WHO IS IT? IS IT A CRIME? A Collection of Contemporary News Articles About the John W. Hillmon Case. CLICK HERE to read the articles.
   

Hillman-1860 Census     History     Maps: Shooting Site    Marriage License     News Articles     Photos: Hillmon/Hillman Case     Tales From The Crypt     "The Hillman Case" by T.A. McNeal     Mimi Wesson's Hillmon Case
A Protocol for Excavation and Analysis of Remains Located in a Gravesite in Lawrence, Kansas
"The Hillmon Concealment" by Lewis & Bombaugh

John W. Hillman

(also known as John W. Hillmon)

A Map of the Location Where He Was Shot and Killed

In Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas

Map drawn by George Miller from his booklet, 'Some Elm Mills History Copied by George Miller from Barber County Historical Files of Library at Medicine Lodge'. Courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas.
Map drawn by George Miller.
Courtesy of Kim Fowles.

Text on the above image: 

1. WILSON SCHOOL.
2. MADISON BELL HOME.
3. WHERE CHILDREN WERE FOUND.
4. OLD FRIDAY'S LOG CABIN.
5. TOM SPARK'S SHOOTING.
6. ELM MILLS.
7. HILLMAN SHOOTING.
8. PADDOCK LOG CABIN.
9. FERGERSON CLAIM.
10. FERGERSON GRAVE YARD.
11. AMBER POST OFFICE.
12. RAINBOW LAKE.
13. ARROWHEAD LAKE.
14. 99-SPRINGS LAKE.

"I have a small "booklet" titled "Some Elm Mills History Copied by George Miller from Barber County Historical Files of Library at Medicine Lodge." It outlines several things that happened in the Elm Mills Township; one of which was the Hillman matter. This map was a page in that stapled booklet. Apparently Mr. Miller (of Sawyer, KS) drew this diagram and plotted the happenings on it.

There was also a copy of an article from the Pratt Tribune dated 2/4/1969 talking about the history compiled by George Miller of Sawyer. So, I am guessing he did this prior to 1969."

- Email from Kim Fowles to Jerry Ferrin, 7 March 2006.

USGS topographic map showing a part of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas.
USGS topographic map showing a part of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas.
showing the location where John W. Hillman was shot and killed.

USGS aerial photograph, 21 March 1996, of a portion of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas, showing the location where John W. Hillman was shot and killed.
USGS aerial photograph, 21 March 1996, of a portion of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas,
showing the location where John W. Hillman was shot and killed.

G.A. Ogle Publishers & Engravers 1905 map of a portion of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas, showing the location identified by George Miller as where John W. Hillman was shot and killed.
Detail of the G.A. Ogle Publishers & Engravers 1905 map of a portion of Elm Mills Township, Barber County, Kansas,
showing the location where John W. Hillman was shot and killed.
Based on George Miller's identification, the shooting probably took place on the highlighted 40 acre parcel of land owned by Wm. Riggins.
View a LARGE complete version of the above map.

View of the field identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place. Looking north to northwest from just east of the bridge over Crooked Creek. Photo by Phyllis Scherich.
View of the field identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place.
Looking north to northwest from just east of the bridge over Crooked Creek.
Photo taken 8 April 2006, courtesy of Phyllis Scherich.

View of the field identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place. View looking north to northeast from the driveway area just east of the Crooked Creek bridge. Photo by Phyllis Scherich.
View of the field identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place.
View looking north to northeast from the driveway area just east of the Crooked Creek bridge.
Photo taken 8 April 2006, courtesy of Phyllis Scherich.

View of Crooked Creek near the place identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place. This is Crooked Creek as it appeared 4/8/06. I took this from the west end of the bridge looking down. Photo by Phyllis Scherich.
View of Crooked Creek near the place identified by George Miller as the location where the Hillman shooting took place.
"This is Crooked Creek as it appeared 4/8/06. I took this from the west end of the bridge looking down."
Photo taken 8 April 2006, photo and comment courtesy of Phyllis Scherich.

View of Crooked Creek and Crooked Creek Bridge Near Where the Hillman shooting occurred. Photo by Phyllis Scherich.
View of Crooked Creek and Crooked Creek Bridge Near Where the Hillman shooting occurred.
"View showing the creek in relation to the bridge and field.
Obviously none of the trees were there at the time of the "accident" -
but this area looks like it would have made a good place to camp -
especially the area where the home is located now.
Photo taken 8 April 2006, photo and comment courtesy of Phyllis Scherich.

More Information About The Case:

John W. Hillman a.k.a. John W. Hillmon: A collection of contemporary news articles about his death and the subsequent court cases.

Benjamin Hillman Family, 1860 Census, Grasshopper Falls, Jefferson County, Kansas.

Benjamin Hillman, father of John W. Hillman/Hillmon. Obituary from the The Oskaloosa Independent, 27 Nov. 1869. Jefferson County, Kansas.

Marriage License: John W. Hillman and Sadie E. Quinn, dated 3 Oct 1879, Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas.

Tales From The Crypt by David Fasgold, The Gyp Hills Premiere, 27 Feb 2006.

(All of the following hyperlinks are to off-site pages and will open a new browser window.

TheHillmonCase.com   See this website by Marianne "Mimi" Wesson for a fascinating overview of her research and analysis of the evidence in the case.

The Case of the Anonymous Corpse, by Brooks W. McCracken.

The Hillman case was written about by T.A. McNeal in When Kansas Was Young, see: Frontier Justice on the www.cyberlodg.com web site.

Gravesite in Lawrence's Oak Hill Cemetery might hold clues to the mystery of Crooked Creek, By Charlie Brennan - Special from Rocky Mountain News, Lawrence Journal-World, January 30, 2006. Includes a photo captioned: "University of Colorado professors Dennis Van Gerven and Mimi Wesson hold pictures of a body believed to be John Wesley Hillmon, who died in 1879. Van Gerven and Wesson plan to ask Lawrence officials for permission to exhume Hillmon's body, supposedly buried in Oak Hill Cemetery."

Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Hillmon - 145 U.S. 285 (1892)

Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Hillmon

Thanks to Kim Fowles for finding and contributing the above Miller and Ogle maps to this web page. Thanks to Phyllis Scherich for the photos of the area where the shooting took place.

This page was created 16 March 2006 and last updated 10 April 2006.