, 1874-11-26
CHEATED THE HANGMAN.
Suicide of Tho Murderer Wesley Un-
dcrwood at Palmyra, Mo.
History Of His 0rime-~-A Family
Feud Over q Land Boundary.
Thrice Tried and Twice Reprfeved.

InTtC6 F1eQ ara {WlO6 N9PIB6V8Qs
Special D|spdtet to Ths Chieaao tribune.
! Qu1SoY, Ill., Nov. 25.--WnhioY Underwood,
undor sentence Of death ut Palmyra, NO., for
killing Richard Mchtloo, In Dlaroh, 1871, hat'ged
hirnaolt III jail last night. Tor several wocks
Undorwood's friends bayo boon pressing Gov.
Woodson fot communication Of tho sentence to
imprisonment for ltfo., livery Influence TINT
could DO onl'Btoa was brought to boar to aaye
tho Iife Of tho condoh1ned.
4. TIE CASE WAS FOUGHT BTEr DY STEP
almost to tho foot Of tho gallows. but to no
purpose. Tho Governor hold Out against all ap.
pcals, and ycstolday announced Ills final dects.
lon TINT bis purpose WIS unaltorah]o, aud that
The lnw must tako its courao. Not until yestor-
day did the frionds abandon hopo; not until laat
night did tho prisoner realize tint bis ;ond had
come. When tho dovornor'a decision was mado
known to him, be protested Lila innocence to tue
Sheriff, but said tint, II lo must die+ 'ho would
dnpart 1iko man.
Last evoning, at Underwood'a request. tho
Rev. Mr. Jowo, q Methodist olorgy1nan, viBtcd
him In bts coll. Mr. Jewoll, in reply to quoH-
ton flom Underwood, told tim shat from what
he could loarn he could otfor h!in no hopo. The
prisoner replied that ho was bottor propa1od to
dio than thohe who had secured his eontonce,
abn 6ecfnoQ very hn11Qub 10 IuDW
WHAT THE 1uDIIo TnoUnNT OF nIs GASE.
To refused to cut supper laBt night, nnd ut 0
o'clock retlrod to bed with Ills brother, William
Underwood, Hho has occupied the same coil
with him, being undor indictment for participat.
tnE in thp klt1g !' q Mcpjfeo: M William g s.atos
his brother also awake. Ihoy both arose, and,
after convoraing and smokng awhile, tltoy
again won't 10 bod. William says that llo went
to sloop, mud hoard no noiao through tho hight,
but upon waking at daylight this morning sa'7
hiB brother.
HANGING TO AN IRON ROD
that crosses tho coll just below the upper cell
ing. a. clair was turned over under l,s feet, aud
bis hands hung In d natural manner by llH klde,
there boing no appearance Of struggle. For q
10000 The prisoner had uaed
A LEATHER arhAP ABOUT 2 FEET LONG
and . inches vide, which the brothers had kept
III tGcir cell for tho pnrpoao Of atrapring thalr
razor. Before hanging. himself the piiuoncr had
Upon discovering his brother, William immod,-
atcly gavo the alarm. and tic body waB cut down
BY tho jailor. The hnnds wero Still warm, but
life was extinct.
WILLIAM UNDERWOOD TESTIFIED
before tho Doroner's Jury to-day tuat q fow days
since h,s brother said to him that, II ho hal got
to die. he would rather take his own life tlan to
be hanged in public TO DO ieored ut By tho mob.
Tho shoriH had already
iltoKE oaouNp ron TIE GALLONS,
this city expressly for tho occasion, was sens to
tho exproRa oflico this morning.
TIE CHINE.
Tic killing OF Richard Mouifoo. tho crime for
Which Underwood was sentenced TO dcatb, gtaw
out Of foud Hpringing from tho moat natural OF
causes In 4 Western agricultural community.
Given tTo farmers occupying adjacent farms,
and tho ehhncos arc two to one, TINT they aro
ut logserhcads about their diriHion-fouce. al,d
one to two that sooner OF later tho dispute Will
Tho underwoods and Mopifeos occupied adloln-
log properties in Halls County. Tho former
cla,med tlas tho feDco dividing them occupied
ita Legitimate ooaition; the lnttor would hnyo It
sot baok some 20 foct. On tho 3lst Of May,
1871, two OF tho Menifoes, John and Richard,
tho latter armed With doublo-barrelod Rhot-
gun, proceeded to take down the fence Ia dispute,
and reclect it on tho line they claimed thus e1-
posing tho Underwooda' crops. WcBley Undor-
wood aul hts brolhor-tn-law, Samuel 6chobo,
Seeing tue Menifeca At work. they ran to the
housa for roiuforcomanta aud ar1ns, returning
with tho sonior Understood and Ills four other
sons. short and angry altoscation cnsuoa, the
UnderwoodB~ demanding that the MonifoeB
should ceaao operatona, and replace tho fence
t!loy lad taken down, and tho Monifees declaring
their intention not only not to comply With the
demand, but to continue and complete their
work. Tho result was IN interchange Of shots
between oh9td tna Ms1tss sn and s1n. esqy ya:
tsa but oa1y % uS sl,gb1s woaodea 1 @ hl@ s'IS ds
charge, better directed, entered his opponent 3
body. Mcnifco felt, bnt ra,aoa himnof On hia
knees, and the combatants agafn exchanged fire.
The wounded man 3 aim Was Wild. but Under.
woods as true na boforo, and hleulfoe rolled
over Oh tho ground. shot through aud through,
and dying. Maddoned with passion. Underwood
rushed upon tho PROSTATE man, who was almost
il not altogether corpse. and. clubbing hia gun.
i,n+fo Il
During tho meloe two othor shots Horo fired, and
It vas CLAIMED by tho Stato at tho trial that these
had bcon aimed at John hlonlfee by Undorwoods
father, but tho cvidopce on thlB point tges not
Ratisfactorily olcar.
Tho whole Underwood family wero Immediate
ly arrested aud bold for trial, Wesley az tho
principal aud tho others as accessorieY. The
priBonot was arrajgncd in August, 1871, before
Tho Circuit Court Of Rails County, but played d
tho excited state Of public opinion in tho
noghborhood whore thu crlme VIVA committed.
From Macon anothor change Of yenuo WAS talteu
to this {Marion1 county, and at tho August term
for 1878 Of tbe Circuit Court Wesley Underwood
was put gu his trial before Judge Redd ana q
jury. The prosecution was..conaucsod by States
Attorney Carstarplon, assisted by tho Hon. j.
Il. Ovelell aud h1nj. Howell for the defense
appeared Col. j. F. Williams. Of bfacon, 11r. A.
g. Laucaster. Of Rails County, and tho Hon. 4.
L. Anderson, ot thib city.
Tho dofonse attempted to proys TINT 1IeDifea
had fired Grss, aud that consequently Underwood
hnd acted iu self-dcfenso. or that. at worst, it
waB mixed nolea +; but tho weight Of evidence
vent to establish tho fact that tho two shots
report being heard, aud Undorwood's rushing
upon hts dlHarmod mud di9ablod foe told HotiouH.
lyagainss him. Nevertheless, probably not ono
polHon In tlo court.room on tho dth Of August,
on tho return Of tho jury. after an ahsenco ol
t,v1 1,sqsr npI f,n1$ 4pHu F1rnlH for