Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-05-04
CHARLEY ROSS.
The story OfHis Abduction, as Told
by HIS Father at fremont Temple.

About 600 people assembled at fremont
Temple to hear Mr.. Christian X. Ross
tell the story OF the abduction Of his little
boy from his home at Germantown, =
suburb OF Philadelphia, on the 1st dsy OF
July, 1874. There were on the platform
Lieut.. Gov. knight, several members Of
the Governor's Council, tho Clerk OF the
Massachusetts Senate, and many other
gentlemen we'll known in public and
private life. Mr.. Ross was introduced by
the Hon. J d. ID. Cogswell, of Yarmouth.
The speaker stepped forward, and, after
the applause with which he was received
had somewhat subsidsd, said Ladies'
and gentlemen, l don't presume to come
before you NJ a lecturer that is not my
forte my sole and only object is to state
plainly, simply and clearly to you tho
leading facts of case that is nearest TO
my heart. There are certain events be-
longing to persons and families that as
sume such an enlarged sphere and become
Of such deep interest as to excite public
attention, and the case OF the abduction
of my boy was = case Of this kind. The
letters exchanged between the parties in
this case" said he. "show that the busi-
meas was to have been msdo permanent
had the attempt to sxtort money from mo
been successful. refused to compound
the crime, and my own homo has been
desolated. think my refusal to COM
pound tho crime by paying the villains
tho sum OF money they demanded, S20,-
900, has made the children OF other peo-
pie much safer than they otherwise would
have been for the popular outcry that
ensued. when the fact of tho abduction Of
my little boy became known, showed tho
kidnsppers that their lives would not be
safe minute il they were arrested. II
Mr.. Ross then went OH to relate the fscts
connected with the abduction, occasion
ally reading extracts from letters received
from the villains 10 show that the men
really had the child in their possession,
and that up TO the time tho reward OF
$50, 900 was offered by the citizens OF
Philadelphia, for the return OF the boy
and the arrest OF the abduetors, they wero
il not in the city very near it, and that the
offering of the reward and the renewed
activity among officers that immediately
followed had tho effect OF driving :hem
from the city and out Of the State. lie
also read letters showing that the mon
Mosher and Douglass, who we're killed at
Bay Ridge, l.. L., while attempting to
commit burglary, were, without doubt,
the men who kidnapped the boy. Their
death he regarded NJ an unfortunate cir
cumstAnce, because they would have been
very soon arrested, and then they might
have revealed tho boys wherea bouts
A tho lecturer related the many journeys
made by him in the vain attempt to re-
cover the child, it was very evident tina.
he had the full sympathy OF hip auditors.
lie spoke, during the lect ure, Of an at
tempt that was to have been made by the
same men to abduct little grandson Of
Commodore Vanderbilt, and then compel
his parents to pay large sum as ram
som. Had the attempt been successful,
he had information from the men them
selves that his little boy would have been
killed in order to show the parents Of
other little ones what to expect in case
their children we're stolen and the ransom
demanded was not forthcoming. Tho
insinuations that have been thrown out
regarding the disappearance TO tho effect
that he or his family know whore tho
child was were referred to, and MIR. Ross
announced his determination to prosecute
tho search Ms long AS God gsve him
strength so to do Boston Herald.