Harold C. Hillman

Born: July 14, 1877 in Smyrna Mills, Maine
Died: Went missing December 21, 1914; declared dead March 13, 1915

If you’ve heard of Harold C. Hillman, it’s likely because of the tragedy and unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance over one hundred years ago. His story is complicated and full of twists, but an integral part of it is the story of laws regarding the sale and transporting alcohol in the state of Maine.

Even though the Eighteenth Amendment, establishing the prohibition of alcohol in the US was not put into effect until 1920, the Maine Legislature had instituted its own “total ban” on alcohol in 1851. There were exceptions for “medicinal, mechanical, and manufacturing purposes.” Many Mainers opposed the law, and enforcement was challenging. Some authorities were somewhat lenient in enforcing the ban; Hillman was not one of them.

Born in Smyrna Mills on July 14, 1877. At the time of his disappearance in 1914 he was Selectman for Island Falls and had been serving as Deputy Sheriff for five or six years. In addition, the 35-year-old father of five worked as a blacksmith to support his wife and family. The couple was expecting their sixth baby in the spring.

In the early evening hours of December 21, 1914, the deputy told his wife he was going to return some liquor that had been confiscated from some Greek workers at the tannery in Town. After he had seized the alcohol the day before, he realized he had made a mistake and that, because of the law’s exceptions, the workers could legally possess the booze. He headed to town to correct his mistake, visiting the workers at their home in the vicinity of where the Island Falls Historical Society sign now stands. It was verified that he returned the goods, stopped briefly at the Jail, and disappeared.

In the following days and weeks, the tightknit community joined search parties (some of which combed wooded areas as far away as Eagle Lake), shared information with the authorities, and tried to make sense of what had happened.

The case had some intriguing and familiar themes: distrust of outside groups; a body found in Woodstock, NB (eventually not identified as Hillman’s); a bloody club found on the Moro Road; a “big pool of what is believed to be blood” in the snow in Crystal (which was later thought to be that of a partridge); a $500 reward for information leading the recovery of the body.

The case gained statewide attention. Madame Mona, who claimed she had the power of second sight, travelled from Belfast, confident she could locate the sheriff’s body. Numerous buildings were searched to no avail.

A suspect had been detained shortly after Hillman’s disappearance. Freeman Nadeau, a resident of Shin Pond and known in the area as The Outlaw, was quickly on the list as a person of interest. He was well-known to law enforcement and was generally regarded as a bootlegger, one of many in the region. He had allegedly threatened Harold Hillman, and, in a previous unrelated case, had attempted to swallow strychnine rather than face the charges against him.

Shortly after Christmas, a hearing for Nadeau was held in Pettengill’s Hall. One newspaper reported that a large crowd of spectators, some of whom stood on chairs and alternatingly loudly cheered and booed, had “the time of their lives.” In the end, the case against Nadeau was dismissed, mainly because of the absence of a body.
In March of 1915, Harold C. Hillman was officially declared dead by the Maine Legislature. His wife gave birth to their son later that spring. To support her family, Mrs. Hillman opened a bakery in the ell of their home.
Harold Hillman’s loss in the line of duty was recognized years later by Maine Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Augusta. And in 2013, a t-shirt honoring him was created. His case remains one of the dozens of unsolved murders in the state.

We can only speculate how this story may have ended differently with the benefit of modern-day forensic technology. The Harold C. Hillman case remains one of Maine’s cold cases.