Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-09-01

SECOND DAY OF THE TRIAL OF fwEsrERyHIT-ouRIs-
1iAN X. hoss CONCLUDES HIs sroAY-THE Roy
WALTER ON THE srAND-coRREsPoNp pENCE BE-
TWEEN THE DNArPERs AND 1nE FATHER.
PHiLADELpHIA, Tuesday, Aug. 81.
The trial of Westeryelt was continued to-day
before Judge Elcock at Quarter sessions, the at
tendance being very large Christian X. Ross
continued his testimony. On July Sd, 1874, by
advice of the detectives, he first advertised for
the boys recovery Tl4is brought no answer,
and not until one offering $500 reward was pub
lished did the abductors attempt to open nego-
tiations with Mr.. Ross. The first letter was re-
celved on the morning of the 1Uth OF July at Mr..
Ross store No. 3O4 Market street, Philadelphia
These letters, OF which eighteen were received
ut various times in answer to personals appear
ing IN different newspapers by Mr.. Ross con-
sent, are written in q bold backhand style, with
numerous blurs upon the pages, and the ortbo-
graphy ID somewhat defective. Some of them
are quite lengthy, aud tho whole eighteen would
consume about u page of tho Times, set in
smallest type. They were not offered in owl
dence, as the prosecution Intends keeping them
to prove that Westervelt wrote them and that
many OF the auggestionr contained IN them were
his.
Mr.. Ross testified further after identifying
the lotters aud the dates, to being i'll from the
middle OF September, 1874, to January, 1875,
Mr.. Henry Lewis, a brother in law, transacting
tie also said the search 1or the boy had extend
ed from Texas to California, and to Scotland and
Germany.
A recess was taken at 70 80 until o'clock,
when Mr.. Daniel Brady, an elderly man, n gar
dener, testified to seeing the two Ioss children
called to wagon containing two men, and 70 Soc
ing the mon ~ different times lie was followed
by young iishman named Peter Callahan, also
gardner employed by Mr.. lie Boutillier, who
saw the mon III front of the house ut different
al t.4i... .ls.,.tf fA.I 1a,1 l.f.. ~
Douglass at the Brooklyn Morgue as that of one
OF the men who was in the carriage answering
tp the description of tho vehicle which carried
of tho children. Tho important witness OF the
afternoon WAS Mre. Mary Jane kidder, VINO re-
sides next to Mr. Ross, and who saw Walter Ross
IN the buggy, standing between one of the mems
knees, aud saw the men drive of with him, but
did not sec Charley.
When Walter Roas, the little fellow only seven
years of age, who was carried Off with his broth
er Charley, was placed on the stand he caused
quite sensation i'll the court lie told his story
III stralghtfora ard manner, and related how he
and his brosher had been persuaded to leave
home on the pretext of gong with the men to
purchase tire.crackers. The mon drove so far
from homo that Charley began to cry, and dur
ing the whole ride the boy1 were covered up with
p lap shawl 80 rs to screen them from observa-
ton. They put Walter out at Palmer and Rich
mond Streets III th5 city, and he went into u
store to buy the fire crackers. When he came
seen of his little brother. At this somewhat sem
sational point OF the Testimony the hour of ar
rived, and recess was taken until tomorrow
morning at 10 o'clock. The trial Will last all OF
this and perhaps part OF next week.
During the day Westervelts wife eat with her
two children-a girl of about and boy of D.
near the dock, and excited the sympathy of the
spectators by her evident distress at her hns-
bands situation. Westefvet is tall, athletic
man. with dark hair, high forehead, and
bold, piercing black eye. If a criminal he is OBJ
viou-ly intelligent enough to be very danger
Gus one. Westervelt has all along asserted his
innocence, and claimed that tue story he told to
the police, when he offered his assistance in re-
covering the child, embraced all ho knew about
the abduction. The fasity OF that story has
been proven. Among the associates of the dead
kidnappers were four persons who were sus-
pected OF having had hand i'll the crime.
Westervelt WAS the first. Ike and Ned Morris,
Sons OF disreputable fortune-teller i'll New
York. were two others, and tho fourth 1t is not
proper now to name, because the police have
not yet been able to find him. The Morrises
were arrested, but there was no tangible eyi-
dence against them, and they were released.