Wilmington journal., 1874-07-24
THE CHILD-STEALERS.
Guct;on OF Child.
A Hanson OF $4,000 Asisca-No
! CIexV TO the Identity or Where
! .bouts OF the Black nlaiiers.
letter to the New York Herald.

letter to the New York Herald
PHILADELPHIA, July II.
On July1. as two little boys were
playing i'll Washington lane at Ger
mantown, two men approached them
in a carriage and invited them out to
ride. No one save the children and
the men were near at the time. For
several days previous these same two
men had approached the boys in diff
ferent ways, an5 having, during these
conversations, given them candies,
toys, &c. the little ones expected them
before they arrived on the day men
toned above, and so readily consented
to get into the carriage. After having
driven for some distance the oldest
one of the two little cnes was asked to
get out OF the carriage and buy few
packages of frecrackers. Boylike he
most willingly complied. No sooner
had he disappeared in the store than
the men Iashed the horse and made
away with the little four-year old.
whose name is
CHARLIE BREWSTER ROSS,
and who has never since been seen by
those who knew him. The father after
searching everywhere in the neigh
borhood, came to the police office,
where upon his arrival your correspon-
dent learned the above. The police,
under the direction of Capt Helms,
made the most scrutinizing search
everywhere. They continued their
operations increasingly day and night,
and were determined to leave no stone
unturned that would restore the lost
one and punishits prosecutors. All in
vain. They labored to no purpose for
three days and for three nights. There
was no cIew. After this the following
advertisement appeared in all the news
papers
pcnn REWARD WILL BE PAID TO
eDeOOO the person returning to No. 5
Horth Sixth street, a small Boy, four years old,
having long, curly, flaNen hair, hazel eyes,
clear, light skin and round face; dressed in y
brown linen suit with short skirt, broad
hrimmeI straw hat and laced shoes. The child
was lost from Germantown, on Wednesday at
ternoOn, {iSt lnst,y between four and five
O'Clock.
This advertisement too, met with no
response, and on Monday, July 6,
another was inserted in the Public
Ledger. The next morning, in the
personal column" of this same Jour
nal, appeared the following:
OsS-WE READY TO NEGOTIATE
On tho same day the father, NJ
Ross, received an anonymous letter
through the Eostoffice, i'll which it was
stated that little Charlie would be re-
turned for $40, 900. It also went on to
say that the boy was in good hands;
that the treatment given him was care
full; that it had cost the parties a good
deal of money to get him, and that
they could not think of returning him
for less than $4,000. The father re-
turned the following answer through
the Ledger personals:
d OSS WILL COME TO TERMS TO THE
IL extent of his ability.
Another anonymous letter at once
was received by Mr.. Ross, stating that
the parties who held the child would
not part with it for smaller sum than
,he one already named. Now, mark
how a fathers love rises supreme
above everything He had not in his
possession the amount necessary to
'egain his dear one, but he answered |
he villains through the personals thus:
p Oss IS WILLING; HAVE NOT GOT
LII it; am doing my best to raise it.
Thus the matter stands. Detectives
nave watched the Ledger building and
he postoffice day and night, but so
carefully do the kidnappers work that
10 clew whatever seems to have been
obtained to their identity or their
The child has now been
lbsent twelve days, and it is doubtful
during this time, any of the
members of the household to which it
belonged have had an hour of un-
,roken rest.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
re somewhat remarkable throughout.
'or five days previous to July 1st-
he day upon which the child was
same men were seen
round the neighborhood, and each
ay approached the two children and
onversed with them. It is presumed
nat they would have made off with
ne youngest, little Charlie Ross, sew
raj days before the LIST instant, but
each time there CHANGED to be some
ne passing along the lane. During a
onversatio on with the father I asked
i'm whether he had any enemies, who
we'd him grudge, and who would be
kelly to take revenge in such rare
ay. The father replied that he was
navarro that there was any one in the
orld who entertained any bitterness