The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-13
CLOSING SCENESIN THE GREAT HlLLMON CASE
Witnesses Have Testified.
A Resume of Evidence Given, At This, the Fourth
Jury Trial.
OF COUNSEL COMMENCE TODAY.
ARGUMENTS OF
Go to the Jury Tt
the Verdict Be?
Case Will Probably

The evidence for plaintiff and 0efen- |
dants in this extraordinary case being |
now completed, and the counsel having |
commenced to argue the issues to the
jury, and seeing the great interest taken
in the trial by the readers of the JOUR
NAL. it will not be amiss to give for their
benefit, resume of the evidence which
has already been given, and from which
counsel will argue, SO that the JOURN Ais
numerous readers may be able intelli-
gently, not only to grasp the full case IN
its entirety, but follow the arguments
which will be presented.
The Plaintiffs Case.
The plaintiff claims that her husband
was shot by John Il. Brown on March
18th, 1879, at Crooked Creek, and that it
was his body which was brought to Law
renee, and that she is entitled to recover
the $25,000 under the policies of insur-
Rnce.
The Defendants' Case.
The claim of the defendants is that
Levi Baldwin, John Fl. Brown and John
W. Hillmon entered into a conspiracy to
defraud the insurance companies; that
Levi Baldwin furnished the money to
insure the life of Hillmon for the amount
of $4,000, with the intention of "palm-
ing off, on the companies, body other
than that of Hillmon; that they foully
murdered young man by the name of
Frederick Adolph Walters of Fl. Madi-
son, Iowa; that his body was brought to
Lawrence, and endeavored to be imposed
upon the companies as the body of Hill
mon; that the cOroner's jury brought in
a verdict that the body was not Hlllmon's,
but that of a person unknown, who had
come to his death feloniousIy at the
hands of John II. Brown, and that Hill
mon is alive; that Mrs. Hillmon then, and
all others interested with her, became
part of the conspiracy to defraud the
insurance companies of the amount of
insurance for the purpose of dividing
same among themselves; that Mrs. Hill
mon is only the nominal plaintiff; that
the actual plaintiff is a syndicate to
which she has transferred all but d very
small portion of the insurance money
claimed.
Physical PecuIiarftIes OF tho Body
in Dispute.
Both plaintiff and defendants agree
that the following are the peculiarities
of the body brought to Lawrence, and
upon which an inquest was held: height,
five feet eleven and 81 inches; hair, curly
dark brown, nearly black; high roman
nose; high cheek bones; very slight, thin
mustache; long arms, hands, limbs and
feet; complete, perfect set of teeth, none
missing; two moIes on back, one large
one small; no scars on head, wrist or
other part of the body; showed signs of
pleurisy; two vaccine marks on arm.
This is The body which plaintiff claims
to be that of HillmoE, and which defend
ants claim to be that of Frederick AdolDh
Walters, and the following is the evil
dence of Identification:
HnImOn's Appearance rs Claimed by
Plaintiff
HE1GHT-Mrs. Hillmon states that she
measured her husband in life and that
his height was five feet, eleven and a
half inches; that she testified to this fact
before the coroner's Jury at Lawrence.
Selig and Mr.. Griffith. Three of the
coroner's jury have testified at this and
each of the preceding trials, that she gave
no such evidence at the inquest; that in
stead to the question, "What was your
husbands height" she replied, ''she
did not know" and both Mr. Selig and
Mr.. Griffith gave corresponding denial
in regard to similar statements that she
alleges she made to them. Mr. John
Eldridge also testified that he saw Hill
mon measured by Major Wiseman in
his, Eldridge's livery stable, on October
81, 1878, which fact was disproved by
Major Wiseman's testimony, especially
as Major Wiseman conclusively estab-
lished the fact that he did not arrive in
Kansas until Dec. 8, 1878, and that he
never represented the company for
which John Eldridge swore he measured
Hillmon. Arthur Judson testified that
he measured Hillmon, and that his
height was five feet, eleven and a half
inches. G. P. Ware, who had seen Hill
mon but once, guessed his height to be
six feet, and ]. A. Phillips, who only saw
him once, guessed his height to be five
feet, ten inches. John Osborne, who
knew him fairly well, Guessed it to be
i've feet, ten inches There are three
witnesses who swear to having measured
Hillmon. all of whose testimony is con
tradicIed-
TERTH-NIrs. Hillmon testified tina
61llmon had perfect set of teeth none
missing, and stated that she SO testified
at the coroner's inquest, also made same
statements to Mr.. Selig aud Mr. Griffith
but this testimony is met by the eviGeAc,
of four of the jurors at the coroner's in
quest, that she testified when questioned
on this point, that t'she did not know
and also by the statements of Mr.. Selis
and Mir. Griffith, who also on the witness
stand denied that she had made any sucl
statements to them; but that instead
she said shat she did not knows,
that beyond Mrs Hillmon. there are n
witnesses who testify to HiIlmon's havin,
good teeth, with none missing. and he
statements are contradicted by the fiy
witnesses named
HAIR-Mrs. Hillmon testified that he
husband had dark brown, wavy hair
John Eldridge testified that he had brow
wavy hair, and John Osborne. that h
had dark brown. wayv hair.
Plaintiff also exhibited photograp
OF Hlllmon which was not at the core
ners inquest, nor produced at the frs
trial; which is a copy, and which has tn
name of the photographer cut off; whic
Hillmon's relatives never saw; whic
plaintiff claims to have received froI
Levi Baldwin, and which never appears
in the case until eight years after til
shooting at Crooked Creek
HIlImOn'S Appearance a. Claimed b
the Defense.
HEIGHT-The following seven wi
nesses measured Hillmon and the follow
ing seven witnesses approximated b