The daily gazette., 1874-10-07
TIE ROSS CASE.

THE FATHER OF THE LOST CHILD DRIVEN
CRAZY IIy THE LOSS OF HIS CHILD AND
THE CRUEL ISLANDERS OF MIsCUrEF-
MAKING DABBLERa.
PHILADELPHIA, October Sit seems
as though the Ross abduction case,
terrible as it was in itself, and as much'
as it has shocked and panied the people
of the whole county, must continue to
add to its horror one calamity after
another. When the lost child was sto-
len the mother, already in delicate
Fhcaith, was cast upon n bed of sickness,
from which IL was feared she would
never arise. And then came the scan
dals, flying thick and fast, gathering
force and uglincss rs they passed from
mouth to mouth. At first the tongue
of calumny was satisfied to devote it.
| self to the father, charging upon him
more moral slips and foiblcs than any
one man could we'll be guilty of in an
average lifetime.
Not only was Mr.. Ross assailcd as n
business man, but his social standing
was attacked in a most cruel manner.
Soon rumor had spent its malicious
coinage upon the father, and turned
with renewed vigor on the helpless,
sorrow-strickcn mother. Nobody p o.
claimed these things from the hou"c
tops, nor the public forum but the
shocking charges passed from one gos-
siper to another (always urder admon-
ition of sccrcsy) until the circle Y
complete. There was hardly Il man,
woman or child in this city who had
not heard at least half II dozen of these
stories. Respectable newspapers turned
Il deaf ear to them, but at last senSa-
tion-nongcrs caught, told and spread
them before the world. AT that time
the family shrunk from conflict with
these mudthrowcrs, and the calumnia
tors were allowed to go without molcs
tation.
At last, resolved to improve upon
the lies of more prctcntious ncw SpapcrS
in larger cities, the Reading Eagle de
llyered itself of Il choice morscl. This
article was manufactured with sucl
lpcculiarity of detail, and was so calcu
lated to impress stranger to the fam
ily with its plausibility, that Mr.. Ross
in Justice to himself and family, tool
steps to prove the writer of that arti
ltlt, Ut HIS lhioiHihiit, hi ih'hiipuo "a
lumniator, The public is familiar
with the preliminary proceedings %
this case now pending before the courts
Ii will be remembered that Mr.. and Mrs
Ross, as we'll as Mr. Lewis, the hrothc
of the latter, denied under o .th all thu
Iimputations against the fa ally, anC
cleared themselves fully in the eyes %
the public. But the calumniltor hat
done his work, fearfully and mml>tali
lably. For several weeks ii was plail
to he seen that Mr.. Ross was in a rapi,
decline. Your correspondent saw hin
frequently, and saw with regret tina
anguish was weighing him down. Ill
became detected, melancholy, morbid
Soon ne was c6inincd to his bed, Mher
he now lies. That is not all. he lic
there hcreft of reason, craZed by gtlcl
, Tie knows nothing, remembers nothing
. but the loss of his boy and ali Tia
tronble that has followed in its train
At first il was thought he had tyPho:'
fever, but there is no fever there, notl
| ing but shattered frame and mCnta
imbccility lie does not know hi
wife, and in the worst paroXy SINS {
Ibis grief drives her from him. short
before reason entirely left him he said
"I can bear the loss of my propcril '
, and the loss of Charley-eYcn that Co
helps me to bear-but this slander an
calumny against my vile and myself
THAT, that is what breaks me down.
is reported late tonight that Mr.. R"s
! is dying.-WoRLD