Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-03

his death from wounds inflicted by
dirk-knife in the hands of William Z
: Undertook of Baltimore, Md.
The insurance people at once ha,
the body Of the murdered man eX
amined and it was found that the mea
surementS cOrresponded with those o.
Winfield Scott GOss The ring wa.
identified, and on July 10 Udde1ZoOI
was arrested and locked in the jail a
West Chester, Pa
The trial came in the following DC
tober, and Undertook was defended by
Wayne AIcNeagh, afterward attorney
gel eral. After a long and exhaustive
trial the jury retired and after being
out for two days returned a verdict
OF murder in the first degree. Thi.
plan of two combining to cheat the in
surance companies and the murder of
one by the other to secure all the fruits
OF the crime, was brought to a close
by the execution of Undertook on No
vember u, 1874. He died protesting
his innocence and urged that it was a
conspiracy on the part of the insurance
people
The case of Angie Stewart, a little
girl who was murdered by her adopted
p1rent, is another remarkable instance
Of the length to which the criminal is
ready to go for the sake of money On
the evening Of December 5, 1867, fire
broke out in the basement of a frame
dwelling house in the village of Ca
naan, n. Y.
The house had been recently erected
by a man named Joseph Brown, a
painter who had come to the village
with his wife Josephine, and a girl
named Angie, whom he called his
quickly subdued.
The pantry door was found to be
tightly closed, and after opening it
the body Of little Angie was found
underneath a pile of rubbish. The Cor
Oner's jury found that death had been
caused by the explosion of a kerosene
lamp. Brown caused the body to be
boxed up and removed to CRANKY,
Conn.
He, with his wife, left Canaan for
CRANKY, and on the way stopped at
Westfield, Mass, where they induced a
lawyer to claim an accident insurance
of $1,000, issued by the Travellers In
surance company. 1t was in favor of
Brown and was good for but three
months. The policy had been written
in Dayton, Ohio, and it was learned
that the man and woman had lived
there under the name of Barney. The
little girl Angie was the daughter of
Mrs. Stewart, a respectable widow
and the Barneys had obtained posses
sion of her, with Mrs. Stewards CON
sent to take her to Connecticut with
them.
Further developments led to the ar
rest of Brown and his wife, and they
were confined in the jail at Hartford.
Subsequently, on a requisitiOn from the
governor of New York. they were TAX
en- to Hudson, where bills of indict-
ment were found against Brown for
the double crime of arson and murder
He was tried on April L., 1868, and
it was brought out that he had even
made an agreement to buy a farm with
the money that was to come from An
gie'S insurance. After a long trial the
jury brought in n verdict of guilty.
Brown was hanged Oh May 80, in the
yard of Hudson jail.
The wife was indicted as an aces
sorry to the murder, but the ase was
never brought to trial. After lying in
Jail several months she was allowed
to go free and disappeared.
no Of
men named Winner and McNut of
Kansas City, obtained an insurance
policy for $1,000 ON the life of McNut,
from the Metropolital Life Insurance
company. The policy was in favor of
woman whom McNut married to
make the policy legal.
That winter Winner concOcted a plot
and get the insurance. This plot was
disclosed to Mrs. McNut. A young man
named SEWERS was induced to accom-
pany Winner to Wichita on promise of
job, and was never seen alive after
he arrived there. He was taken to
the paint shop used by the murderers,
and there was intoxicated with brandy
and drugged with ether. Cords We're
bound tightly around his body, his
clothing was saturated with kerosene
and the show was set on fire.
His remains were found among the
embers, and at first were supposed to
be those of McNut. Winner reported
that they had been attacked in the
night, McNut killed and the shop
robbed and burned. His story excited
! suspicion, for there We're no bruises
, on his person except slight scratches.
! Mrs McNut imediately claimed the
insurance and the company started an
investigation. McNut fed to Missouri
under the name of Leonard. Winner
and Mrs. McNut We're arrested and
imprisoned, and McNut was tracked
and arrested near Plattsburg, Kan. Nc.
Nut then made full confession. He
claimed that Winner led him into
temptation. Winner was executed and
McNut had his sentence committed tC
4 long term of imprisonment.
OF the crime of suicide to defraud
the insurance company the most widely
known instance is that of Captain
i Coloocoresses, a distinguished retired
officer of the United states navy. He
was discovered in Il dying condition II
an unfrequented street in the city o.
Bridgeport, Conn, at 4 late hour o.
the night of June 3, 1872.
The total insurance on his life a
that time was S195,OOO, the greater par