Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-11-30
HILLMAN KILLING ATTRIBUT
ED TO WHISKEY.
Another Tale Charges That Domestic
Troubles Arose Over Presence
of Son BY Former Marriage.

ing the dreadful tragedy near Bethel
on Thanksgiving day, when the lives
tof both Mr.. and Mrs. Frank H. Hill
manewere snuffed out, attributes the
cause of the double killing to the
spilling of bottle of whiskey belong
ing to the husband, following family
spats which covered considerable
period Of time. Another and less i'm
probable story is the interference in
their domestic affairs of a former
wife of Hillman. 1t has developed
that when Hillman and his guests,
j. @. Hillman and Ralph Marvin of
Amity, went out to the garage after
dinner, Hillman found bottle of
whiskey, which he had left in his au-
tomobile, broken upon the floor Sus-
pecting his wife Of having broken the
bottle he went into rage and ran
into the house. Marvin and the broth
er did not follow, but started toward
the barn. Before they reached the
structure they heard the fatal shots,
Hillman had run up the stairs to.
his wife S room, where she was dress
ing. He seized .25-.35 Savage rifle.
which was in the room and attempted,
to shoot the woman The oldest
daughter, Mildred, aged IL, who was
in her room at the other end OF the
hall, it is said, heard the angry
threats of her father and ran out and
attempted to wrest the gun from him.
In the scuffle the weapon was dis
charged, the bullet passing through
the floor. 1t lodged in the floor of
the hall below, where the mark was
not found until after the body OF the
man had been removed. n &l
Mrs. Hillman in the meantime ran
down stairs and the infuriated man,
breaking away from the girls grasp,
fred one shot at the fleeing woman
from the stairway and missed. She
ran into the "den' to the right Of
the hall and Hillman fred again from
the hallway at the foot of the stairs,
the bullet passing through the wo-
mans right arm, as it was thrown
across her face, passing
into her brain above the right eye,
She died instantly. Apparently With
put moving a step, Hillman then turn
ed the gun against his own temple
and fired the last shell. The top OF
his head was blown away.
The story connecting the former
wife of Hillman with the affair comes
from Seattle, the home of the Hill
mans prior to their coming to Polk
county. According to Mrs. Hillman
No. /, the presence of Hillman's son
" his former wife in the home is re-
iponsible for the tragedy. The dis
batch says: ga fellow passenger who
ode with the first Mrs. Hillman from
Denver to Portland brought to Sc
title today the story told by her. Mrs.
1illman, according to her story, was
divorced from Hillman in Chicago
hree years ago, and was given the
of their three children, two
iris and boy. A few months ago
drs. Hillman wrote to her former
who had remarked and come
rest, asking him if he would not take
he boy and care for him. Hillman
and the child was sent to its /.
ather in Amity. That the boy prov
d fly in the domestic ointment OF
he Hillman household and led to
uarrels which eliminated in the dou- !!
lie tragedy is Mrs. Hillman's belief. !
"Mrs. Hillman is on her way to
unity to take charge of the body of
er former husband.