Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-05-15
A LIFE INSURANCE TRAGEDY.

tFrom the Kansas City QSan) Gazette. May q
The recent somewhat extraordinary
action OF the state insurance commits
sioner of Kansas In attempting to ex
| pei from the state three Of the oldest
and best known life insurance com
panies Of the United States, for the
reason that they IRE contesting the
payment of claims In the Hillmon case
renders Of particular interest ut this
time q brief review of that and some
other celebrated cases Of Insurance.
frauds occurring in this part Of the
country.
Life insurance companies contend
that they rarely contest any claim;
they do not contest one-tenth Of one
per cent Of tho claims presented
against them. They give the claimant
the benefltof the doubt when there Is q
doubt. 1t is asserted that the prompt
payment of claims Is the universal
rule, Is tho course Of honor, and It
also increases the popularity, the
business, tho strength Of q company.
All of the wcll-known American life
companies have clear records, noble
names, because their history has been
honorable and beneficent. In the Hill
mon case the thrcc companies that
issued the policies are mutual COM
panies; they are the trustees Of their
policy holders; the money that they
hold is the money Of the policy-holdcr,
of widows and orphans, and Is q
sacred fund. When thief attempts 10
rob this fund, it is the duty Of its
guardians to protect II and to use
every effort to arrest and punish the
criminal. They cannot condone crime.
All of our readers remember the
Frakcr case. DR.. Fraker, Of Excelsior
Springs, No., took out large amount
OF life insurance, and then, in the pres
encc OF his fellow-conspirators rs wit
nesses, went through the process Of be-
ing drowned in the Missouri river. 1t
was n very coarse job, but it complete
ly deceived 80 able aud honorable
jurist rs John F. Philips, the United
States judge in Kansas City, No., who
tried the case. His rulings and instruc-
tions were SO plainly on the Fraker
side that the jury Immediately brought
In verdict against the corporations.
The insurance companies paid the in
surancc to Frakcr's executor. Soon
after Fraker was found in Northern
Wisconsin.
The now famous Hillmon case, 1t Is
alleged by the insurance companies, is
equally fraudulent. The evidence
shows that IIillmon was poor man,
tcamstcr and cattle herder. He
worked for Levi Baldwin, farmer
and cattle raiser living near Lawrence.
IIillmon married Miss Sallie Quinn, q
servant girl In Lawrence, and cousin
OF the Baldwins. The fact that Hill
mon within short time took out life
insurance policies aggregating $50, 900
was of itself almost conclusive evidence
Of fraud.
In December, 1878, and immediately
after getting the insurance, Hillmon
and one John II. Brown left Lawrence
for Wichita, Us they said, ito To-
cate cattle ranch in the southwest"
They stayed some time in Wichita |
when Hillmon returned to Lawrence
and applied for $4,000 more insur-
nnce, but succeeded in getting only |
81, 900, making $4,000 in all. Hillmon |
returned to Wichita by rail, February
Is, 1879. Frederick A. Walters, of Fort |
Madison, Iowa, took the same train
1t Emporia, and IIillmon made his
on the journey to
Wichita.
Walters was q cigarmaker, looking
Tor location. Within q day or two
Walters wrote to Miss Alvira Hasten
It Fort Madison, to whom he was en-.
gagged to be married, letter in which
&c said:
~ will stay here until the fore part
II next week and then will leave here
o sec part Of the country that never
TO see when left home, as
I'm going with man named Hillmon,
Who intends to start sheep ranch, and
,c has promised me more wages than
could make at anything else, con-
ludcd to take it-at least until can
trike something better"
lie wrote other letters to his family,
making the same statement. But no
more letters did he write. Never more
lid his mother or sweetheart see him
live.
lIillmon and Brown aud Walters
tarted out on wagon towards Barber
ounty. The next news from the party
vas the report that Brown had acci-
shot and killed Hillmon while
hey were in camp on the 18th Of March;
hat he had taken Hillmon's body TO
Iedicine Lodge where a ooroner's in
uest was held aud the body buried for
ecomposition.
The Baldwins went down there to
ct the body; they did not get 1t, but
enced in the ground where II was
'uried. Col. Samuel Walker and two
insurance agents soon after arrived
rom Lawrence and insisted upon dig
ing up the body and taking 1t TO
lawrence. These three men knew and
aid 1t was not the body of Hillmon.
'hen the body was exhumcd, Alva
then boy 10 years old,
nd brother of Levi Baldwin, who
TODD by the side of the grave, ex-
aimed when the face was uncovered,
He'll. that amt John Hillmon." A
oroner's inquest was held Mt Lawrence
nd the verdict of the jury was that the
ody was not Hillmon's. A warrant
as issued for the arrest Of John II.
rown for the murder Of an unknown