The New York herald., 1874-07-21
THE CHILD ABDUCTION.
Plan Of the Miscreants for Receiving the
Money and Avoiding Arrest
THE AUTHORITIES POWERLEsS.
Arress$of Wooster, the Alleged Accomplish
Whereabouts Of the Child.

elace my last GENERALIZATION news OF mighty
important nature nas reached me concerning the
designs OF the Kidnsppers OF little Charlie koss.
which is calculated not only to ataxtle all VINO
read 1t, but at the same time convtnce,every one
that the infant u in the hands or men who by
their shre wdness, tact and cunning, can evade the
police Tor almost an inde length Of time, and
perhaps, force the iather 70 comply with their de-
mands. In no better way can THIS be shown than
by the TACT that the robbers now boast OF their
security, and that for more than twenty days the
police have not ascertained the first cew to their
hiding place.
Frequent reference has been made to the cold
and brutal letters which have been sent to the |
parent from time to time, but 10y all means the |
most important and interesting OF these was re- |
ceived by the ather last Thursday since 1t clearly
and accurately defines the plan by means OF |
which the kidnappers agree to deliver the child
ana accept the ransom OF $40, OoO The outline Of |
this plot Is not fancy sketch, but Is the full
pose which the kidnappers themselves made, and |
which subsequent disclosures Will prove to be
strictly true. 1t came to your correspondent in
the most direct way, and is stated exclusively here
Tor the first time.
The place selected by the kidnappers for their
negotiations Is lonely bridge in the extreme
northern portion Of the county, and the nour at
which the business is 10 be transacted, II trans
acted at ali, ts set down at about midnight. The
bridge is surrounded on all sides by nat and open
country, so that one standing upon its abutment
could witness an approach from any direction,
The plan states that Mr. Ross must come to this
bridge with the money. While en- route for the
designated point. and before lie arrives at it. he
will be met by man who will stop before lin and
say
Good evening, sir.r
To this Mr.. Ross must render an immediate
reply and then pass on toward the bridge Before
he reaches the bridge second man will approach
him IN the same manner as the first, and say,
'Mr. Ross, now do you dor"
To this Mr.. Ross must also render an appro
pirate reply, when he will reach the bridge and
there meet third man, who will ask the following
question,
''Mr. Ross, have you got that?"
After MIR. Ross has paid the money there will be
q slight delay. but In y few minutes lie is prom
ised that his little one, Charlie will be delivered
over.
CONDITIONS OF THE PLOT.
The robbers evade Oil possibility Of detection by
the following conditions The three will be armed
and in disguise. II MIR. Ross does not come alone,
or II q single soul is seen lurking anywhere in the
neighbOrhoOd, the kidnappers will fail to keep their
appointment. The bridge stands all by itself;
three different roads intersect near its site, and,
couiederates stationed out along the different
roads can see MIR. Ross Tor long distance on, and
know whether he came alone or with some one
else Moreover Mr.. Noss will be watched from the
time he leaves the city until the time he is ac-
costed by the nrst man, ana any attempt to assem-
bic posse OF citizens or police near the bridge
would De sure to be seen Dy the kldnapperS. who,
ol course the policemen do not know.
No sooner han their plan been sent from the hu-
were held by the police, and BY private citizens
drecLly Interested III the case, in order to devise
own trick and thus save the ransom and likewise
secure the enid. hundreds Of plans were pro-
tective lorce were bent toward TINS one purpose,
but all plans are sure TO fail. In the iather
concludes To accept the terms OF the backmail-
ers tney 0s sure OF getting the
money without arrest as they are sure or
Keeping the child without detection In case the
terms are not complied with 1t may appear a SIM
pie thing to entrap the kidnappers while cOnsum.
mating tneir Designs. but If any one Will read the
ABOVE carefully he viii see that tine condition of
the country; tho command whicn the plOtters en-.
Joy over ali the roads; the opportunity they have
to watch every movement which either Mr.. Ross
or the police may make between now and the time
the lOrmer may consent to the demands ana tue
facilities they possess OF studying every step which
the iatner may take after lie sets out upon his
solitary journey to the bridge, all show the
shrewdness OF this apparently simply constructed
plan and the tmpossbiiity Ol entrappng the vii
iains wnile they are carrying 1t out
Inc detectives have even stepped without their
accustomed retlcence. ana called In the advice OF
prominent men, In 0rier TO seek some means
TO crush the plot. Among these may be mentioned
r. IL,
Attorney William b. Mann. AS stated above q
hundred plans nave Jeen proposed, out all of them
proved wanting. IL was proposed TO secretly place
points distant from the bridge by armed COM
panies oI ciizens ana is has Deen proposed to do
u thousand other things, each one OF which the
simple conditions OF the scoundrel5' scheme render
wnoy and utterly impossible
The upshOt OF the matter Is fully shown in the
letter which the kdnappers sent to the father at
the close OF last week, oi wheh brlei mention was
made III tue HERALD or to-day. Failing through
| -
from the ather, the thieves sent o communication
clothed in language intensely bitter and which
contained
The child was dong well aua had been carefully
looked after. The parties had avoided arrest for
twenty DAYS already and could remain equally Sc
cure Tor ANY length OF time. They had no fear
whatever Oi apprehension. The parties were ac-
quainted with the Iatner, and were also aware OF
| tue operations OF the police, and that unless the
assured assul ediy put the child away !; that they knew
their business, and that their terms must be met.
such. In brel, was the contents OF tneir iast
note and II Is clear as day that while the police
/ have been trying to seek them tney have regularly
| followed the operations and movements OF The au-
Ihis snppositton SHOWS itself clearly in the cir
! cumstaDce OF the remarkably short length OF time
! intervening between the hour the letters have
been posted aud the time they have been received.
For instance, a letter mailed at two O'Clock by the
kldnappers reaches the iather at three, showing
conclusiveiy that the communl cations must needs
be dropped into the main office or else In a box
near by; showing conclusivcly, too, that instead
oil being concealed In out OF the way place, the
kidnappers are moving IN the most public resorts,
and are manipulating their correspondence right
under the shadow OF the Central Headquar ters OF
the detective police. And now word
ABOUT CHRIS WOOSTER
| arrested as an accOmpllcc IN tue crime 1t was
thls person who was charged with having writ
ten the letters, but since, during his imprlsOn-
| ment, ten additional eplstes have been received
| written IN precisely the same hand as those
| ceived before Wooster was placed In Quod. this
! circumstance seems to indicate that Wooster Is
/ innocent and that Taggart, the detective, has
! made o mistake. Such, indeed, would be the
natural inference, but the more one converses
with Taggart the more ne Is convinced that this Is
not so. In the first place the plan, of course, OF
! delivering the child must nave been FULLY arranged
before the child stolen, and all rs details set
! down on paper, and there CAM be indeed little
doubt but that the very letter that the parent
received on Thursday, In which the plan OF the
kidnappers was prepared, was written before the
father was called upon " dcplore the loss OF his
son. Again, before the theft WAS committed It's