George N Ellwood was born George B Hibbard about 1858 in Chicago, IL.
Mugshot was taken when he was arrest in Ohio Aug 1885.
He was arrested in New York City on 24 Aug 1885, with Joe Wilson, alias Joe Whalen, charged with a series of masked burglaries in several of the Western States.
When Elwood's and Wilson's rooms (#220 Forthsyth St, NYC) were searched they found tools of the burglary trade, along with a sized 8 Masonic ring marked "Edison W. Baumgarten, 25 Jun 1884." The ring was traced to Ohio, and on 25 Aug 1885, the authorities responded to a telegraph, to Chief of Police in NYC from Chief of Police in Toledo.
"Hold Elwood and Wilson. Charge grand larceny and burglary and shooting an officer with intent to kill. Will send requisition papers immediately."
They were also wanted for burglary in Detroit.
On 29 Aug 1885 they were picked up by Toledo authorities and tried. On 12 Dec 1885 found guilty Elwood was sentenced 19 Dec 1885 to ten years in the Ohio State Prison.
George escaped
“Gentleman George,” reached the end of his career of crime in Worcester, MA on the morning of Sept. 10, 1891, He came into the city on the 5 o'clock train, and on Front street inquired of Officers John O'Connor and Fred M. Ames for a doctor. He was directed to Dr. Dean S. Ellis, in Franklin square, who found he had received a bullet in his back, and ordered him sent to the City Hospital.
Elwood gave the name of George Martin, and said he received his wound in a gambling room. Inspector O'Day knew that the residence of C. B. Humphrey, of the Daniels, Cornell Co. of Providence, had been entered a few nights before by a masked burglar and valuable diamonds taken. The day Ellwood arrived in Worcester the newspapers had an account of a masked burglar entering the house of L. T. Frisbie in Hartford the night before, when he was shot by the owner of the house while escaping pursuit. Inspector O'Day visited Martin at the hospital, and made a careful examination of his body for marks of identification. Property stolen from the Humphrey residence in Providence was found sewed in his clothing, and Inspector O'Day had an idea Martin was but the assumed name of a burglar. Two or three years prior to this incident, interest was created in the middle states by the escape of Ellwood from the Ohio state penitentiary at Columbus, and a reward of $5,000 was offered for his capture. A description of Ellwood was printed at the time, and by reference to this Inspector O'Day connected Martin with Ellwood. He accused the prisoner at the hospital.
of being Elwood, the fugitive from justice, and after Inspector William B. Watts of Boston saw him he admitted his identity, and rather than be turned over to the Ohio authorities, he said he would go to Providence for trial on the Humphrey job. Mr. Frisbie of Hartford, Mr. Humphrey of Providence, and a man from Albany, N. Y., came to Worcester to see Ellwood, the Albany man desiring to get trace of $5,000 worth of jewelry robbed from his house a year before. Elwood was taken to Providence after his recovery, and made one of the most stubborn legal fights in the history of the Rhode Island criminal courts. He was sentenced to twenty-five years in the penitentiary at Cranston.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45608414/george-n-elwood/
In the prison at the time of his sentence was “Spike” Murphy, sentenced for life for killing Waterman Irons, a Providence business man. Elwood and Murphy planned to escape. Elwood armed himself with an iron bar, and when opportunity presented, both men made a dash for liberty. The keepers ordered them to stop, and Murphy threw up his hands. Elwood reached the door, but was shot dead by one of the guards. A reward of $50 offered by Mr. Humphrey was divided between Officers O'Connor and Ames. As a desperate criminal Elwood had few equals. His earlier associates in crime were “Shang” Campbell, George Millard and Jim Irving, all notorious in criminal history. Elwood was said to have murdered two of his associates in the earlier years of his career. In 1885 he robbed a residence in Toledo, Ohio, and in making his escape shot an officer. He was later arrested, and sentenced to the Ohio state penitentiary Dec. 12, 1885, for ten years. After serving several years, he planned an escape. He reached the roof of the penitentiary, and going down through a shaft reached the quarters of the warden, whose son was an officer in the penitentiary, and Ellwood obtained access to his apartments. He put on the official's uniform and passed out of the prison yard. In walking through a swamp, he froze his feet and passed fifty-seven days in a hospital. Elwood is known to have robbed houses in Cleveland, Albany and Boston.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45608301/george-n-elwood/
Throughout his criminal career, “Gentleman George” never revealed his real identity, with the intention of shielding his family’s reputation. However, while imprisoned for the final time, his wife wrote a letter to him that was intercepted by authorities and published in several New England newspapers. The details in the letter revealed “Gentleman George” to be George B. Hibbard of Detroit, Michigan. His respectable, embarrassed family hoped nobody would notice these newspaper articles. He died in 1893 in a Rhode Island prison as George Ellwood. Three years later, George B. Hibbard was officially declared dead in Michigan. The family’s story was that he had been long institutionalized in an Eastern Michigan asylum, and had died there.
So the police report says he was shot and killed in 1891 and other sources have 1893.
I looked for the newspaper clippings and I didn;t find them. I also looked for records of his family and wife and I didn't find them either.
I made him a Memorial as I did not find any for him under either name.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207415199/george-n-ellwood
What a story of a man who at the very least loved and respected his family so much he wanted to protect them from any embarrassments of his criminal life.
