Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-12-01
COLn-BLOODED MURDER.
A Conspiracy to kiiI Man in Srdcr
10 Nwindie the Insurance COmpn-
ME. Out of ~ Life Foley.

murder. was told to a New York V0ra
renorter at the office of the Mutual
life Insurance Company. The princl-
pal actor in it has not yet been appre-
heuded, but the detectives are on MS
trace, and it is expected that ne VIII be
cantured very soon. All the documents
in this daring scheme, the photographs
oftbe actors and their victim, the letters
which he and they wrote, are IN the
possession of the company, and were
seen by the reporter. The story, brief
" told, is as follows; r
In December, 1873, John W. HILL
man made application for insurance on
his life at Lawrence, Kan, IN the office
of the Mutual, the New York, ana tne
Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance
companies. The applications were for
warded to the home offices, and in the
same month he was insured for SO, OOO
$4,000 in each of the New York
COMPANIES and s. 600 in the Connect
cut Mutual. He paid the first quarter
" premium to the three companies
and then started for the far West, os-
tensibly for the purpose of establishing
cattle ranch. A companion started
with him named John IA. Brown.
While crossing the prairies they met a
voung man named Frederick A. wal
tiers. whom Hillman hired to accompa-
nv them and to attend the cattle on
he ranch. On the evening OF March 10,
1879, the party camped few miles out
side Of Medicine Lodge, Barbour coun-
ty. Kan. The following morning Brown
came into the village and announced
that his friend Hiilman had been acci-
dentally shot while removing some
goods from their wagon. a coroner
iurv was impaneled and went out to
the camping ground, where Brown
narrated the story Of the shooting. he
said that Hillman and himself had been
travelling together without any com
panion in search of IL cattle ranch. a
verdict of accidental death was ZEN
dered and the body was buried IN the
cemetery of Medicine Lodge. Walters,
had disappeared and nothing was heard
of him.
INVESTIGATING THE SHOOTING.
When the news of Hillman's death
was brought to his friends IN Lawrence
they refused to believe the story OF ac-
cidental shooting, and had the body
exhumed and brought home. Another
inquest was held, and an examination
of the body revealed the fact that 1t
was not that of Hillman. The insur-
anco companies agreed to act together
and slft the matter To the DottOir.
They believed that Hillman was still
alive. and that he and Brown had Sc
cured corpse for the purpose OF secur-
ing the insurance. The dead was not
like Hillman; his HAIR was curly and
came down around his face, while Hill
mans was quite straight and brushed
back from his forehead. The dead
man had the usual number of teeth,
while Hillman was known to have one
missing. The dead man had re-
Gently been vaccinated, and the
scar on his arm was quite fresh
and sore. Hillman had also been vac
cinated just before starting on his trip,
but the doctors testified that the scar
on Hillman's body must have become
cicatrized by that time. The dead
body was taller than Hillman's, aud it
was remembered that Hillman had
tried to oct his height falsifed while
underooinp the medical examination
in the insurance companies' offices
Tho fatal wound also was one which
could hardly have been inflicted in the
manner described by Brown. and the
latter had hecome very mnch confused
Of The inquest in relating the details ,,f
the occurrence Altogether il was owl
dent mat the dead man was not Hill
man INT who he was remains - mys-
terv
u,,r MAN ,,,x ,nrxr,p,rn
en 80 -
"A pho'os'"Pn VI 'le ootpSo "as tux
en- aga Seht 10 various places. ~ was
hrst recognized at orr MauiSoh' IOWA,
as INA. OF freueflGk a. WATERS we
man VINO nau Jo'heu Drown ana ilIli-
man on 'he'r supposeo SEARCH LOT
oa'''o i"'i0'i' 80 w p'io'O '"p''
once recognized the features n, those
of h;s son He took IL home Nth him
and accidentally dropping it from his
pocket, it was seen by his wife and
daughter, who at once burst into tears.
Several letters of Walters were also