Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-30
HILLMAN RUN DOWN!
A Sensational Kansas Insurance.
Case Ended.
END OF MILLER'S LONG SEARCH.
Who Was 1t HiIlman and Brown Tered
ON Crooked Creek, in Barber Colnty,
Kan, to Swindle Insurance
Companies7


rested, and an old crime partially re-
vealed, but leaves another mysterious dis
appearance and an unknown dead man to
be explained and accounted for.
John W. Hil'man. whose supposed re-
mains were found on Crooked creek, in
Barber County, shot through the head,
has just been arrested near Tombstone,
A. T., where he had been working in
mine, and j. NJ. Miller, who had been on
his track for eight long years, has earned
his reward of $4,000
A dispatch was received last evening
from II. j. Franklin, formerly special
agent of the Santa Fe, requesting c. s.
Gleed to secure requisition papers upon
the Governor of Ariz Dna for the body of
j. W. Hillman, who was now under arrest
awaiting proper authority to be returned
to Kansas, where his name has become
famous because of the three long trials in
which his wife claimed from the Mutual
Life Insurance Company of New York,
the New York Life Insurance Company
and the Connecticut Mutual Life
Insurance Company, the aggregate sum
of SIS, 900 which he had placed
on his life a short time before his
supposed death. and the bringing to Law
renee of his dead body, which was recog-
nized by more than forty witnesses under
oath as that of the dead John w. Hill
man.
The insurance companies refused to pay
the policies, declaring that the body was
not that of Hillman. but the body of some
man murdered for the sole purpose of OBJ
tanning the S25, 900.
Pending the first suit a reward of $10,-
900 was offered by the companies for the
arrest of Hillman, which reward they
pledged the good faith of the companies
to pay whenever the missing man was ar
rested.
Eight years ago, ]. N. Miller, then
resident of Lawrence, who, being we'll ac-
quainted with Hillman and refusing to
acknowledge the dead body as that OF the
man claimed, commenced his weary
search. Knowing Hillman to have been
o miner as we'll as q cattleman, he natur-
ally sought the mountainous country or
the West as the most natural retreat OF
such man. Going to the mining coun-
tries he worked first in one camp and then
another always with one end in view, the
capture of the missing man, who, II
found, would also be a murderer, working
first at mining then at tie chopping for
the Santa Fe, never long in one place.
Miller run down every possible clew.
many times disappO uted, but never dis
couraged. and never changing his belief
that the Rockies held the man wanted by
| justice, and whose revealmsnt would
bring him $4,000
MiIler's face became familiar one in
all the camps of Colorado. New Mexico,
| Arizona, Old Mexico and more Northern
| Territories. In this search he was aided
| at times by Mr. Franklin, who shared his
belief that Hillman was still alive.
Two years ago Miller saw and identified
his man, and immediately asked for
requisition to be sent to him. The neces.
sary papers were issued and after some
delay man was sent with them, but Hull
man had recognized his former neighbor
and again disappeared.
In no wise discouraged Miller again
commenced a search and last week again
| found his man, this time securing him and
remaining with him while Franklin went
| on for the papers. franklin will arrive
| here to-day, and will Immediately
| start back for the man who so nearly wore
out three judges and three juries and
| numberless lawyers and witnesses, and
| whose wife has since remarked.
March II, 1879 according to evidence, John
| on Crooked creek, in Barber County, be.
ing on their way to Texas. Brown went
| for farmer named Briley, who returned
with Brown, who had notified him
of the killing. He found a wagon
and a camp fire about twelve feet
apart, and near the fire was a man who
had been shot, the bu let fr m 44-caliber
/ gun had entered the skull one and half
L oI0 md ipn i'm front Of fh0
/ auditory meatus on the right sids and had
passed out on the left side one inch above
| the ear The feet of the body
| were toward the fire and the head was
supported on few fagots. The dead
| mans rat was burning in the flames.
Brown said the dead man was Hillman,
and in taking his gun out of the wagon
in preparing for bed, he BROWN had
caught The hammer on the wagon box or
O. blanket and the gun had been dis
| charged. He heard a groan, he turned
| and saw Hillman stagger and start to
| fall, and running to him caught him and
| swung him around away from the fire. he
| then took a horse and went for the nearest
] farmer.
| The following morning Mr.. Paddock,
| the justice of the peace, held an inquest
| after which the body was carried to Medi.
| cine Lodge, where another inquest was
| held After the second inquest the body
was buried and Brown and Levi Baldwin
| and Alva Baldwin had brought material
| to fence it, when Major Theodore Wise.
man and Mr. Tillinghast insurance
| agents, of Lawrence, arrived and insisted
| on exhuming the body for Identification.
From the hour that disinterment took
| place Walker, Wiseman and Tillinghast
| have been sure the body was not Hillman.
Levi Baldwin has said it was Hillman.
| Brown, who is the only person who can
absolutely know, has sworn both that it
was and that it was not while Alvs
Baldwin, brother of Levi Baldwin, and
one of the most intimate acquaintance Of
Hillman, has never appeared in court.
The dead body was taken to Lawrence
badly decomposed. Mrs. HiIlman hest.
tated as to whether she should go and see
the body, but finally decided to do so.
The body was buried at Oak Hill ceme-
tery. but was again taken up and photo.
graphed, a front and side view being
taken, the face being disigured. Some
fifteen of the witnesses at the first exam.
nation swore positively that the body
wa, not that of HillmaD, there being
MANY discrepancies in s zs as well as ap.
pearance. Thirty EIGHT other witnesses
gave points which they claimed belong to
Hillman, which did not appear in the
body before them.
The vault of the registered letter de.
partment at Chicago was entered recent.
ly and eighty-six registered packages
stolen -