The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-09-09

Was n. Whole stc-y CO His Abduction
Put-Up JOB l-sone Suspicious Facts In
ulicsring LIS. Eoss scc tie philadelphia
Che. OF Police.
ODE.L liz, August 2, 1870.
Owing 20 tie absorbing interest OF the
Beecher :r.a., douJ;less many Of your read
a. have forgotten ihe once prominent
Charlie Ross case" but in this locality II
j. likely 10 attract considerable attention
vet. a. some Of yOUT readers viii reinen-
bcr. one Lewis DUNCAN was arrested IL
OhalI, N August, 1875. for completely IN
the abduction. The circumstances which
I'D to his arrest are briefly rs follows:
Anout the 2Jih Of June, 1913, woman,
Ginning 10 bc a Mn. Cole, 81 Philadel pE!a,
csgt,. 20 Die.l with = child about four
ycar- old, and stopped with her brother,
0uc George MnrkIns, who lived abOat hall
n mile south OF town. On the night OF the
9Th OF July following, DUNCAN got oil the
train al pdell, and, wa- alleged, accom-
panied by child between four and five
wear If age, anC also went 10 AuThIns.
On the next day he was intro
duced TO some OF the citizens Of our
town AZ former friend oil Murkins from
Philadelphia. A le" evenings after this
DUNCAN and Nurkins lett Murkins' about
dark in a closed carriage IN the direction
OF S,reator. At midnight they stopped al
Strea;Or with one Hamilton, who Is a
brother-in-law of Murkins. Hamilton
said they had child with them at that
time that they Lett there in about al
hour, ostensibly for Ottawa, Illinois; that
they came back the next night al about
the same hour without The child. On their
return TO Odell they claimed they had been
TO Ottawa for the purpose OF investing
about $50, 900, AZ they were expecting heavy
remittances from Philadelphia; this, in
view oil the fact that Murkins was bank
rupt ami heavily in debt, excited suspicion
thai all was not right. On being question
ed, DUNCAN became very much excited, and
swoTe lie would shoot any one who at
tempted to investigate a. 10 his conduct
Tn investigation, il was found tha;
they had been 10 Ottaws 10 see man
by the name OF Tar, formerly OF the Win
Ter Garden Of Chicago Immediately after
the visit above referred 10, Tar and family
Lett Ottawa, ostcI.sibly tor Pennsylvania.
On inquiry il was found that he had sent
his goods By express 10 Madam Helen
Webster, Peoria, H." The States Attor-
ncy, J. Ill. Funk, Al once started Tor the
latter city, and found that Tar and family,
iuciud!n. child answering the description
o! the Ross Child, had stopped n, the Pacif-
&c House for one night, and then left. Mr..
Funk then sought information at the ex-
pres Office, but found that the goods had
been re-sh;ppcd by i man answering the
description II Tar 10 Madame Helen
Webster bloomington, Ill. Tn his arrival
AT Bloomington he found that the bird had
flown TO -. Louis. Following on to St.
L0Uis, he found the goods at the express
oi.ioe, held for back charges, but two DAYS
ul aHNIOus search failed 10 ind Tar or any
trace Of him. In the meantime DUNCAN
had bccn arrested on warrant sworn out
before (. y. Coo, Esq, 10y /. +. Boulter,
WHO was taken before :. II. Henney. ESD,
who %. .u.Ued the Case a few DAYS ut the
Instance o: counsel fCr the prosecution. TO
Unable them 20 get wlinessCs, and fixed Dun
SaI. bail ~ 1000. A lac could not get
bail lac was committed to Jail
When the case came on iUr hearing. 4
change Oi venue W. taaeL 10 Squire At
kills. Tie trial was il progress when Mr..
rGnk GOT homc, md, Or comforting with
Wright, who hat charge Of the prOseCu-
ilun IN the absence Of Funk, they thought
al bert 10 dismiss the case and await fur
iher developments. During the tendency
oi the case, the father vi Charlie EGS. had
been iele-rapned 10, ~ had also Kenneth
III. Jones, Chief OF Police OF Philadelphia.
Alter InycstIS a;iHg the case, Jones, allo, q |
other things, teicgral he'd that DUNCAN had |
lsen employed an livery stable in phila- |
dcil'hla about tic Is; o.: IIiy, and was be
HeHci 10 have boCI the man 40 drove the
carriage when the child was stolen but as
the prosecution failed Il get such evidence
as they desired, they deemed il best TO dis |
miss The case ~ above. DUNCAN afterward
sued the complaining witness, Constable, |
two justices and several other citizens of |
this place fy- false imprisonment, lay
ing his damage Al si50,001. ]. 4. Funk and
i. L. NrlS were uLlployed by the
defense, and cOnc'Ghot 10 Justify, and
az the iirst step they deemed it necessary to
take the aCpositioEs Of Ms Ross. the moth
cr Of the lost boy, and Chief OF Police Jones.
10 prove the abduction OF the child, and the
further fact that the woman. Cole. who is 4!
living in lie house with DUNCAN. was tine
motEor-in-law Of Nosher, who was shot
while hUrs!arizing Judge Van Brundt's
house, and who, you will remember. admit
ted having been concerned in the abduc-
ton. To this end 4 dsllui,s was sent on; of
the CircUit Court OF this county. directed 10 |
the Hon. J. Parkington OF ~! Spring Gar
den street, Philadelphia, one Of the Alder
men Of that city, directing him to take the
dcposltiUns As above. AID strange As il |
may appear, when Mrs. Ross and Jones
were notified 10 appear for that purpose, |
HOY IL. j. 4
appear and testify. BY thus refusing 10
testify, they have thus thrown grave doubts |
upon the question Is 10 whether they are |
not IN col!usion with Fungan in perpetrat-
ing one Ot the most cruel huaxes ever per-
Fetra'ed upon a sympathiZing peo-
pie. Can it be that the whole terrible |
story Is a fraud, concocted for the purpose
oi inducing the authorities 10 offer large
reward Tor the recovery OF the child, and /
when II should he forthcoming at the hand /
"i DUNCAN or MCsier to divide the spoils +? /
II SO, tie scheme was thwarted when the
condition was added that the abductor
mus: suffer, and by the danger Of expos
ure should they atiempt to carry ont their
original design.
The deeper this matter is probed, the
more mysterious II becomes, but the end is
not yet. Il is understood that il is the in
tcntion OF Messrs. Wright and Funk to
proceed 10 Philadelphia and take such
steps IA may be necessary 10 compel the
parties TO testify. II the child was stolen.
why should the mother refuse 10 saw so?
Or why should the Chief OF Police set at
defiance the process OF a court Of n sister
State Tor the purpose Of aiding man
whose detention he advised II it is a
fraud, II viii be known before the present
proceedings are ended, and the Philadelphia
tblei OF Police may appear in no very en-
yiGble light; and the mother who has had
tire sympathy of the civilized world. NAV
he shown 10 he the most heartlcss adyen-
iUrss that ever di.graced the form Of wo-
man.-Cts. Inter Ocean.
a Little Mistake.
lie took the evening train IN from Cleye-