The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-01-20

on tho
Woman.
co,,s.nondence of the Philadelphia Press.
NORFOLK, Va, january.
The great trunk tragedy which has 50
axc;tsd public attention not only in Nor
folk Int in the entire Ulited States, came
70 final close yesterday, by the trial,
conviction and sentence of the accused
party. Maria Louisa Under, the alleged
perpetrator of the crime, il q tall, thin
woman, apparently about forty years of
age. She is German by birth, and the
Teutonic lisp still clings to her language.
Yesterday morning she was brought into
court, and after the trial, which occupied
an hour and three-quarters, she was SEN
fenced. She was dressed in plain black
dress and a corresponding dark. colored
bonnet. Her face evidently showed forth
the deep mental agony that was upheaving
her very soul. She stood at the bar OF
the court, not exactly in the prisoners
box; but for support, leaned against
staunch iron pillar as she gave IN her tes-
timony. The court was filed with mum.
Der of distinguished personages, who had
been allowed the especial privilege OF be-
ing in attendance give the testimony
exactly AZ it was rendered by the woman,
correcting all grammatical errors which
person of her education and station 10 lie
must be supposed to have made:
Maria Louisa Under sworn.-1 am the
person accused and guilty Of taking
trunk from Norfolk to Baltimore, contain.
ing the body of John Freedom.
QUESTIONABLE you married woman?
Answer-No, Sir; never was married,
but kept common house at the corner
of Woodside Lane and Little Water street.
lived with this man Freedom, to whom
I became attached, and we lived together
as man and wife.
@. Did you ever have any childrenP
A. Yes, sir. (The woman blushed
deeply.)
O. Who was the father of these chill
dren?
A. do not know, sir.
@. Did you ever live with this man after
he had enlisted?
A. Yes, sir; never knew him before
that time.
@. Now state to the court all you know
about the trunk affair.
The woman here became greatly affect
ed, and wept bitterly, but in short time
continued her evidence John Freedom
told me that he was tired of the army, and
that if l would get him to Chicago he
would give me tour hundred dollars.
asked him how he would be able to get so
much money. He said he was going to
jump the bounty and get thousand dol
lars, and then we would both go to Canada
and get married. told him that would
not know how to get him away from here;
for the government men watched every
thing SO closely He said, $50 and buy
large trunk, and will get in it, and you
can do with me just as though l was your
clothing. You can check me to Baltimore,
and then get in the oars and 60 to Chica-
CO." | did not like to do it, but he made
me; and so ! got the trunk, and then he
got in it, and We went on board the Balti-
more boat.
Q. By Judge Webster. Did he not say
anything about smothering?
A. Yes, and he cut small hole in the
trunk. (Here the trunk was shown. 1t is
large and handsome one, about twenty
five inches high, sixteen inches broad, and
thirty-two inches long Immediately be-
meath one OF the strips is seen very small
orifce, through which the deceased gained
his breath, by means of q pipe stem. 1t
would be almost impossible to detect the
orifice unless it was pointed out. The hole
would not admit the passage of sufficient
air to sustain animation in rat. There
is plenty of room within the trunk to al.
low a limited use of the limbs, but they
would necessarily be contracted to such
an extent as to produce violent cramp
after q person had been so subjected for q
period of five hours He did not think
there would be any difficulty in breathing
through the stem of the pipe which he
used. When got to Fortress Monroe /
went up to the trunk and kicked it twice.
That was the sign by which was to know
how he was getting on. he answered it
twice, SO that knew it was all right He
had no liquor in his trunk-nothing but
canteen of water, q towel and q
piece of chewing tobacco. When l got
to Baltimore / ordered o hackman to
take me to hotel do not know which
one it was, was so anxious to get there.
When / got to the hotel went up stairs
and had the trunk brought up with me,
and then when We got into the room /
locked the door was go glad when l
got there l kicked the trunk with all nv
might, but got no answer. said, "Now,
Johnny, you are all right" He did not
answer me, and thought he was fooling
me. l got the key and opened the trunk,
and he laid perfectly still, when l said,
"Come, Jack, get up; you are in Balti-
more now, and no one is about here but
me-" He said nothing, when / put my
hands upon his face, and he was dead.
THE woman was here 30 overcome with
her feelings that it was some minutes be-
fore she could proceed dropped the
lid of the trunk, and "was crazy in my
head" saw q card on the mantel-piece
of the room, and wrote the word "Ohi-
cago" on it, and rang Immediately for q
servant. He got me hackman, and !
told him wanted to 60 right away to Chi
IT. ,.;1 la xvonld toka mo RI fhn