Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-14
THE UNDERTOOK TRIAL.
How the Case was Worked Up.
The Insurance COmpanies-ReasOn
Why they Delayed Payment of their
POIicies-The Search for GOss-The
Murdered Man Identified.

POIicies-The Search for GOss-The
Murdered Man Identified.
From the Baltimore Gazette, Nov. II.
The working up of the Undertook case.
which resulted in his conviction, and the
reasons that inducedthe insurance compan-
| les to delay payment of their several poll
cieS until they had thoroughly investigated
| all the circumstances, is not the least inter
esting portion of this extraordinary cause.
1t may be stated as follows: Immediately
| succeeding the
| BURNING OF GOSS' SHOP,
| on the Y DIRK road, there were whisperings
and suspicious of fraud. II was unreason-
able that an athletic, strong man as Goss
was known to be, could not, and should not
have escaped from a small frame building.
well provided with ways Of escape, before
it was consumed and equally unreasonable
that no cry should have been raised nor in
timation given that GOSs was in the shop,
| until it had been burned down. Another
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE
was that $4,000 of the $4,000 for which
policies had been issued on the life of
Goss. had been taken out within one year
of his alleged death by burning, and the
| annual premiums on these policies were far
veStigatiOn disclosed the fact that while his
income was between thirteen and fourteen
| hundred dollars, he had actually taken out
policies calling for an
ANNUAL AGGREGATE PREMIUM OF
S449.95.
Suits were brought against the companies,
and they proposed, through their counsel,
an elimination and critical examination of
the remains taken from the ruins of the
shop. The proposition was acceded to by
the counsel for the plaintiff, Airs. Goss, and
two medical gentlemen were selected by
each party to conduct the examination. \
minnie description of the personal appear
ance of GoSs, including the condition and
sOundneSs of his teeth, furnished by the
plaintiff, was in possession of the compa-
MES.
THE EXAMINATION OF THE REMAIzs
by the four physicians took place, and the
condition ofthe jaws and teeth, of which a
plaster cast was taken and preserved.
proved, if not cOnclusively at least beyond
reasonable doubt, that the remains were
not those of GOss. His teeth were described
by the plaintiff and all intimately acquaint-
ed with him as full set, white, sound and
regular. while those found III the Jaws Of
the ChaTred remains were badly decayed
and more than half upper and lOwer) en-
tirely gone, having been lost long before
death. The
RESULT OF THIS MEDICAL EXAMINATION
was the groundwork of all future proceed
ings, as in the well-known Parkman case.
Had the teeth found in the remains agreed
with the description given by the plaintiff.
the companies would have paid the money,
But they were now convinced that GoSs
had not been burned, and that the corpse
of another had been procured to perpetrate
a fraud, coupled with the crime of arson.
They set their agents to work to
UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY,
and were soon on the track OF the fleeing |
conSpirat0r. 1t was ascertained that GOSS, |
after leaving his shop in flames, took the |
night train on the Philadelphia road and |
getting oft at Wilmington, Delaware, spent |
the night there and had his whiskers shaved |
of. Thence went West, wandering to DIFF |
ferent places, and remained several months, |
when he returned East.
THE SUIT BROUGHT To TRIAL.
The suit against the Mutual Life msur-
ance Company, of New York, was brought
to trial, as detailed in the first part Of this
report. Ii ended in verdict for the full
amount OF the widows ~ claim. A mo-
ton for a new trial was made, and its dis
position was pending when the country was
startled by the finding of the mutilated re-
mains at Baer's Woods, on the afternoon of
the 18th of July, 1873.
NO ORGANIZED PLAN DEVISED.
Charles II. Pennypacker, ESD, attorney
at law at West Chester, Penn, received a
telegram from J. II. Stuart, Secretary of
the Mutual Life Insurance Company of
New York, directing him to protect their
interests in the GOSSIP dderZook case. At
this time no organized plan had been de
vised for tho preservation OF the proofs of
the guilt Of Undertook, and INDIGESTION and
hesitation seemed to rule the action of the
proper authorities.
\ PROGRAMME ARRANGED.
Mr.. Pennypacker, with Coroner Jos. B.
Smith, went Immediately to Parkersburg
where they spent the night, and in the
morning met NJ. Z. Parrot and w. w.
Laughton, special agents of the Continental
Life Insurance Company of New FORK, and
Travellers Insurance Company, of Hartford,
Conn.,, respectively The meeting was
purely accidental, and it was not long be-
fore they compared views, and decided to
travel together. They went to Penning-
tonyille. Their arrival here
WAS MOST OPPORTUNE.
Some one had given orders to have the
shirt of the murdered man washed, and it
had lust gone into soak. A few moments
talk convinced every one of the Importance
of preserving intact this evidence of the
murder The shirt was rescued from the
water, and the Deputy COroner's Office
Hugh RambO, ESQ., was converted into
an inquisitiOn room, where witnesses were
heard and articles examined. From thence
thev went to the house of Samuel RhOadeS,
and after searching from garnet to cellar,
both husband and wife were questioned
and cross-questiOned. and a full report of
their answers and statements committed to
paper. Nothing in their demeanOr or in
their answers
RAISED ANY SUSPICION
Of their completely. They withstOOd a !
most thorough examination satisfactorily.
The locality Of the murder next claimed I
attention. With the scanty evidence al
ready obtained they began to see the victim
IS Goss. The alluring words of Undertook {
% Rhoades told of man lost to family and ]
friends, supposed to be dead, whose actual
leath would be their mutual gain. The
woods were searched for the spade with :
which the two holes for the discovered body t
lad been dug and for the knife with which s
he bloody midnight assassination had been i
lone, but in vain, !
THE ONLY TRACKS REMAINING
we're the open graves, and the ashes and /
charcoal remnants of the burnt blood-stain- {
ID blankets, and clothing of the murderer !
md his victim. The party then proceeded
o John Hurley's, a short distance from I
Baer's woods, and took his statement; ]
hence to Gilfillan's tannery, hard by, to {