Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-12-23
The Ross Mystery.

The mystery surrounding the abduction
Of the boy Charlie Ross from Philadelphia
several months since, is brought into fresl
notice, aud with added interest, by tn,
brief ante-mortem confession of one Of tive
burglars. killed lest Friday morning, while
robbing the house of Judge Van Brunt a
Bay Ridge, Ill, that they were the abduc
tors of the missing child. Itappears tina
the robbers, in ontering the house which
was unoccupied, accidentally sounded the
burglar alarm. This awoke the inmates
of the ncighboring residence of Holmc:
Van Brunt, who, with his son, his garden
or and German, turned out with firearms
to watch for the burglars when they left
the house. The robbers, on leaving, fred
at Van Brunt and the gardner, but with
out effect, and then ran to where young
| Van Brunt and the German were stationed.
The robbers we're called upon to surrender.
but not replying, fire was opened on them,
when one fell dead, and the other. was so
badly wounded that he died IN an hour.
Before dying, the wounded robbcr said
his name was Joseph Douglass, and that
of the dead robber William Moscly, aud
that they both belonged to New York.
He then voluntarily said that he and
Mosely were the men who abducted Char
lie Ross, but he didn't know where the boy
is now that Moseley had him concealed
somewhere, but had not told him where.
Douglass said that Moscley was married,
and had six children, but whether Charlie
Ross was with them or not, he did not
know. He (Douglass) wanted minister
sent for, and begged God to forgive him.
He was quite sensible when he made the
above statement, and several persons heard
him make it. He died just as a doctor
arrived from New Utrecht.
OF course, now that confession has
been made and a possible clow obtained,
the detectives must come in for the hogs
share of the game, and both the New
Workers and the Philadelphia members Of
this class put in claim. They have sus-
pccted these same parties all along, and
have had an eye out for them all the time,
According to the New York detectives,
they were weli-known river-thieves, and
the fact that their boat was found on the
shore near Judge Brunt's house lends some
plausi bility TO the statement. The super
intendcnt of the New York police states
that they were seen ore evening on Broad
way near the Metropolitan hotel, and Capt.
Irving with six men watched Broadway
during the whole night, but the burglars,
no doubt got wind Of what was going on
and made themselves scarce. The super
intendent was in communication with the
officers Of several other cities in relation
to these men, and from time to time Of
ticcrs we're sent to identify the men who
we're arrested, but none happened to be
the right ones.
According to the protested knowledge
of the Philadelphia wise men of the police
force, Mosely, or Mosher as they spell his
name, resided prior to the abduction of
Charlie Ross on Monroe street, near 22d
street, in that city, and at that time owned
a horse and carriage. The team was sta
bled in small street in the extreme low.
er end of the city, but since then the sta
Bile has been demolished. The Philadel-
phia officers also say that Mrs. Mosher
was watched over three weeks in hopes
that she would communicate with her hus.
band, but she was missed one day, and
has not been seen or heard cf since.