Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-10-07
CHARLIE ROSS.
Review OF the Sad Domestic Tragedy ia
the Present Hour.
Failure Of an AudaeiOus Attempt to ES-
tablish u Trade Of Child Stealing.

Failure Of an Audaeions Attempt to E>'
from the New York Times Sept gil
1t is now more than a year since the Ross
child was stolen from his parents at Philadel-
phia. The killing of the abductors, Mosher
and Douglass, while engaged in burglary at
Bay Ridge, removes from the field the mis-
creants who, up to that moment, had been
carrying on negotiations for the ransom of
the captive child. And the death Of these
men brought to public view much Of the in
formation which the police at that time had
in possession, but which had been kept as
private as possible while the child stealers
were alive and within reach. The arrest Of
Wcsterveldt, brother-in-law and familiar
friend of Mosher, for alleged completely in
the abduction. has resulted in bringing out on
his trial most of the details of the crime, ex-
cept those which lead directly to the final dis
position of the child. These, as unravcled
in the trial of Westeryelt, at Philadelphia, re-
veal the conception and execution OF a crime
whose bodness and atrocity are uncommon,
if not quite unprecedented, in this country.
1t appears that after the child had been ta-
Ken from Philadelphia, negotiations were at
once opened with the father by means of
mysterious letters and advertisements in the
newspapers. From these letters, now for the
first time made public, we see that the kid
napners assumed bold position. 1t was in
tenden to persuade the Ross family that the
abductors were band of tremendous fellows,
whose plans were deep and secret, whose
hiding place was impregnable, whose machin-
cry was vast and subtle, and whose vengeance
was swift and sudden. Occasionally these
dark threats verged on the bombastic grotes-
queness of the Southern ku-klux, betraying
some familiarity with that variety of reading
known as ''yellow covered literature" The
letters were designed to mislead the search
ers as far as possible. There is no reason to
suppose that Mosher would tell Mr.. Ross
that the boy had been disguised by cutting
of his hair and putting him in girls clothes,
even if the transformation had been made.
The fact that such story was told by the
kidnappers would imply to shrewd detective
that nothing of the kind had been done. BY
going or sending about the country, the scoun-
drels succeeded further in mystifying the dis
tracted friends of the stolen child. They were
thus able to post letters at various different
points, though it is noticeable that none of
these battling missives were mailed from any
very distant post office, as they might have
been.
twenty thousand dollars. The child-stealels
intended to go into this business extensively.
They We're determined on large profits on
their ventures For fome reason they made
an error in their first attempt They believed
that MIR. Ross was a rich man-one to whom
twenty thousand dollars for a favorite child
would light sum. If Mr. Ross had been as
well able to pay the money as the conspira-
tors thought he was, they would have speedi-
ly received the cash, and it is quite likely that
the business Of Kidnapping would have flour
lshed for season. The unhappy father
could not at once procure the money demand !
ed; meantime the delay alarmed the robbers, /
who ascrlbed If to an attempt to entrap them; !
the whole country WAS excited over the mon
strous crime, and the kidnappers drew fur /
ther and further away from all the advances |
Of parents, friends and pursuers. This long
delay made it difficult, if not impossible, to /
any arrangements with the robbers |
by which the stolen child should be restored. /
N1osher and his accomplices were wary. The |
friends of the child were distrllstful Of the |
good faith OF the abduct0rs. Men who would
steal a child and afterwards trihe
With parents agony, would not stick at
the ransom, and then keeping up
! demand for more money before performing
heir part OF an agreement which they had
lictated. 1t is by no means certain that they
yer intended to return the child;it is not even
ertain it he was alive when the later nego-
iations were reached.
AS we have said, although nearly all the
ctails are now laid bare the whereabouts of
he child, from the time of his abduction un-
il now, remains profound mystery One
witness testifies, with positiveness and clear
ess, that he saw Westeryeldt, who was
1osher's relative and companion, witha child,
uly 6, 1864, in Brooklyo street car. 1t is
ow found that that child resemblcd the late
stolen Charlie Ross;that he appeared to be
fraid Of his custodian, cried pitifully, and
Yas sufficiently wretched in his appearance
} attract the attention Of the witness, and .
lake vivid impression on her memory It !,
not likely that Mosher and Douglas ever !.
ept the Child near them long at one time.
hey knew from Westeryclt that they were
least suspected of the crime They were
| communication with those who guarded
le boy; and they were careful to have it m {
erstood that their arrest would at once be :
)llowed by the sacrifice of the little captiyes /
fe. They blundered into sudden death, and I
leir secret remained with them Ii is not t
'asonable to suppose that Westervedt, what h
7er may have been his active guilt in the s
after, is in ignorance of the fate of the stO- {
n child He undoubtedly knows whether n
harle Ross is dead or alive 1t is most like II
that he could, if he chose, surrender the I
ues by which the few remaining details of o
e Infamous plot could be cleared up. The c
Hicted parents of the missing child, suffer- n
g the prolonged suspense, an agony beyond Ii
at of an ordinary bereavement, have the o
mpathy of every generous nature. 1t is b
after for congratu}ation, however, that f,
ousands of homes are made more secure by b
G failure of an audacious attempt to estab- c
h trade of child stealing. N