. After the usual medical exam
ination of the applicant, he passed, be-
ing graded rs acceptable in every par
ticular; and paid his first semi-annual
premiums as soon rs the policies were
received. Hillman was Il married man !;
and, of course, in case 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 ut Lawrence he met
Maj Wiseman, special agent of the Mu-
tual Life Insurance Company, who had
taken Hillman's application in the
month of December previously for SlO,-
600 (WiSeman knew Hillman welD, and
cOnversed freely upon many topics.
Casually Hillman 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 as to the more pre-
else and positive identification of Hill
man, should he i'm the future turn up
dead. In the Majors survey of Hillman
he noticed a tooth out in his upper left
jaw; which fact eventually proved of
very material Importance i'm this case.
Hillman, i'm Il short period after this
visit to Lawrence, returned to the Town
of Wichita; and shortly afterwards
Wiseman was made aware or the pur-
ported accidental death of Hillnan.
Hillman had
BUSINESS-PARTNER NAMED J. ii.
BROWN,
and Hillman's death was said to have
been from accidental shooting ut 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 i'm
this reported death of Hillman. 1t was
but brief period after Hillman had
made those pertinent and suspicious
queries at Lawrence, and only short
three months after Hiilman had obtain
ed the large insurance upon his life.
The insurance agent began Il most thor
Ough investigation, with the view of as
pertaining if Hillman was dead rs as
serted. Wiseman proceeded to Medi-
cine Lodge, the alleged burial-place, ac-
cOmpanied by an attorney (Col. Walker,
well known attorney of Lawrcnce),
with the determination to have the al
legged body of Hillman disinterred, and
prove beyond doubt that it twas Hillman.
Wiseman, Col. Walker, and Mr.. Til
linghast, the General Agent of the New
York Life Insurance Company, reached
Medicine Ledge on the 31st day of March
last-just fourteen days after the date it
was alleged the accidental fatal shooting
of Hillman occurred. On their arrival
at Medicine Lodge they met three per-
sons-Levi and Albert Baldwin, and J..
H. Brown, the partner of Hillman, and
who, it was alleged, had accidentally
killed Hillman by shooting. The Bald
wins We're from Lawrence, and had gone
to Medicine Lodge to look into matters,
Hillman being a friend of theirs.
WHAT wIsEMAN DISCOVERED.
Wiseman insisted that the alleged
corpse of Hillman should be taken from
the grave. All the parties then proceed
ed to the graveyard, and in few min
utes the coffin was raised, and the corpse
therein exposed to view. Major Wise
man could not recognize the body as
that of Hillman; neither was the upper
jaw tooth missing, which Wiseman knem
Hillman did not possess when he looked
him over i'm Lawrence, not many weeks
previously.
When Wiscman was convinced that
the body taken from the grave was moi
the body of j. w. Hillman, the Major
very wisely kept his convictions to him.
self, and persuaded the BalGwins to take
the corpse to Lawrence, and thereby
give Hillman's widow an opportunity tc
erect a handsome monument to the