Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-18

for his own safety, and he could not feel
sure Of that safety while Goss was living
and in the vicinity.
Undertook claimed that his companion
was in i'll health. and so he carried his
food to him in his room On the night of
the Fourth of July Undertook and his
companion left the hotel in a buggy. Just
one week afterward a farmer residing in
the neighborhocd had his attention at
tracted by a number of buzzards assembled
in the woods about 100 yards from the
road. An examination of the spot led to
the discovery of the body of man scarce
~ covered with leaves, dirt and branches
The farmer notified the deputy corner, an
inquest was held. and this verdict was
given: THAT the man. name unknown,
came to his death on or about the night Of
July 4, 1873 from wounds inflicted with q
dirk or other sharp instrument in the
hands of William Undertook of Balti-
moro, Md"
Already the intelligent farmers Of Ches.
ter county had learned through the papers
of Undertook 5 connection with the Goss
trial in Baltimore When he lived in their
midst, he had worn a curious bloodstone
ring and this ring was found beside the
body of the murdered man, showing that
some resistance had been made.
Udderzook, who had attempted fight in
the direction of Baltimore, was overtaken
and brought back to the county scat The
news of the tragedy spread through the
country, and representatives of the insur-
ance companies were at once on the ground.
The body of the murdered man was ex-
humed. A. c. Goss, the brother of the
man supposed to have been burned in Bal
timore, was brought before the corpse, as
We're Others and one and all declared the
murdered man to be Winfield s. Goss.
Even the insurance companies were con-
WINGED that he was now dead sure enough.
But, though suspicion pointed strongly
against Udderzook as the murderer, the
evidence was far from being conclusive
The scene of the tragedy had changed from
Maryland to Pennsylvania.
On the 21st of October, in the beautiful
town of Westchester, Chief Justice Butler
presiding, William Undertook was ar
raigned for the murder of Winfield s Goss.
a. Wagner. Esq. was the commonwealth
attorney. and among the array of counsel
whom UdderZook's mother and friends Sc
cured for his defense was the brilliant
Wayne MacNcagh, son in-law of Simon
Cameron, and subsequently attorney gen.
eral of the United States, and in this year
1896 American minister to Italy.
On the trial it came out that the murder
was Of the most atrocious kind. The vic
TINS limbs We're severed from the body
and hidden many yards away. Yet, with the
strange fatality that follows mUrderers who
try to conceal their work, the dead mans
face was but little married. An attempt
was made to show that the body was not
that of W. S. Goss, but without effect
Witnesses We're procured who proved where
GoSs had been nearly every day from the
time of his supposed cremation up to the
night of his actual murder
Mrs. Goss was brought on from Balti-
more and denied emphatically that the
man whom Undertook was charged with
numbering was her husband The prose-
cution WAS memorable. for it had a double
purpose to perform-first to show the con-
spiracy TO defraud and next to show a
motive for the murder of Goss.
Beyond all doubt the fact was establish
ed that man who called himself A. c.
Wilson in Newark, wkcre he had been hid
ing, and the one who had been murdered
in the Chester county woods were one and
the same person. and with equal certainty
it was proved that this man was the W. 5.
Goss supposed TO have been burned to
death in Baltimore.
The trial created the greatest interest,
not only in southern Pennsylvania, but
throughout the country. There had been
nothing like it before in the history OF
criminal procedure.
After trial lasting two weeks-this
was Sunday, Nov. Z, 1873 - the jury
brought in a verdict of guilty of murder
in the first degree.
A motion was made for a new trial,
but it was not granted. An appeal was
made to the supreme court of Pennsylva.
mia, but without success Still the coun
| sci for the defense did not give up. Thers
is "A court of last resort in Pennsylvania
known as the board of pardons, which sits
mt Harrisburg ON stated occasions. The
board of pardons refused to interfere
Then an unsuccessful appeal was made te
the governor.
Throughout the whole trial UdderzooB
manifested the greatest nonchalance and
| arrogance and stubbornly protested his in
| nocence. He heard the reading of the
| death warrant with indifference and wa.
| hung, without any signs of fear or repent
ance, on the morning of Thursday, the
18th of November, 1874
/ ALFRED X. CALHOUN