Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-05-20


making the Same statement. But no
moro letters did he write. Never more
did his mother or sweetheart see him
alive.
Htllmon and Brown and Walters
started out on a wagon, towards Bar
Der county. The next news from the
party was the report that Brown had
accidentally shot and killed Hlllmon
while they were in camp, ON the 17Lh
OF March; that he had taken Hlllmon's
body to Medicine Lodge where a cor
oner's inquest was held and the body
buried for decomposition.
The Baldwins went down there to
get THE body; they did not get IL, but
fenced in THE ground where It was
buried. Col. Samuel Walker and two
insurance agents soon after arrived
from Lawrence, and insisted upon dig
cling up THE body and taking 1t to
Lawrence, These three men knew and
said 1t was not the body OF Hillmon.
When the body was exhumed, Alva
Baldwin, then boy sixteen years old,
and a brother of Levi Baldwin, who
stood by the side Of the grave, ex-
claimed when the face was uncovered,
'IIell, that ain't John Hillmon." A
coroners inquest was held at Lawrence
the verdict of the jury was that the
body was not Hillmon's. A warrant
was issued for THE arrest OF John H.
Brown for the murder of an unknown
man. Brown ran away to Missouri
and eluded capture, While a fugitive
from justice, Brown sent for lawyer
and made confession. He declared
that the body brought TO Lawrence
was not the body OF Hillmon, but of
another man whom HEllmon had muir
dered for THE purpose OF palming II
off on the insurance companies as his
own. Browns full confession had
been introduced ON all the TRIALS ex-
cept the last. His deposition, taken
by the Hlllmon attorneys, was not
used in the last two TRIALS. 1t lis said
the lawyers hold the policies and are
the parties in interest, but the "wld-
ow" even of murderer is often in-
duential with jury, and Mrs. Hill
mon appears as the plaintiff. John
II. Brown and Alva Baldwin have
never been brought into court as wit
nesses by the Hillmon lawyers, for the
possible reason as suggested that they
fear cross examination.
On the 18th Of September, 1879, Mrs.
Hillmon signed FUN release Of all her
interest in the policies. She went to
her lawyers office and demanded 6he
policies He said he had lien on
the policies for $4,000 and refused to
give them up. From THAT day to this,
the parties demanding the payment OF
the policies, 1t is said have been the
lawyers and not Mrs. Hlllmon; she is
their creature, their slave. 1t Is
said they threatened one Super
intendent of Insurance with prosecu-
tion if he published a history Of the
case; and endeavored to have Super
intendent Snlder exclude the companies
from the state, and who prevailed ON
Superintendent McNall to do so.
The body at Lawrence remained
unidentified untbl the father Of Il. A.
Walters, through the Masonic Lodges
at Fort Madison and at Wichita, OBJ
tanned intelligence of the tragedy and
a copy of the photograph of the alleged
dead "Hillmon." 1t was the lost son,
Walters. When this CHASTITY photo
graph was shown to the aged mother
she exclaimed, 20 God, 1T is my SON"
and tainted.
More than twenty Witnesses from
Fort Madison identified the photo
graph. The Odd Fellows Lodge, OF
which Walters was a member, con-
WINGED Of his murder, paid his life
insurance. A monument has been
erected to the memory OF this victim
Of assassins.
All of the relatives OF Hillmon, In |
Guiding his brothers and sisters, swear |
that the body rs mot that of Hlllmon.
At the Last trial all of une jurymen |
except one were on the side OF the
insurance companies, although they |
are corporations and the supposed |
plaintiff is widow. Sympathy for a |
widow and hatred of corporations have
kept case dn court seventeen years
that, had both parties been citizens,
would have been decided on the first
trial.
And yet a state officer has ordered
these life insurance companies out OF
une state, companies in which thou
sands of our citizens hold policies,
and companies that do business and
are held in lrtgh esteem all over the
globe.
ODD HAPPENINGS
|