Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-11-13
TIE LATEST MODERN TRAGEDY.


depravity are respectfully recommend
cd to make a diagnos Of the case
of Udderzook,, who is now be-
ing tried for murder in Chester Co.. Pa.
If we ob'iterate the matter of life
insurance, which is wholly modern
institution Of philanthropy, we can see
il this crime such an episode as formed
the chronicles ct Ntwgate two hundred
years ago. The murdercommitted by
the Bender family on.a steam highway
of Kansas were remarked to have close
ly resembled some Of the road high
way murders at rural inns in England
in the period Of the Georges +.
In like manner the murder of Goss
by Udderzcok, il. an old and thickly
settled community, about midway be
tween the cities of Baltimore and Phil
alelphia, suggests to ,is such crime as
Mr.. Dickens might have reveled in
when he related the murder of Monta
euetigg by Jonas Cruzzlewitt. We
may relate, in brief, the matter Of tits
murder, without claiming to be correct
in minor. particulars:
Goss had shop of. some kind in Bal
timore. and was of a dishonest nature,
50 that he mcditated a swindle in the
way of life insurance, and having OBJ
tanned a policy Oh his life, he perpetra-
ted arson and left the bones of a hu-
man being in the ashes Of his business
house. In due time after his supposed
decease his family claimed and received
the full amount of his policy But
in the meantime the wretched fellow
had put himself in the confidence and
custody of a chap lower, if possible,
than himself, by whom he was conduct
ed in disguise, and under an assumed
name to dull and antique part Of
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
WEIGH, Quakers, Germans and Hard.
shells of all sorts made up the popula-
ton. Goss feigned 20 be sick and kept
out OF the way under the name of Viii
son, while Udderzook devised crude
means of killing hlm off and obtaining
his i'll gotten plEnder Goss, it must
be observed, had all the while conceal
ed his identity, and endeavored to break
the link between himself as Cess and
himself as Wilson. After so,ae dodg
es OF no great sagacity Udderzook took
Goss off in the night, carried hin into
the woods and murdered him., bu wing
his body in one hole and his garments
in another In due time crows and
vutures, those natural detectives of the
air, began toscircle around Goss' grave.
Human detectives, following the sug-
gestlon of the birds, dug up the body
and clothes The country side. curious
to know what might be the story of the
corpse. was met half way by the detec-
tlves OF the Insurance company, which
had suspected something f5ul. The re-
suit has been to connect Goss and I'd
derzook at every point of contact, and
thus the ingenuitles Of the institutions
OF modern society have proved to be
a match for ali the Duplicates of crime.
Udderzook will be hanged unless he
is ingenious enough to make way with
himself inadvance ofthe gallows. Small
raseals will hereafter be confederate
how the put up jobs on insurance com
panies Chester coonty, Pennsylvania,
will be on the lockout for city strangers.
And the Associated Press will be re-
lieved from th. necessity of giving us
an abstract every day of a very pecu-
liar road side crime, the general run of
which is impert;,ctly understood by the
diurnal reader. = Hash. Chronicle.