Year: 1873




a deed of horrible atrocity has Just


been unearthed in small town in Chester
county, some thirty five miles from Phila-
delphla, on the line Of the Baltimore Cen


tral Railroad. The scene Is a struggling
village named JennervIlle, situated IN the
heart Of Chester county. The inhabitants
OF the sleepy town have been. considerably
rexeited over the. abrupt and, mysterious
disappearance of a commercial traveller
which occurred about the Both of June
last. The man arrived IN the town on
the evening OF the 29th, and came from
Oxford. AT the hotel he did not register
his name, as no book Ior that purpose is
kept at the public house. He simply
styled himself ian agent" and said he
had come from Baltimore. He spent the
evening quietly and retired early to bed
The next morning . resident of the
! country near Pennlngtonvllle drove up to
the hotel and began a conversation with
the "agent," which resulted in the latters
being invited to take q ride with William
E. Udderzook, which is the name of the
resident. The invitation was accepted
and the two drove away out of the town
together. The team, 1t has since been
learned, was hired by Undertook from a
livery stable in Parkersburg The parties





riage was returned to the owner. The
hostler, who took charge of the team, dis
covered several large spots of blood upon
the vehicle, which raised comment among
the people around the stables, but the


matter was explained by very plausible
story.


The next day, the 3lst of June, Udder-
zook disappeared from the neighborhood
and has not since been seen or heard from.
The "agent" did not return to the hotel
at Jennerville, and his nonappearance
created quite talk among the country
people.


On last Friday, as a man was passing
along the road a short distance from the


village of Cochranville, on the Newport
and Gap pike, he noticed flock of buz-


yards lowering over and about a small


piece of woods. The conduct of the birds
excited his curiosity, and he finally went
to the place to find out the cause of their
actions. After looking about for a short
time he discovered the head and mutulated
body of man, which had been unearthed
by the claws of the buZzards. They had
picked the flesh from the bones in many
places. Lying close to the head and body


were the arms and legs, severed from the
body.


The man gave the alarm and the neigh
borhood was aroused. After great diff
Guilty the mutulated remains were recog-
niZed as tnat of the commercial traveller,


who had SO my steriously disappeared.


The man had been stabbed in half dozen


places, and horrible cash was cut in the
| throat. The object for the brutal murder


was undoubtedly plunder, as the agent is


reported to have had a couple of thousand
I a dal Lars on his person. when he left the


hotel. The police are actively -hantiag


for Undertook. A number of parties, in


cludlng man named Rhodes, a brother
in-law of the supposed murderer, are su-
spicloned Of Knowing something of the
deed. No arrests have as yet been made.


The victim was a young man about


twenty-eight or thirty years of age, with
black wniskers. The revelation has Gre


ated the most intense excitement through
| out the country.


Since the above was In type, Udderzook


has been arrested in Baltimore