Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-18
A CELEBRATED crime.
The Famous Goss-Udderzook
Tragedy Recalled.
INEFFECTIVE INSURANCE SWIxDLE
A Conspiracy to Palm on . BODY - That
Of Goss Fails and Leads to the Murder

of Goss by His Confederate-A Memors-
BILE Trial.
Poe, with his wonderful invention and
morbid imagination, never conceived a
story more wild and tragic than the uu-
adorned record of what was known %
years ago as the Goss- Undertook tragedy.
The Baltimore daily papers of Feb. 3.
1872, contained an account of the burning
to death of ". S. Goss. residing at 3l4
North Utah street in that city. Goss was
a German by birth; but, coming to Ameri-
CT when child, spoke the language like a
native. He was remarkably intelligent. a
well built man of above the average height.
and at the time Of his reported death was
IS years of age He was married, and his
brother law, William Undertook, a ma
chinist, was interested with him in the
perfection of a patent for the production
of a material that was to take the place of
india rubber for mating and the rougher
purposes.
As the materials used in Experimenting
were inflammable and the odor offensive,
Goss rented a little frame house which
stood alone on the outskirts of the CITY, and
in this he and his brosher-in-law did their
work.
On the evening of Feb. 2, 1872, Goss
went to this place, as was his custom, and
when it became dark he lit a lamp. which
went out suddenly. He tried to light it
again and again, but without success. He
then sent his brother-in-law, UdderZook,
to a neighboring house to borrow q lamp.
This house was about 100 yards away and
was owned by n German laborer. Udder-
Zook was asking for the lamp when he
heard a dull explosion, and looking in the
direction of the laboratory he saw it illu.
minated and flames bursting from the
windows. 1t was an old rattletrap of an
affair. every stick in it - Cry as finder, so
that before Udderzook Fould get back or
give an alarm the whole structure was
ablaZe.
The fire died out only when there was
nothing left TO consume, and then 1, charrcd
body, answering III every way to that of
Goss, was found amid the hot ashes. the
hair and cxtrcmities burned off and the
features destroyed beyond recognition.
4 coroner's inquest was held on the re-
mains, and the verdict was that the body
was that of W. S. Goss, and that he had
come to his death through the agency of
explosion of lamp"
made provision for his wife in the event of
his death. His life was insured for sa5,-
900 in four of the best companies in the
country.
The body was duly buried, the widow
assumed the heaviest mourning and being
dependent upon her husbands efforts for "a
living she very properly applied TO the life
insurance companies for the amount of
the policies. Goss' character was good. ex-
cept that he was addicted to periodic sprecs,
during which, however, he injured nobody
but himself He was n good husband and
stood well with his associates, yet the in
surance companies did not ray with the
promptness that was expected. Indeed
they refused to pay at all and insisted
upon an Investigation.
One thing that excited the suspicion of
the insurance people was the fact that A.
c. Goss, the brother of the dead man, un-
der an assumed name hired horse at 4
livery stable in Baltimore on the night of
the fire. drove into the country unaccom.
panied and came back in the same way
about midnight. Acting upon the advice
of her brother-in-law Uddcrzook and her
lawyers Mrs. Goss sued the insurance
companies for the full amount of the poll
cies. The companies joined issue and EN-
ployed the best lawyers in the Monumen,
City to defend their cause.
AS an essential preliminary to the dc
Tense the charred body was cxhumcd and
given over to a committee of the foremos,
physicians, among them professors in the
medical college, for examination.
When the trial came on. Mrs. Goss, VIII,
had been married for ! years ard so should
know all her husband 5 physical peculiar
Of II
breasted man, feet inches in height
with brown hair, n mustache of lighter
color and good teeth. The trial lasted fol
several weeks and was one Of the most ex
citing that Baltimore had known up (,
that time. Many witnesses corroboratet
Mrs. Goss and Udderzook, and the cas-,
seemed dead against the insurance compa
MES when the counsel for the plaintiff
closed.
The defense summoned DrS. l.. Il. Miles
| X. Wysong, +. Lloyd Howard and +. l. :
| Gorgas. These learned men, one and all
swore: 1.-The teeth We're defective. onl,
two of the whole set being sound and NOR
| than onc-half being missing. The remain
| were those of male. He was n whit.
| man, between the ages of - and 81. H
was of fair average height. Of stout bull,
| and of great muscular strength. 1t Wa
| impossible to determine whether tn
| burning was the cause of death or wa
post mortem."
The witnesses for the defense although
| not disproving the plaintiff, cast seriou
doubts upon the death of Goss ard create,
! a strong suspicion that another man ha,
| been killed and the body burned there, O
that a corpse had been procured and place,
in the building. which was fired by Cos