| Notes |
- 1880 United States Federal Census
Name: Munson Underwood
Age: 12
Birth Date: Abt 1868
Birthplace: Missouri
Home in 1880: Union, Dunklin, Missouri, USA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Georgia
Mother's name: Mohalee Underwood
Mother's Birthplace: Illinois
Cannot Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Mohalee Underwood 44
John A. Underwood 22
Francis M. Underwood 20
Sarah M. Underwood 18
Jacob Underwood 14
Munson Underwood 12
Reiley Underwood 9
Joseph S. Underwood 7
Ruth Underwood 5
Jessee Underwood 3
- After his escape from the Fulton, Missouri Asylum, on Wed 16 Aug 1893, he moved to Amarillo, Texas and changed his name to Charles Henry Smilth.
https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/msp/Detail.aspx?id=17013
Offender Information Register Number 10724
Name Munciford Underwood - Offender
Sex Male
Race White
Age/Approx. Year of Birth 24/1869
Nativity Missouri
Trade Farmer
Offense Information Offense Manslaughter, 2nd degree
Location of Court Iron
Sentence Five (5) years from April 29, 1893
Term of Court April 1893
When Received 5/4/1893
Full Time Sentence Expiration 4/29/1898
Date of Discharge 8/3/1893
Discharge Notes Sentence suspended and sent to asylum at Fulton by Gov. Wm. J. Stowe
Location Reel S221
Volume S
Page 107
- He was sentenced to prison 29 Apr 1893 for 2nd degree manslaughter for 5 years. His sentence commuted to the Asylum in Fulton, MO by the Governor, 3 Aug 1893. He escaped from the Asylum 16 Aug 1893, moved to Amarillo, Texas and changed his name to Charles Henry Smith. He married Sarah D. Evelyn Vermillion 23 Dec 1894. They had 5 sons and 2 daughters. He was a farmer near Amarillo.
Charles Henry Smith died 6 Nov 1932 Amarillo, TX buried Llano Cemetery Amarillo, TX
- Iron County Register, Ironton, MO 25 May 1993, pg. 5
From Vulcan.
Editor, Register:
Will you please give us space in your columns for an apology to the Prosecuting Atty.,'for the manner in which we spoke of him in our late article. We are are glad that Mr. Jordan expressed himself on that subject of which we wrote in our last article, but the plea of insanity in the
Underwood case is something unlooked for to his neighbors here. If Underwood is insane it is so strange that his wife never had found it out; and Mr. Sisk, his father-in-law, tells us that he never saw anything wrong with Underwood at any time since his marriage to his daughter which took place something over a vear since, when he has eaten bread with Mr. Sisk during the most of this time.
As Mr. Underwood had a favorite pursuit of watching the smoke wander up the flames on the cold winter days, he, of course, could find little time to work and lived in Mr. Sisk's house with him, and if Underwood be insane Mr. Sisk, or some member, of his family, undoubtedly would have noticed it.
Mr. John Tucker, an uncle of Underwood's, and a very close neighbor of Mr. Sisk, says he has known Underwood from infancy aud never knew or heard of anything like insanity in Underwood.
All the neighbors here, we think, without a single exception, if they were put on oath, would testify to Underwood's saneness. And we believe
we have as good men in our county as Dunklin county affords. The citizens here, some of them we understand, have letters from Underwood's home in Dunklin county, saying that he never was insane while there.
An old acquaintance of Underwood was here and talked with the writer and several others; he had boarded with the Underwoods and knew them well. He said there was nothing , wrong with him, except he was mean as the dickens.
No Mr. Ed., we consider Underwood far removed from being, a fool, but consider him a very shrewd and and dangerous man. It is so common
for murderers to go crazy as soon as they kill some one, that this thing ought to be watched.
No, Mr. Jordan; Underwood certainly is not insane and we can't think had he been tried, he could have been found so. If the evidence of this neighborhood amounts to anything he is not insane, and we are led to believe that the State has been imposed upon.
Mr. Jordan says talk is not always evidence; that's true, but we know a few things that Mr. fJordan does not know concerning this case. If Underwood Is insane, why not send him to an asylum, where he would have been cared for?
If he is not insane, he is guilty of murder in the first degree; man-slaughter is not in it. Again, if Underwood's lawyers knew they could
prove him insane, why did they allow the poor fellow to be sent to the penitentiary for even the short term of three years? If Underwood's familv
knew him to be insane, why did they not come to see him during this trouble of his, and try in some way to help him?
Why did they allow him to marry and live with his wife some ten months, without telling her something of his being insane? It is so strange. Do
we have to live neighbor with a man for fifty years to find out that he is insane? or do men never become insane until they have killed some one?
We sometimes think it is the latter, for in so many cases of murder, insanity seems contagious and our neighborhood is no exception.
Now, Mr. Jordan, if we have at any time seemed unreasonable in this matter, we beg pardon. But we had much mind that it is thought to have hasten ed his death rather have Underwoed sent to an asylum than to have been sent to the pen or only three or five years, so he will scarcely be missed from the hearthstone, and no man's life is safe when he is around if it is known he has 15 cents ready cash about his person.
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1867 - 1932 (65 years)
