Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-08
MAN COMPRISES TO IOWA MUIR.
DER COMMITTED THIRTY
YEARS AGO.
INNATE OF ILLINOIS HOSPITAL
TELLS STORY ON DEATH 1EC
James A. billiard Reveals How He
Shot Charles 3. ellis Because He
Secured HE Imprisonment in Cell
With Neero-Details Of Crime indi.
cate Confession is True.

Mount Pleasant. June ST. killed
him because thought he was the po-
liceman who locked me up with a mig
ger in the city calabose."
These words uttered by James A.
Hilliard. alias James Gingson. clear
B. ellis. which was committed in
Mount Pleasant Feb. %, 1881.
A few days ago James r. ellis, a
prominent insurance man and a nep-
hew Of Charles 3. ellis, was given a
letter. which had been addressed to
the chief Of police Of Mount Plea SAINT.
It was from DR.. w. L. Athon, super
intendent Of the hospital for the insane
at Anna, III. The letter stated that a
man named James Gingston. who was
dying Of consumption, had made a
statement that on Feb. IS, 1881, he had
killed Charles ellis, mayor of Mount
Pleasant.
There were some other details which
convinced James r. Gillis that the man
was telling the truth, so he went to
Anna last Friday and thus after these
! thirty years he feels that he has found
the man who killed his uncle and the
motive which prompted the deed.
GlngsIon, whose real name :s James
A. Hilliard, according to his own
statements, is now 55 years old, very
slight Of build and quite stopped When
Mr. ellis arrived he was anxious TO
tell his story. 1t follows
Tells His Own Story.
I'm August. 1880, I was in Mount
Pleasant as hobo. I slept in the city
park and was there arrested by po-
liceman who took me to the city Gala
boose and there placed me In a cell
with Niger. When left there swore
I would return and kill the policeman.
drifted away, but in February. the
month in which the crime was COM
rnitted, had tramped back to Burling-
ton. There I got onto a freight train.
beat my way to Mount Pleasant and
spent the Afternoon around town. I
stopped tn at several Of the stores; that
evening I ate supper at a restaurant,
as had some money. When night had
fallen I went down West Monroe street
to a house occupied by Charles B. Gil
lis, as I learned afterwards. I knocked
and the moment the door was opened
1 fired. l saw ellis fall. but did not
know until the next day, when I read 1t
In the Burlington Hawk-Eye, that !
had killed a man who I thought was
the policeman who had put me in a
cell with a niger. -
Immediately after the shot was fred
I ran up an alley leading to the rail-
road and altho it was very cold night
and there was snow on the ground, I
walked the twenty-eight miles to Bur-
| lington on the railroad. There / spent
most OF the winter as porter at the
old Barrett house, then Well known
Burlington hotel"
Tells for First Time.
Since that time Hillisrd has been a
hobo and has travelled all over this
country 1t was as tramp that he
was taken at Chester. ILL.,, a year ago
and committed to the hospital at Anna.
Some days ago he had a fainting
| spell and he thought, the end had come.
| The doctors thought he could not live.
| It was while in this weakened condi-
ton that FIilliard for the first time
since the crime mentioned 1t to any
one.
Hilliard is, however, in better condi-
ton than he has been, and when MI.
ellis arrived he asked if he had come
to take him back TO Mount Pleasant to
| answer LOT tIlS CIllI6 leu 81 AulIS
ago. He seemed disappointed when
he was told that he was not there for
that purpose. He said: Il haven't
long to live. 1 killed the man and
should be hung might as well die
that way as any other"
Asked If he had ever suffered any re-
morse, he replied: Never for a min
ute have I regretted what I did.
have slept soundly at night ever
| since"
| billiard was born at Sterling. Mar
ion county Ind bat was brought UP
in Pike county. H.. near Barry. In
conversation with Ny ellis he gave
the names Of some men whom he said
still lived at Barry, and with whom he
was acquainted as a young man. He
also told Of working for German
|