The log cabin Democrat., 1920-04-27
SEEK 10 IDENTIFY
 SUSPECT ASH|LTON
IN BIGAMY SENSATION
Los Angeles Police Claim Letter by Conway Woman Clue to Identity
 of Noted Bigamist

petty larceny, California police offici-
 als have uncovered the record of a
 man supposed to be Jack Hilton, for mer Little Rock and Dallas cotton dealer, West Point graduate and ex. 4 Arkansas convict, showing that he
 has at numerous times committed blgamy, with the probability that murder may be proved as the termina
 ton of some of his marriages. accord Ing to dispatch to the Log Cabin Democrat from the Los Angeles Elk amlner The story of this mans career has been featured for the past week in California newspapers, and vigorous prosecution will probably fol-
 low Hllton's career in Arkansas covered parts of teh years of 1913 and 1914, including hls sentence to prison and pardon by Governor Hayes.
 California police and newspapers In some way connected him with Mrs. Alice Hilton, residing at 615 Scott street, Conway. Mrs. Hilton was mar rled to Jack Hilton at Little Rock in June, 1913. Evidence brought out at hls trial in Pulaski circuit court in March, 1914, showed that Hilton de- frauded his wife of considerable sums of money, which he told her was being invested in Little Rock real estate. lie was at that time connected with the Lesser-Goldman Cotton Company lie was convicted by the Pulaski court and sentenced to two years in prison being pardoned, however, before the expiration of his term. It was said that Governor Hayes was caught by dllton's atfable nature and released him from prison for that reason.
 Previous to Hilton's trial, Sheriff Will Hutton and Pulaski officers had made strenuous effort to capture him. He left Little Rock in the fall ot 1913, presumably to consult offici- . als of the Lesser-G Goldman company at St. Louis. He did not return, and 1t was then that his misuse of his wife's money was discovered. Rela- i, tlves of Mrs. Hilton were determined 1 to bring him to justice, and he was finally located at Homer, La., in Feb ruary, 1914.
 Since his release from the Arkansas penltentiary, little is known of Hil- 1 tons career. It is said that he spent one year in France as civil employe 1 of the government, landing upon his return at New Orleans in August. 1918. His parents are residents of Memphis. He also has sister there. | Mrs. Pierson, wife of a Memphis , cotton factor, and half-brother, G l D. Boyd, at Blissville, Ark. Hilton himself has never been in Conway.
 Acquaintances of the man who now has the center of the stage in Califor- mia describe him as affable, social and careful and tasteful dresser. He is now bout 45 years of age Little or no information bearing upon his career before he came to Little Rock | in 1913 could be had. He is a gradu- ate of West Point and served some time in the army before embarking in the cotton bushes. It was intimated by one of his relatives that his time before 1913 had been employed in ob- taining money from wealthy widows whom he married and abandoned, but no positive proof is advanced in sup port of this charge.
 Newspaper reports from Los An geles state that the suspect there is accused of bigamy in probably 25 in stances. The evidence against him has not been completed. Suspicion of him first formed when he was arrest ed at San Diego for petty larceny It was then that evidence of bigamy was discovered, and the search start | ed into his record. The police are working on the theory that he may have made way with some of his wives by murder.
 Hilton was picturesque figure at Little Rock. Those who remember him say that he was the most pleas ant sort of person to meet His man ners were charming, and he at all times posed as the indulgent man of affairs removed from worry. No evi- dence revealed at the criminal trial at Little Rock made the implication that he had ever ben unkind to Mrs. Hilton during their married life, his offenses being defrauding her of money and desertion.
 Mrs. Hilton was told of the charges brought by Los Angeles police. She said that her relations with MT. Hil- ton ended at the time of their sepa- ration. Her brother Ben Tillar, well known citizen of Fort Worth, Tex, tok charge of her affairs at that time and pushed the search for Hilton and later had charge of his prosecu- tion. He declared, Mrs. Hilton said, that the penitentiary term was all the punishment he wished him to suffer