He was arrested in New York City on 24 Aug 1885, with Joe Wilson, alias Joe Whalen, charged with a series of masked burglaries in several of the Western States.
When Elwood's and Wilson's rooms (#220 Forthsyth St, NYC) were searched they found tools of the burglary trade, along with a sized 8 Masonic ring marked "Edison W. Baumgarten, 25 Jun 1884." The ring was traced to Ohio, and on 25 Aug 1885, the authorities responded to a telegraph, to Chief of Police in NYC from Chief of Police in Toledo.
"Hold Elwood and Wilson. Charge grand larceny and burglary and shooting an officer with intent to kill. Will send requisition papers immediately."
They were also wanted for burglary in Detroit.
On 29 Aug 1885 they were picked up by Toledo authorities and tried. On 12 Dec 1885 found guilty Elwood was sentenced 19 Dec 1885 to ten years in the Ohio State Prison.
George escaped
“Gentleman George,” reached the end of his career of crime in Worcester, MA on the morning of Sept. 10, 1891, He came into the city on the 5 o'clock train, and on Front street inquired of Officers John O'Connor and Fred M. Ames for a doctor. He was directed to Dr. Dean S. Ellis, in Franklin square, who found he had received a bullet in his back, and ordered him sent to the City Hospital.
Elwood gave the name of George Martin, and said he received his wound in a gambling room. Inspector O'Day knew that the residence of C. B. Humphrey, of the Daniels, Cornell Co. of Providence, had been entered a few nights before by a masked burglar and valuable diamonds taken. The day Ellwood arrived in Worcester the newspapers had an account of a masked burglar entering the house of L. T. Frisbie in Hartford the night before, when he was shot by the owner of the house while escaping pursuit. Inspector O'Day visited Martin at the hospital, and made a careful examination of his body for marks of identification. Property stolen from the Humphrey residence in Providence was found sewed in his clothing, and Inspector O'Day had an idea Martin was but the assumed name of a burglar. Two or three years prior to this incident, interest was created in the middle states by the escape of Ellwood from the Ohio state penitentiary at Columbus, and a reward of $5,000 was offered for his capture. A description of Ellwood was printed at the time, and by reference to this Inspector O'Day connected Martin with Ellwood. He accused the prisoner at the hospital.
of being Elwood, the fugitive from justice, and after Inspector William B. Watts of Boston saw him he admitted his identity, and rather than be turned over to the Ohio authorities, he said he would go to Providence for trial on the Humphrey job. Mr. Frisbie of Hartford, Mr. Humphrey of Providence, and a man from Albany, N. Y., came to Worcester to see Ellwood, the Albany man desiring to get trace of $5,000 worth of jewelry robbed from his house a year before. Elwood was taken to Providence after his recovery, and made one of the most stubborn legal fights in the history of the Rhode Island criminal courts. He was sentenced to twenty-five years in the penitentiary at Cranston.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45608414/george-n-elwood/
In the prison at the time of his sentence was “Spike” Murphy, sentenced for life for killing Waterman Irons, a Providence business man. Elwood and Murphy planned to escape. Elwood armed himself with an iron bar, and when opportunity presented, both men made a dash for liberty. The keepers ordered them to stop, and Murphy threw up his hands. Elwood reached the door, but was shot dead by one of the guards. A reward of $50 offered by Mr. Humphrey was divided between Officers O'Connor and Ames. As a desperate criminal Elwood had few equals. His earlier associates in crime were “Shang” Campbell, George Millard and Jim Irving, all notorious in criminal history. Elwood was said to have murdered two of his associates in the earlier years of his career. In 1885 he robbed a residence in Toledo, Ohio, and in making his escape shot an officer. He was later arrested, and sentenced to the Ohio state penitentiary Dec. 12, 1885, for ten years. After serving several years, he planned an escape. He reached the roof of the penitentiary, and going down through a shaft reached the quarters of the warden, whose son was an officer in the penitentiary, and Ellwood obtained access to his apartments. He put on the official's uniform and passed out of the prison yard. In walking through a swamp, he froze his feet and passed fifty-seven days in a hospital. Elwood is known to have robbed houses in Cleveland, Albany and Boston.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45608301/george-n-elwood/
Throughout his criminal career, “Gentleman George” never revealed his real identity, with the intention of shielding his family’s reputation. However, while imprisoned for the final time, his wife wrote a letter to him that was intercepted by authorities and published in several New England newspapers. The details in the letter revealed “Gentleman George” to be George B. Hibbard of Detroit, Michigan. His respectable, embarrassed family hoped nobody would notice these newspaper articles. He died in 1893 in a Rhode Island prison as George Ellwood. Three years later, George B. Hibbard was officially declared dead in Michigan. The family’s story was that he had been long institutionalized in an Eastern Michigan asylum, and had died there.
So the police report says he was shot and killed in 1891 and other sources have 1893.
I looked for the newspaper clippings and I didn;t find them. I also looked for records of his family and wife and I didn't find them either.
I made him a Memorial as I did not find any for him under either name.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207415199/george-n-ellwood
What a story of a man who at the very least loved and respected his family so much he wanted to protect them from any embarrassments of his criminal life.
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