The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-06
WIN. BUCHAN's STORY.
The wyandotte Politician Tells
What He Knows of Hillmon.
SOME SENSATIONAL TESTIMONY GIVEN

FafIlmOn Murdered a Man Named
burgess Near Medicine Lodge
Brown Wanted to Tura states Evil
dence-The Releases Signed by Hrs
HTIImon offered in Evidence.
The Hillmon case was resumed at 2 p.
m. yesterday, when Judge Thomas de-
cided to admit the testimony of w. j.
Buchan, in reference to his transactions
with John 81. Brown. This was the point
about which there had been SO much
contention. Mr.. Buchan testified as fol-
lows:
''We arrived at Lexington on April LIST,
1879, at 10 o'clock, noon, and John IL
Brown met us at the train, and we walk
ed direct up town to the hotel. On the
way up l asked John why he had not met
us at Orick a few days before as he had
agreed to do. He said the reason he did
not was that he thought Col. Walker was
going to arrest him; that he was afraid
to trust him. We got to the hotel proba-
bly, about that time. and Immediately sat
down to dinner. After dinner Reuben,
John and myself walked out from the
hotel some little way to the east, on the
bluff overlooking the stream and sat
down upon stone, all three of US, within
three or four feet of each other. l said
n
business up at Lawrence?' He says to
me, Bill, it's bad business; it is bad as
it can be. We put up this job and it
has fallen through and l want to get out
of it. l want to arrange for me to turn
states evidence
81 asked him what the facts were, and
he said it was not the body of HiIlmOn
that the coroner's inquest was held over
at Lawrence; that it was the body of an
other man whom Hillmon had killed. He
said that himself, Levi Baldwin and Hill
mon had put up a job to beat the insur-
ance companies out Of money: that the
plan was to have Hillmon's life insured,
and that Baldwin was to furnish the
money to pay the premiums, and to pay
for the renewals in case they had to pay
out any more money to continue the pol
icies; that himself and Hillmon were to
go southwest aud endeavor in some way
to find body that they could pass off as
Hillmon's and claim the insurance; that
the original intention was to have Hill
mons life insured for $4,000, but after
wards it was changed to $25, 900; that
Hillmon and himself went from Law
renee to Wichita, and left on the first
trip out from Wichita in the last days in
December, when snow was on the
ground and it was very cold, with the
expectation of finding the body OF
a person who had been frozen to
death that they could pass off as that of
Hillmon. He said they left Wichita and
went direct to Medicine Lodge, and from
Medicine Lodge to Sun City, l believe,
aud from there on up to Kinsley, on the
Santa Fe railroad, and then along the
railroad to Larned and Great Bend, and
from there on to Wichita, by way of
Hutchinson; that he then remained in
Wichita until about the 4th or 9TH OF
March; in the meantime that Hillmon
had gone back to Lawrence for the pur-
pose of seeing his wife, and getting more
money.
THAT Hillmon returned from Law
renee about the 1st of March, and that
on the 9th of March they started out on
their second expedition from Wichita;
that mile or two out from Wichita they
overlook young man on the road, whom
Hillmon invited to get into the wagon
and ride with them, and that Hillmon
then employed or intended to employ
him to work on a sheep or cattle
ranch that they were suppose to locate;
that his name was Joe Burgis, or Berk.
ley; said he didn't know where he was
from, or where any of his folks were;
that he was sort of an easy going kind
of fellow, and didn't pay much attention
to anything; that on the trip Hillmon
prevailed upon him to allow him to vac
cinate him, which he did by taking the
point of his knife and vaccinating this
young man, taking virus from his own
arm; and that Hillmon sold or traded OF
gave him suit of underclothes, and also
traded clothes with him; that he be-
came stupid and dull from the
effect of the vaccination upon his
arm, and apparently sick; thai
they went to Medicine Lodge
on that trip and then to some camping
ground some Is or 20 miles from Medi
cine Lodge; that they got there in the
afternoon and waited until next after
noon, and that little while before sun
down he was feeding the horses or tax
ing corn out of the end of the wagon anC
Hlllmon was unloading the wagon anC
taking things out. and this young mar
was sitting over the fire with his head il
his hands, and that while he Brown
was taking care of the horses, he hearc
the report of gun; he looked 'rounC
and saw that the young man had almos
fallen into the fire, and Hillmon wa
pulling him out of the fire; and tina
Hillmon took a memorandum book ou
of his pocket and put it in the pocket O
this man, and told him (Brown) to ge
on pony and go up tC
somebody's house near there anC
tell them to come down, and Hillmor
gathered up some things and put then
in the youg mans valise, and said /
him, Brown, that everything was al
right now, and that he would assume tn
name of Marshall, and that he woul
hear from him by that name; and job
said he didn't want to communicate wit
him at all, aud if he did he would fin
out in some other way; that he didn
want any correspondence with him q
all; that Hillmon then took this wallis
belonging to the young man, and starte
north on the road for the railroad Ths
that was the last he had seen of Hillmo1
and that it WAS very unfortunate ma
ter; that he regretted the part he ha
taken in il, and wanted me to arranc
that he should turn states evidence prc
vided he could have good immunit
from prosecution.
THAT is the aubstanca of tbot 6-,