Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-07

a NUTSeTeT SsUIess.VH'
THE COMPLETE STORY OF ATERRIBLE CRlMl
CONSPIRACY AND NTEpER-A DARi
NIGHTS DEED.
One of the most curious crimes whlcl
the modern legal records furnish was th'
Goss- Udderzook conspiracy in Easter
: PENNSYLVANIA and the subsequent murder
| of the former by his coadlutor who wa!
, tried, convicted and hanged III Wes
Chester Jail, November II, 1874. The
facts elected at the trial can be stated II
: n few words A man named W. ). Goss,
living in the ncighborhood of Baltimore
procured insurance on his life to the cx
. tent of $4,000. A fire occurred soor
after in his workshop when he was sup
posed to have been there. and, the char
red body of man like MIN i'll stature be.
ing found, his death was at first accepted
as fact by the public. When the IN
surance companies had been defeated III
suit brought by Mrs. Goss for the
money and it seemed inevitable that they
should have to pay, parts of the body oi
murdered man were found in Chester
county, Pa. The remains found were
past recognition but circumstances con-
nected n maker of edged tools, iii Balti-
more, whose mother resided near the
scene of the corpse's several graves, with
the crime He had been on 4 visit TO his
mother about the time the crime was sup
posed to have been committed. Various
other clcws, such as the hiring of horse
and wagon and his having been seen on the
road with stranger, cast suspicion upon
him. This mans name was William l..
Udderzook. He was arrested and brought
to rial A full and complete confession
by Udderzook is wpublished, he having
written it just before his execution, but
requesting that his counsel Withhold it to
save third party in the dark conspiracy
The pages of fiction contain but few
chapters equal in interest to this mr.
rative, which we reprint in somewhat
condensed form.
COMES SION OF WILLIAM E. UDDERZooK.
Winfield Scott Goss and myself mar
ried sisters and became after my marriage
very intimate friends He got his life in
sured in 1868 for 5000 in the Mutual
Life insurance Company of New York for
the benefit of his wife, to whom he was
most devoted and af1ectionate husband.
One day, in conversation with him about
| it, he said he wished he had never taken
that insurance upon his life, as 1t was
constant drain upon him, and that If he
did not pay Just when it was due he
would lose all he had paid, and that such
| companies were no better than highway
robbers A few days after this conver-
sation he came to me and SAID he had
plan by which he could get even with this
insurance business and make good thing
for ourselves. He said he had been read
ing of a man who had his life insured,
and he was supposed to have been at
i hotel which was burned that body was
found SO much disfigured that 1t could
not be recognized, and that hls family
either got the insurance or were about to
get it when he turned up. did not pay
much attention to it. as he was rather n
visionary man and always had some plan
or other to get rich quickly. l asked him
jokingly if he intends to burn some man
up and suggested that the best plan was
to burn himself up. He said Il will
attend to that but if go into this thing
l want more insurance. If only had
800, 900 would show these companies
thing or two and make lis all comfort
able" Nothing more was said upon tins
| occasion: but after / left him l got to
thinking about it. 1t seemed to me that
the thing could be done that after We got
the money we could go away from Balti-
more and he could join us.
In short time aftcrward he came to
see me and began to talk about it. |
asked him how much he would like to
have upon his life. He said so, 1000, but
that would cost too much: if, however,
lie could get $40, 900 more he would then
have S25,0O0, and that would make
snug start for us. He then explained his
plan to me, which was to rent n shop or
some building or part of it. i'll Baltimore,
and have it take fire and get dead
body and put it i'll it, that this body
should correspond in size to him, and
after that nobody could tell that IT was
mot hv, n,aI H.. nobody would suspect
that he should go away and stay until the
money was collected from the insurance
companies by his wife, i'll whose favor the
policies were to be drawn that after they
were paid his wife should be informed
that he was still alive He agreed that. if
would help him pay for the insurance |
should have one-third of all he got and
what paid out besides. | consented to
go into it. had some little money saw
ed, but not enough to take the whole
so. 900 at once and besides We thought
if he took the insurance in different COM
panies and at different times it would ward
off any suspicion. short time after
this Goss told me he was about getting
insured in the Continental Life lnsur-
ance Company for 5000. | furnished
him with the money to pay the premium
about No o.ember He got insured in the
Travellers Insurance Company for SlO,
OOO In January, 1872, Goss got another
policy of $1,000 in the Knickerbocker
Life Insurance Company. This made
the S25, 1000 We had talked the matter
over very often, intending to have the
burning at some place in Baltimore but
while Goss was living at Engle's the
thought suggested itself that small,
disused house belonging to Mr.. Loundes,
near where Engle lived, would suit the
purpose better, and it was accordingly
rented while Goss was living out there
and used ostensibly as a workshop.
do not know where the body came
from that was used. Goss always told
me lie would manage that. On the after
noon of February ., 1872, everything be-
ing complete, Goss and / started out to
the York road. We went into the house
and he took me into the cellar and show
ed me the body which had been placed
there. Wood had been split up and
piled around, both above and below, and
coal oil had been poured over it. 1 then
helped Goss to make the final arrange
ments. We had found that it would be
necessary to get some assistance. Some
time before A. G. Goss, brother Of
Scott Goss, came on from Nashville, Tenn,
where the family had lived, with the idea
of getting into work The scheme was
accordingly made known to him, although
he had very little to do with it. In fact,
there was very little to be done. On the
afternoon Of the fire he WAS to, and did, |
suppose, although did not see him, get
| horse and wagon and be in readiness In
road running from the York road and
near to it to receive Scott Goss when he
came from the burning house.
| Our plans were now all arranged.
| About sunset | went to Engle's house, re-
manned perhaps half hour and returned to
the cottage with Young Mr.. Engle. 1t
was beginning TO get dark and Goss ask
ed me to bring the light. There was n
coal oil lamp which had been filed with
slightly colored water during the after
noon, and Of course it would not burn.
Goss tried to light it, and | tried it, but
all to no effect Goss seemed very much
provoked about it and complained Of
the burner, and said he was SO much dis
appointed, AS he had come all the way out
there and had gotten me to come with
him to help him fix certain part of his
rubber making business. / expressed
my dissatisfaction with things generally,
and young Engle suggested that We turn
the wick. This Goss objected to, IN oil
was dangerous thing to handle. BY
that time it was dark, and Goss had
lighted piece of tallow candle which he
had there. II had been agreed that if
young Engle did not offer to get II lamp
| should suggest that perhaps he would
get one at their house, but Just Mt this
juncture he offered to get lamp | said
| would get the lamp. and went out with
him, and Goss locked the door behind
us, and this door was found locked or the
lock was still locked when it was found
1 a, Il