The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-28
BARBER'S CHAIR ID
 THE COUNTY JAIL
Vim. Hunter Alleged to Have SwindIedInsurance People,
CAUGHT BY R. C. MlLLIKAN
Story Goes That Hunter Formed a County Tn Texas and Secured Money on Bond Issues--He
 Elv.d at 6rookslde.

Charged with being a fugitive from jus- tice, William A. Hunter, alias William Hunt occupies a cell in the county Jail It is said he is wanted for defrauding an insurance company, the company having paid out it Is alleged. $l5,00O on policy held by his sister. It is claimed Hunter was a party to the swindle leaving for parts unknown and having his relatives to collect the money, which was paid over only after fight in the courts.
 The company involved Is the Fidelity Insurance company and it's officials were notified yesterday of the arrest of Hunt CT. A reply Is expected today.
 Hunter was apprehended by R. c. Mii- likan, who was formerly employed by the company as it's southern inspector. In this position he was called upon to do considerable detective work When the | company received word of the alleged death of Hunter who then lived in Tex as, suspicious circumstances, 1t is under stood, led 1t to send Mir. Millikan to Texas to make an investigation. He was unable to find the man he was seeking and never saw him until he came across him in a barber shop yesterday morn l ing.
 Went to a Barber Shop.
 MT. Mllikan went to Cunninghams barber shop on North Twentieth street. Mr Millikan claims to have recognized him from photographs and descriptions formerly in his possession. He waited for several minutes and when Hunter had started for the door accosted him. He introduced himself as Johnson, as- suming the name of a man he knew Hunter remembered In his Texas experi- ences, and began conversation. He then told him he knew who he was and asked barber to telephone the sheriffs office Deputy Sheriffs William Cole and George Courson were soon on the scene. A warrant was sworn out before l. H. Benners justice of the peace, and Hunter was locked up in the county jail
 MT. Millikan is not at present connect ed with the insurance company, but said yesterday that he desired to bring Hunt CT to justice as he believed him to be the right man.
 According to statements made by MT. Millikan, Hunter is the right name of the man arrested. He has been living at Brookside for some time, and was an im- portant witness for the defendant at the time R. D. Coffman was tried on charge of killing the Rev. J. w. Bradford
 MT. Millikan says Hunter was originally from Ohio, and that he went to Texas, where in 1896 he secured a policy from the company. In December of the same year it was alleged he died. Mrs. Jennie N. MettIer was the beneficiary under the provisions of the policy When he was supposed to have died he was living, 1t is alleged, near Mentone, Tex, not far from the border of New Mexico It Is claimed he suddenly left Pecos City and since then no trace of him could be found.
 The case went into the courts and was finally decided in favor of the claimant. It is said the policy. court costs, etc.. amounted to about $50, ,OOO which the com pany had to pay.
 Mir. Millikan, while in Texas, says he discovered that Hunter had started county, hoated bonds for a courthouse and skipped
 MiIllkan's Statement.
 MT. Millikan gives the following &C., count:
 For several years before Hunter per- petrated the insurance swindle, he his brother-in-law s. L. Mettler, and one J. J. Combs were known as professional organizers of west Texas unorganized ] counties. Those counties were in the arid section of the state and possessed no population. Before they could be organ ized 1t was necessary to show that they had as many as 150 qualified voters. What they lacked in Mexicans along the New Mexico border, they supplied with dunn mics. When a county was organized, they proceeded to elect themselves to the offices Hunter was sheriff and tax col- lector; Combs county judge and Mettler county attorney. The next step was to assess the property for taxation, the as- sessed values being placed at many hun dred per centum of their actual value. This was done for two reasons, first, for the taxes they could gather and second as basis upon which to issue court house and jail, road and bridge and other bonds.
 Sheriff and Tax Collector.
 Hunter held the offices of sheriff and tax collector for two years, and the state comptroller's records show that the total amount of taxes remitted to the state amounted to s9.75. What amount was paid to the county no one outside of the gang knows, as the records are missing and can't be found. County bonds to the amount of s36,00O were issued and dis posed of and all the county had to show for it was a small wooden shanty called court house, which could be built here for sS0O or s4OO.
 Loving was the last county the gang organized and when they had succeeded in milking 1t dry they scattered. Combs went to Colorado. Mettler died and his widow moved to the town of Pecos. where the generous and hospitable people took her up and made her welcome to thar homes. That was in the spring of 1896 She became a leading member of the Baptist church and was much admired