Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-03-29
Charley Ross ?

The WyaIusing "Charley Ross" taken from
the camp of half breeds, was brought to Ian
caster last Friday by Mr.. j. A. Hartford, and
was kept here till Saturday noon. There we're
crowds called TO see him, nearly all Of whom
expressed it az their belief that the boy was
bet their lives or their all that he was. We
studied the boy laboriously while he was here
and it is more our duty to tell what we learned
than what we think.
First it may be worth while to refresh the
recollection of our readers upon some points
in the history of the lost Charley. He was
stolen from his parents in Germantown, Pa,
Jnly lat 1874, by so No. -~ns~1 Moehnr
and Douglass Great excitement followed.
Soon afterwards the men wrote to Mr.. Ross
that the boy was safe but no power on earth
could get him without large sun of money.
Such letters were sent to Mr.. Ross frequently
and he was required to answer by ADVERTISE
ments in the papers. Several arrangements
were planned for Mr.. Ross to sc to certain
place. to pay over money and the child would
be returned He did his part in each case but
the men never "came to time" either to re
ceiye the money or to return Charley. A
man named Westervclt, a brother-in-law of
Mosher, was supposed to know something of
the kidnappers and detectives were striving
to find or capture them through him. Months
thus passed away. Two men one night broke
into the house of Judge Brent, in New Jersey.
A oIer niv and a npiohh0r RI
the rescue. That neighbor shot the two men
as they attempted to escape. They proved to
be Mosher and Douglass. They died before
they could give an account of what they had
done with the boy. More than a year after
the kidnapping, Westeryelt was put on trial as
AN accomplish He was convicted and sent to
the penitentiary for a term of seven years. 1t
is thought there are no other persons living
who would be likely to be tried and convicted
for that crime, and therefore if the boy is liv-
ing and in the possession of any person who
knows him he would be delivered to his par
ents. When taken he was four years and Two
months old. He would now be nearly seven
years of age.
The Charley bout whom there is so much
interest in this county now, was brought down
to the island near Wyalusing last November.
With him there were two or three degraded
peared to be halfblood Indians except one of
the men. The boy did not seem to belong to
any of them for he was evidently not one of
their blood and they brutally misused him. He
was taken from them on the 9TH instant by
Mr. Hartford, acting in his capacity as town
officer, on complaint of other citizens. This
rumor started that he WAS probably Charley
Ross. 4 gentleman whose business kept him
travelling from place to place and who had
carried picture of Charley Ross until per-
fectly familiar with Charley's features, thinking
that in his travels he might come across him
some day, was called to examine this boy.
This gentleman on seeing the boy, exclaimed
that he was tie Charley sure. Then the inter-
est grew and the people in Wyalusing, Patch
Grove and down to Bloomington became ex>
cited Mr. Hartford wrote to Mr.. Ross and re-
ceiyed from him photograph of his lost boy
and other pictures and descriptions The
found boy corresponds with these as nearly as
anv boy would who had endured the changes
which time had wrought. saying nothing OF the
changed life. A photograph Of the boy was
taken at McGregor and sent to Mr.. Ross but
the latter has not been heard from since re,
ceiving it. Nor do we think he could recog-
nize his boy from that picture. Mr.. Warner
was correct in his statement that the picture
sent bv Mr. Ross looked more like this boy
| than the McGregor picture did. A photograph
vas taken here by Mr.. Vandewall and we defy
any mother to produce picture of her child
| at the age of 81 years and another at and
/ find more points of resemblance than there ii
between this photograph and Mr.. Ross's wood,
cut of his Charley taken at % years of age.
| There are the same large round head, the
same curly hair that parts stubbornly on hi
forehead, the chin of the same shape, the nose
| and the furrow under il similarly marked, tbs
same thick and protruding lip, and the same
| dreamy half shut eyes. There is a large seal
on this Charey's check which was not on the
stolen BOYS and there are numerous others or
him put there by the Indians which of course
| that boy did not have. The description taliies
well, so well that if Mr. Ross were to como ant
see this boy and declare him not his, many
| would think he did not know his own child
Other circumstances we think 90 not lead 81
strongly to this conclusion but none are We
| known 10 make it impossible for this to b.
'shsriey Ross. After laboring as hard as We
- others In our presence did to make bi:
n,er,orl- call up something In the four-year-old
nc. Of charley Ross we feel that be is not thu
hov Rut tbe,r we failed as well to call uE
gnyth;ao that this boy knew back OF the winter
of 1875. We fount that he had lived "uE
north" in Dunn County. At little village
named Eau UalIe ne went w $1,000 -" =,
named Maggie Cameron, but the poor telioV
could tell the name of but one scholar, Jesse
who went to that school and the given name
of another. He had been in Menomonce ant
saw the elephant but nothing accompanied
that sight which is usual with other boys
These facts led to the conclusion that fo
some purpose he has been kept as he was OF
the island, just as much as possible away from
the sight of and CONVEX sation with other PEG
ple. What for On the island the who'll
party would leave the cabin, locking the doc
and threatening to kill him if he let anybod
in while they were away. Three other cir
cumstances make people believe he is Charlie
Ross First there is a woman who n n
various changes he has made from place +
place aud family to family, always turns up a
his claimant The superstition is that she
Mrs. Westervelt or her agent. Second, tn
bow has once or twice been told about some
thing that would happen when they took hin
to Pennsvlvania-he "would see the alligator.
Third, within the past year there was rumo
| circulated that Charley Ross was with part
of Indians up in the Wisconsin forests.
We have written all this 10 crafty the man
who want TO know IT, We have been asked
great many times whether we think the boy
Charley Ross, and We now answer that we thin
not, but we have every reason TO beher
that he is somebody's boy"