The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-03
Ths: Last Deception IN the Charley
Ross Affair.

nAOSS "A
The Philadelphia Times has exploded
one Of the mysteries in which the average
detective most delights, by II .ng out
and exposing the Bak er-B oothe sorry that
Charley Ross had been sent to England
in care of a wandering gypsy. Itappears
that Walter I. Baker, who has furnished
the letters signed ''Nelses Boothc,'' which
contained the gypsy version Of the child's
disappearance. went to the Times Office,
professedly being about to start for En-
gland to recover the boy, and for two
fresh Boothe letters obtained sum of
money which he professed to want to.
wards paying the expenses of his journey.
linen Times reporter was set on his
track, to follow him to England if he
went there. who found that he did not
journey in that direction. Then war
rant was procured for his arrest for OBJ.
tanning money on false pretenses, but
CAPT. Helms, detective, e!oqucntly re-
marked that such procedure would de-
feat the ends of justice and, with the aid
Of Mr.. Christian r. Rose, persuaded the
Times folks not to have Baker arrested,
BECAUSE, Helms said, that would scare
away Boothe whom he wanted to get.
Then the reporter was started out
to .tind Nelsc Boothe, for whom
it was understood. the de.
tectives had been laying traps for a
month. Captain Eeins kindly furnished
description of the man and within
twelve hours after the reporter
found him in lone hamlet
in Chester county, Maryland. The
reporter talked with him. He did not
know Walter Baker; did not know
where Charley Ross was; did not write
the letters which have been published
over his name; ii he did know where the
boy was he would bring him back quick
for sake Of the reward; and all his ans
"ers, which went to show that he was the
man whose name was used by Baker, but
that 3 Ike, s whole story is fraud, were
sub>tantiated by his family and neigh
bors. Before the reporter started out he
was authorized by the detective to secure
Boothe's arrest. When he returned he
found a note at the office. from Christian
9. Ross, saying: "rell your reporter
not to bother with Nelsc Boothe; we
wouldn't take him as a gift. But Cap
tain Helms has not explained why he
hunted for Nelsc Boothe for weeks nor
why he and those whom he influences
complained Of the publication Of the let
ters. wanting every thing kept quiet until
Boothc and the English gipsey were cap
turcd.
After all, it appears that Bakers story
was 4 clever deception; that
his letters purporting to be from
Nelse Booth were forgerics; that he, Ba-
kcr, is for some reason operating under
false name by which he has known Nelse
Booth; and that he knows nothing about
Charley Ross fate. but made up his story
and forged his letters to get a little money
from the Ross family, the detectives and
the newspapers.
We may add, from late information.
that the Philadelphia detectives firmly
believe that Charley Ross is alive, but
how much their judgment is worth in the
matter may be judged from their being
so far outstripped by the newspaper re-
porter who investigated the Baker Booth
story and exploded it in twenty-four
hours, though the detectives had vainly
worked at it for nearly month.