A mystery has persisted for over 127 years now as to whether Frederick Adolph Walters of Fort Madison, Iowa, was actually killed and substituted for the supposed corpse of John W. Hillman, or John W. Hillman, on March 17, 1879, in Barber county, Kansas.

It led to the ruling known as "Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Hillmon - 145 U.S. 285 (1892)"

You can read contemporary news articles about the case at the following page:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~ksbarber/hillman_jw.html