The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-11-26
Execution Of Undertook.
West Chester, Pa, Correspondence (No7
l2) Chicago Tribune.l

l2) Chicago Tribune.l
In this quiet, peaceful, Quaker town,
William &. Undertook was strangled
to death to-day, according to the forms
of the law. He deserved to die, al
though, up to the time of his arrest on
the charge of murder, he had an excel
lent reputation, and he could have sum-
moned multitude Of witnesses to tes-
tify that his previous life, as far as his
friends and associates could judge, had
been wholly blameless, No man ever
went to the gallows with so good
character. Although
THE STORY OF HIS CRIME
has been published far and wide, brief
review may not be uninteresting on
this, the day ofhis execution.
Two years ago, there lived ia Baltl'
more handsome, easy.going. good-na'
tured fellow, named Winfred Scott
Goss. He vas cabinet-maker by
trade, but had no taste for hard work.
Having lost his situation in furniture
store in which he had been salesman,
he devoted himself to picture-frame
gliding, and occasionally made models
Of various little mechanical inventions,
for which he claimed great merit. lie
often importuned the newspaper re-
porters to inform the public of the i'm
provements which he was about to in
troducc in the manufacture OF sundry
articles of domestic utility. His last
''hobby'' was the pretended discovery
of substance possessing all the prop
critics of India rubber. 1t is supposed,
however, that this discovery, which ne
succeeded in having mentioned in at
least one Of the city newspapers, was
| only blind, and that his constant talk
about it was part of the plot which, IN
| the end, cost him his life.
TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LIFE
| INSURANCE.
Although the victim Of chronic lmpe
curiosity, Goss invested largely in life
insurance policies. In 1858 he took out
a policy for $1,000 in the New YorS
Mutual Insurance Company, payable &c
his wife; in May, 1871, ne took out
another policy for the same amount II
the Continental Insurance Company O
New York; in October Of the same
year, he procured an accident policy II
the Travellers Company. Of Hartford
for $4,000, and on the 18th of Janua
~, 1872, eight days before his death. n
took out q policy in the knickerbockel
Company for $1,000. Early in tn
summer of 1872, Goss rented small
shop on the York road, a short distanc
bey ond the city limits, and in this h
occasionally shut himself up, and pre-
tended to be making experiments III tn
manufacture Of his substitute for India
rubber.
THE SKELETON IN THE ASHES.
On the night of the I'd Of Februar,
i 1872, this shop was burned. Willia1
f. Undertook, the brother-in.law
Goss (they were married to sisters). wa
+ the first man at the fire. He said tina
he had accompanied Goss to the shop
Goss went in, and he (Udderzook) ver
| to house in the neighborhood to get
: lamp: when he returned the shop W.
on fire; he supposed that the myst'
r rious chemicals with which Goss ";
!. experimenting had exploded and 81
the place on fire. In few minutes
Q number of people gathered about tt
I burning shanty and Undertook. VIII
I'D to this time, had acted as if he SUI
!. posed that Goss had escaped from Il
!. building, suddenly discovered his bod
= living on the floor. The remains OF
i dead man. charred and dishgured, We
4 pulled out. There was coroner's
= Quest, and funeral attended by wee
. ing friends and . disconsolate wldo
h Subsequent Developments showed tn
they had shed their tears over a pa
,e TALLY. decomposed body which one
a the meurners had procured In Ne
a York.
\ THE CONSPIRACY.
MI When Undertook and Goss parte
ce on the evening of the ID Of Februal
ne 1872, the former went to neighoo'
40 house. on the pretense Of borrowing
al flamp; the latter jumped into bugs
as and was driven to the President str,
ct depot. He took the first train
an Philadelphia. and. while his wife, .
.e, brother, and brether-in-law,w were we'
lie ing over the mutilated remains Of
S: slowed and lost" purchased in n
he York, and brought out to the shop o.
on draw. the much-insured inventor O.
as substitute for India-rrbber began
of melancholy wanderings, which last
he one year and fvemonths- He assuu
". the name of A. c. Wilson, and W
ID. from one place to another. everywh
m leaving traces of his ident,
Be- which subsequently became links
ell the chain Of evidence against his m
by derer. 1t Was heavy tax on the I
Ter timore conspirators to pay bus bo'
.rs and travelling expenses. During P
L. tnr, Of the summer Of 1872 be q.