Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-23
A MURDER MYSTERY.
,r,.a 1,asa Insuranca auit

The Eastern papers contain lergthy &C
| counts of the recent arrest of WIN. Il. I'd
| derzook, at Baltimore, charged with the
| murder of an unknown man at Jenuers-
vile, in PENNSYLVANIA, and In connection
| Herewith the unsubstantla ed rumor that
| the victim was w. Scott Goss, reported to
have been burnt TO death in February, 1872.
Mr.. Goss was the son Of John D. Goss, for
many years q cabinet-maaer of this CITY,
and highly esteemed ci tizen, and as every
thing connected with this mysterious affair
| will be of interest TO many of our readers,
we reproduce some of the articles that have
| appeared in the Baltimore and Philadelphia
papers. The Baltimore correspondent of
| the New York Herald thus reviews tie his
tory of the case:
The myster ous murder of the unknown
man near JenDersville, Chester county,
| Penusvlyauis, may result In exposing one
of the most remarkable criminal plots that
has ever been developed in this country.
| To 90 back to the inception of the pausi-
Bic theory OF tie murder which has been
| built I'D, must recall the circumstances of
| the celebrated Goss Life Insurance case,
which was on trial in the United States
| Circnit Court in this city three months ago.
| W. e. Qoss was insured in the Mutual Life
! insurance Compa y, Of New York, for
$4,000. He was also insured for like
amount, each, in the Knickerbocker and
| Continental Companies, and for $4,000 in
the Travellers $4,000 in all on his life.
He was an inventor, and was engaged in
perfecting the manufacture of an article
which be claimed was to be q perfect and
chesp substitute for India rubber. In Feb
ruary, 1872, he occupied little secluded
WORKSHOPS on the York road, q couple of
miles from Baltimore, Thers he IVES work
| ing on his invention. He admitted no per-
son within its doors, and conducted his OPP
er4tions in the most profound secrecy. One
night during that month be and his broth
er-in-law,
WILLIAM E. UNDERTOOK,
the man who is now accused Of the MUIR
der IN Chester county, went Quito bis work.
shop. Goss entered It with can of coaloil
in his hand; be sent Undertook away on
some trifiDg GRAND, and the latter had not
walked hundred yards off before the shop
was in bright blaze of fire. He RETAINED
for some moments from giving the alarm,
because IS he ssys,.he supposed that Goss
had certainly escaped the flames. When the
alarm was given the shop, which was moth
ing but rickety Undertook, was burned to
the ground. The next morning the chsrred
and bloody remains of man we're found
among the debris. Undertook and Mrs.
Goss Immediately accepted this as the body
of Goss; it was buried with all the honors
and in due time claim was made upon the
Insurance companies for the amounts for
which he was Insured. But the agents of
the companies were not satisfied thst Goss
had really dieG; they believed that it was
conspiracy to obtain the money by palming
off fraudulent body upon them, and they
resisted payment, or at least the New York
Mutual did to bring test case. The cause
was tried in the United States Court here
and Udderzook's testimony decided it in
favor Of the plaintiff, Mrs. Goss.
TRUTH Oh PERJURY.
Undertook was the only witness who
conclusively proved that Goss had entered
his WORKSHOP on that fatal night, and he
turned the scale in the trial here. His tes-
tinony was either entire truth or fiat per-
Jury. If it was the latter, the discovery
that Goss was still alive would have sent
him to the State prison. Hence, Under
Zook mu
KEEP eoss OUT OF TIE WAY.
l. is supposed that he went to the latter's
place of concealment, endeaVored to make
some arrangement with him, and, becom-
ing exasperated, murdered him. In sup
port of this suoposition it is pointed out
that the stranger hid undoubtedly some
motive for concealing himself at Jenners-
vile, where be gave no name, but simply
registered himself IS an "agent from Balti
more" that all the circumstances point to
some acquaintanceship between The two
men; that UdderZOok had the strongest
motives in the world for making himself
safe By getting his brotha--in law out of the
way. The meeting Of the two a. Jenners-
vile could not have sen accidental; for it
is not usual for one stranger 70 drive into
country town, halt a. hotel and ask al
other to take ride with him Undertook
disappeared from Chester county imme-
III tely after the murder, and returned to
Baltimore, where he was arrested on Tues
day.
The Baltimore Gazette Of the 18Th inst.
says:
The recent murder in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, has attracted great interest in
| Baltia ore, and has been much discussed. A
new interest was added yesterday by the
report that the body of the murdered
''ageut" had been identified as that Of Win
| field Scott Goss, who is alleged to have
been killed in February, 1872, by an ex-
plosion of chemicals used by him in manu-
| featuring q substitute for India rubber,
viii at work in small frane-house, on
the York road, beyond Waverly,
The fact that Undertook, who is charged
with the murder, was one of the principal
witnesses in the recent exciting trial of the
| suit of Mrs. Cess against the Mutual Life
! Insurance Company of New York 20 re-
cover the sum Of $1,000, for which MIR.
| Goss was insured, at once directed the a.
tention Of insurance men and others to the
mystery surrounding the Identity of the
murdered man, and the GOss insurance
| suit was recalled with an eager desire to
ferret out the new case.
! Yesterday the States officer for Chester
county telegrap6ed to the representatives of
| the insurance companies here, who bac IL
sured W. S. Goss stating that it was believed
that the murdered man was Goss, and re-
questing that persons be at. once sent who
could identify the tody, if it should be real
| IL that Of the insured party. DR.. j. b.
| Lewis, Adiuster of the Travellers Accid ent
Life insurance Company Qn which Goss
was Insured for 10000, at once took steps
| to mske the iNvestis alton as thorough IS
possible, and left on the $50 p. NJ train
yesterday, in company with DR.. E. Lloyd
| Howard, who assisted at the cXhumation
and post morton examination of the body
found on the York road; A. r. Carter, E g.,
agent of the Continental Life Insurance
Company of New York, and Mr.. GotleIb
Ensel, with whom Goss boarded on the
York road, for the scene of the murder.
The information occasioned considerable
excitement in insurance circles, and it is
confidently asserted that at last the mystery
will bs solved. W. S Goss was Insured in
the Travellers Accident Life Insu
Company for $4,000 for one year from the
18Th Of October, 1871, and also held policies
for $1,000 in the Mutual Life Insurance
Company of New York, the Continental
Life Insurance Company Of New York,
and the Knckerbocker Life Insurance Com
p ny, making TIE sum Of $4,000 upon the
four policies. The yearly premium of $50
was paid the Travellers Accident Life In
surance Company for the $4,000 policy,
but quarterly payments only had been made
upon the life policies. If the body of the
murdered "sgent" proves to be that of W.
s. Goss the companies will be relieved from
all liability, the policies having lapsed,
through failure to pay the premiums.
r - I. II.