The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-26


travelling about the state representing
himself to be an agent for The Sentinel.
He visited many towns and cities and
after collecting and borrowing all the
money he could would suddenly turn up
missing, and the first intimation The
| Sentinel had of the occurrence was when
some indignant citizen would write a
| letter requesting the office to send the
amount of money he had loaned its
| agent, or some other person asking why
the paper he had ordered failed to ar
rive. The Sentinel put forth every effort
to capture the individual but was unable
to do so until yesterday, when he was
arrested at College Corner, and he is
now a prisoner at the police station,
where he is held on the charge Of being
a fugitive.
Friday morning a message, signed by
w. Scott. the only authorized agent for
| The Sentinel, was received at this office
asking why number of papers had not
been sent to Brownsville. Mr.. Scott
happened to be in the office when the
message arrived and he knew that the
man was at his old tricks again.
Wednesday morning w. II. Deacon,
| manager of the advertising department
| of The Sentinel, went to Brownsville for
the purpose of having the man arrested
| but when he aTrievd in town he learned
that the man, who gave the name of j.
II. Hibben, had left and was supposed
| to have gone to Liberty. Mr.. Deacon
took the next train for that place only to
| be disappointed again, for the man had
| left and gone to Falkland. Securing
| horse and buggy he drove across the
country to that town. Hibben was not
| 10 be found and no one appeared to know
| anything about him. Mr.. Deacon re-
turned to Liberty again and after max
| ing diligent inquiry learned that Hibben
| had gone in the direction Of College Cor
ner and he took the next train for that
| place.
Upon arriving in town Marshal
| Wysong was made acquainted with the
| facts, and he and Mr.. Deacon started
| out to find Hibben. After searching the
| town over their efforts were crowned
| with success, and he was discovered sit
| ting in front of a saloon. He at first
| denied all knowledge of The Sentinel
| and said he never heard Of the paper,
but afterward broke down and par
| TALLY made a confession. He became
| very indignant when he learned that he
was under arrest. and refused to ac-
| company the officer without a warrant.
| His bluff did not work, however, and
marshal to this city without any
| trouble.
Upon arriving at the Union depot
hack was secured, and Hibben imagined
| he was going to the office until the car
| riage stopped in front of the Central
| police station and he was locked up.
Hibben has a history that brands him
| one of the most remarkable and &C
| complished of frauds. He is an old
swindler and fake newspaper man. He
worked the newspaper snap at Column
bus. Ind, recently, where he represented
himself as Bruce Haldeman Of the
| Louisville Courier-Journal. He also
| pinched an oVercoat, was Jailed and by
| his cunningnesS he feigned the insanity
racket and was cleared. After this es-
eapade Hibben went to Jeffersonville
and said his name was Watkins. a
| Courier-Journal reporter. He was drink
ing freely, was supplied with funds and
insisted upon treating everybody. He
claimed an acquaintance with every man
on the paper, and, In fact, was able to
call them all by name and tell in what
| departments they worked.
Hibben is undoubtedly a slick rascal.
His career has been treated at length
heretofore, put it will probably be rem
dering the public a service to repeat it.
He has been an inmate of the Indian
prison south three times. Convicted first
as James S. Rose in Vigo county he be-
gan one year term Oct. z, 1884. On
May II, 1888, he was sent up from Wayne
county under the name of Frank Hal
ford, to serve one year for representing
himself as an agent of the Indianapolis
Journal. Upon his release he went TO
Seymour and claiming to be Frank c.
New of the Indianapolis Journal he
solicited subscription and advertising
amounting TO several hundred dollars
For this he got two years. He was re-
leased in the winter Of 81, and the next
heard from was at Columbus. where, as
already stated, he canvassed the city as
Bruce Haldeman, of the Courier-JournaI
He devoted all his time in getting SUBJ
scriptions for the Sunday issue Of the
Mayor Joseph Graham, p. H. McCor-
mack and host Of others.
Hibben is a of the late Rev. w
w. Hibben, formerly pastor of the
methodist churches In Jacksonville,
Columbus and Rushville. His father
later on was selected as the presiding
elder Of that district and had many
friends.
1t is said that Hibben Is a confirmed
kleptomaniac and often steals without
knowledge or value of his wants As
an instance it is related that Hibben
was engaged to marry an estimable
young lady. On the day Of the wedding
he stole the jewelry belonging to his
affianced. She died broken-he at
thus being deserted. 1t is further stated
that he has been incarcerated in the
Louisiana insane asylum and in the CEN
trail insane asylum in this city. Hibben
has also done time in the Frankfort
QKy.) penitentiary under one or two
aliases