The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-30
THE DEFENSE OPENED.
Mai Theodore Wiseman the First Witness
in the HiIImon Case

Maj Theodore WiseInan the First Witness
in the Hi1lmon Case.
Z Major Theodore Whitman an insur-
ance man who lives at Omaha, was the
first witness put on the stand for the in
surance companies yesterday.
He was the agent of the New York
company in 1878 at Lawrence and insur-
ed Hillmon for $4,000.
He said that on December 3. 1878, Hill
mon and Levi Baldwin came to his office
and said they wanted to take out a poll
cy on Hillmon's life. The different plans
were explained and Hnlmon finally de-
cided to take out $4,000 under the life
plan.
He contradicted what John Eldridge,
a witness for the plaintiff had said about
the witness soliciting the insurance from
HiIlmon at his livery stable. He also de-
MED that he had ever made any applica-
ton for the New York Life as sworn by
Eldridge.
Mai. Wiseman said he considered it
unusual for Hillmon to come to him for
insurance unsolicited He had gone with
Hillmon at the time application was made
to DR.. Miller's office when the examina-
ton was made. He gave an accurate
description of Hillmon and said he had
measured him himself and found him to
be five feet eight and a half inches in
height in his stocking feet and five feet
nine inches with his boots on.
When he heard of Hillmon's reported
death he was at Usage City and was noti-
fed by the general agent at St Louis to
investigate the case. He left Lawrence
for Medicine Lodge on March 90. They
hired team at Hutchinson and drove to
Medicine Lodge where they found Levi
and AlvG Baldwin and John II. Brown
at livery stable and Hillmon's team in
charge of Brown. At D. N. they drove
to the cemetery where they found Brown
and the Baldwins about to fence in a
grave which they said was Hillmon's.
He said that he wanted the body ex-
humed and Levi Baldwin objected, and
said the widow die not desire the body
taken up OF taken back to Lawrence.
They finally consented to have the body
| dug up, and that when Alva Baldwin
saw the face of the corpse he made an
examination, but an objection was made
! and the court reserved his decision on
| the question of the admission of what
/ was said.
Major Wiseman said he had examined
the body closely, and it was not the body
of Hillmon. The body was then taken
to Hutchinson in wagon, driven by
Brown, and that in the ride a pair of
shoes, said to have belonged to the dead
man, disappeared. Brown had thrown
no value. He said that the shoes were
low and were at least No 10 in size.
The body was put on the train, and the
entire party went to Lawrence. He did
not see the body removed to an under
taking ablishment, and did not know
where it was to be taken until he saw il
at Bailey 6 Smiths.
Maj. Wiseman said great many PEG
pie focked to see the body, and that re-
striction was put upon people viewing
the corpse. He had employed George J
Barker to look after the interests of the
insurance company, and to assist il
making the Identification. The witness
told of the coroner's jury. He was no
present when the body was photogr aph
ed, though he saw the photographs, and
had taken copies of them to Wichita il
April, where he went to investigate thu
case, and find if any one was mis- sing
He said he found that some one wa
missing, and when he was asked who
was, objections were at once made, ant
he was not allowed to tell who it was
The court however appointed this morn
ing as time for submitting auth critic
on this point