Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-12-25

Joseph DOus lass, professional criminals,
each with several aliases, were the guilty
parties. IIo called in Detective SillCck to
test the Information. lie read aloud to
him, without telling his purpose, toe de-
scription Of the kidnappers received from
Philadelphia. One was spoken Of as man
40 ears old, who had the special marks Of
n defOrmed nose and gold-bowcd specta-
cles the other was from 10 TO II years
younger, and was less wildly described.
Silleck recognized tho elder, at once, as
"Bill Mosher, the river thief" and decid-
ed that the other must be Joe Douglass.
his most intimate "pal."
This was a singular comnanionship OF
Musher and Douglass, ard one reporter
parallels ii with that Of the scholar scoun-
drel RuluT aud his pupil, young Jarvis,
whom he seduced into ways of crime. TIE
resemblance was slight, for Mosher was a
most degraded creature, though Douglass
was OF respectable family. Mosher was
Iked by nature for villainy. The low,
square forehead; juttlng hrows; eyes
small, blue, deep set, close toceIher; nose
fat and spreading ut the base, with the
middle cartilage eaten out by a loaIhsome
disease; mouth wide, with teeth Irregular,
some molIled blue and black with decay,
some brilliantly white; chin retreaIing;
thin, Struggling whiskers form low and
stout. Douglass had fiery red hair and
mustache, a fine, high forehead. and rcgu-
lar features. For nine yetrs they had been
FARMERS in crime, beginning with river
E,,ulttr ttsinr tbnir l.11l for
convenience ia accomplishing burglares
| near the water and removing the "swag'
without detection. They have been NO.
lvrious suljecls of police surveillance, for
years. Fix years ago, they escaped from
The county Jail al Freehold, n. j., while
awaiting trial for robbery, ~ cutting
through the wall. and since then have
! gone unwhipt by justice.
But from the moment that the deScrp-
ton of the Ross childs kidnappers wc!c
recognized, Mosher and Douglass were
doomed men. Their career was ira ed
from their escape from Jail, and it was
found that Mosher had been living with
his family IA wife and four children, on
Monroe street, Philadelphia, last winter !;
that Douglass had joined them, under the
alias Of Clark, in February; that the two
men had been travelling through eastern
Pennsylvania and in New Jersey with Il
wagon, as peJdlers OF bug destroying pow
der, no doubt 10 select plants for bur
garies that this wagon ans wered the de-
scription of the one the Ross boys took
| their ride in, from which the younger did
not return; that this wagon bad last been
seen, with the boy and men, in Trenton,
| N. j. There all trace was lost.
The record since has been CT fruillcss,
discouraging waiting; following up all
sorts OF misleading clews; keeping count
| Of Mrs Moshers various movements and
whereabouts, searching suspected houses,
but chiefly endcavoring 10 get hold Of the
Two marked men. Saloons on the river
front, Baxter street Depot Of stolen goods,
a fortune-teller's whom the two, with the
odd superstition of their class, often visited
these were closely watched. The officers
were moro than once hardly an hour be-
hind them till an incautious one asked
some foolish questions that warned the
fellows away from their hauuts, and since
then the detectives have had no trace o
them until they lay, corpses, on the hill u
Bay Ridge.
This last job was costly one indeed fol
these desperate men. They had landed il
their little black sloop, in the cold, bleak
dismal night; drank half dozen times a
hotel bar; attempted one house beiurt
they reached the untenauted residence o
Judge Van Brunt. Knowing nothing o
the burglar alarm attached to every win
dow and door, and leading TO the neigh
boring house OF The judges brother, the!
ransacked the place in fdncied security
The picture OF Holmes Van Brunt, jus
from his sick bed, with his shotgun, de
ployiug his forces in front and rear,-hi
servant with him his son and hustler O.
the other safeguarding faint and impa
uent at last, aud ordering the shaking of
door 10 fetch the marauders out, then lead
ing the attack with an effective sho
! is really fne; and the battle, with ii
quick and constant interchange of shots i
+ the darkness, and the terrified wome
: looking on from their windows, must hay
I been most exciting. II was an instance I
: virtues triumph, for a change. And IL
E tiuale was full of dramatic effect. Douglas
/. dying, asks for whisky; young sailC
e brings it he pushes it away and eagerl
/ swallows instead little water. Then
= ITS no use lying now; helped 10 sic
a Charlie Ross" Tue sailor gathers witnes
:. es around the dying man, who repeats til
d words, and says that "Mosher knows
: But Mosher is dead he is told and
d cries out that "Waling knows, and Il
d boy will get home all right" Nolhir
e more from joe Douglass, who preseuI
!. dies-"as the TOOL dicth."
l. The dead rascals have been recognize
'e by Charlie Ross brother, uncle and othe
as the abduc;ors. The occurrence wi
+ strengthen the not over-strong popul
iaith in the efficiency of detectives, wi
are proved TO have struck and 'oliowt
The right trail from the first; aud il "
n. awaken admiration for their extraordina
ability TO keen secret, for, though the