The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-10-06
Two Hundred Charlie Roses.


Pinkerton's Detective Agency, since it
was employed, three years ago, to solve
'Iae Ross mystery, by Messrs. J. W. Jones,
George L. Harrison, George Philler and
Amos R. Little, acting for citizens from
whom they had obtained subscriptions
amounting to $4,000 for :he purpose of
accomplishing the work, has discovered
between 100 and 200 boys in various parts
OF this country, British America and Eu-
rope, each of whom, according to first re-
ports, answered more less to the descrip-
ton of the lost child and caused the de-
tectives to do great deal of travelling,
which resulted in nothing better than the
collection of many interesting stories re-
lating to the abduction case, but in which
the abducted played no part. These Mr..
Allan Pinkerton intends publish, if the
boy be found. Guardians of the sup.
posed Charles have been Swallowed in
nearly every State and Territory, but al
ways with the same result. The work
done for the purpose of solving this
greatest mystery of the age has raked
up here and there other mysteries of a
minor character, some of them possess
ing no slight touch of the romantic. Fol
lowing are epitomes of some of the most
interest of the stories above referred to
as being on the Pinkerton records
In the winter following the abduction
a telegram was received here from the
chief magistrate of town in the north
eastern portion of New York, stating
that a boy had been found there who was
Charlie Ross without doubt, and that
the detectives need not waste any more
time in search of the child. The magis-
trate gave full description of the boy,
with the exception of his eyes, to which
noreference was made. This description
was the same as that of Charlie. A Pink
erton man hurried to the town and no
sooner arrived there than he learned that
one of its policemen had just gone to
neighboring village, where the boy was
stopping, his object being to have the
exclusive honor of returning the lost
Charlie to his home. Hiring a horse and
carriage, for which he was obliged to
deposit $3.50 as security, the detective by
that means reached the village half an
hour before the arrival of the policeman,
and was rewarded with the discovery that
the boy had brown eyes and therefore
could not be Charlie.
Early in the same winter Mr.. Jones
and other gentlemen actively engaged IN
the search had reason to believe that the
boy was in New Orleans The child was
accompanied by an intelligent woman,
whose movements, as described to the
detectives, almost convinced them that
she was in constant fear of pursuit as if
for some crime. She and the boy left
New Orleans together, but were tracked
by adjective from the gulf to the lakes,
thence across to Canada, and afterward
to Boston, where the pursued arrived
twenty-fOur hours ahead of the officer
and Immediately sailed for Liverpool.
But the cable brought two or three pairs
of lynx eyes to the docks at that city in
time to survey the fleeing woman and
her charge as soon as they landed. With
out delay she resumed travel and never
stopped until she reached an obscure
hamlet in the north of Scotland. The
detectives had followed at distance
safe but sure. Having made good use
of an opportunity to examine and ques-
tior the boy, they found only another
disappointment. True, when shown
portrait of Mr.. and Mrs. Ross, the little
fellow said that they were his papa and
mamma. But he was not Charlie; neither
was he the only one of the 200 supposed
Charles who uttered the EXPLANATIONS,
"Papaw and Mammal" upon seeing
pictures of the lost child's parents.
Some months later telegraphic CORE
spondence was received in this city from
small town near the southern border
of Virginia, stating that Charlie was
there, and giving description which
was not only the most extensive and mi
nutely detailed that had been received
from any quarter up to that time, but
which also agreed in every particular
with the personal appearance of the
stolen child. A trip southwark and the
obtaining of additional proof that the
sensationalist does not always stop to
draw fine distinguishing lines between
dark hair and light hair, or between blue
eyes and hazel eyes, and the list of dis
appointments was heightened.
Subsequently child answering very
closely to the description of Charlie Ross
was traced to a place near Corpus
Christi, in Texas. This boy was under
the charge of woman, and the most re-
markable part of the story was that she
had been regularly receiving remittanoes
of money from this city. For more than
three weeks a detective kept constant
watch upon the house in which the WON
an and child were stopping. Finally he
enticed the child to a spot where they
would be unobserved, but an exam
nation convinced him that Charlie Ross
was as far from his reach as ever. He
showed portrait of Mr.. and Mrs. Ross
to the little fellow, who, like Charlie"
of Scotland, clapped his chubby hands
in delight and said that they were papa
and mamma"
And so the record of the Pinkertons,
under the head of "Charlie Ross" goes
on almost dd iafnitum. PHILADELPHIA
Times.