The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-05-17
GaERiEf Ross.
The story of His Abduction, as AoA"
MS FatIler at fremont Temple

The story of His Abduction, as Toi" -
ass Father at fremont Temple
kbout six hundred people assembled
at fremont Temple lsst night TO near
Mr.. Christian K. Ross tel Size story oi
the abduction of the little boy fro5n OF -: Ils
home at Germantown, a suburb OF PIE n1s
delphia, on the first day of July, lo'l Z.
There we're on the platform Lieutenant
Governor Knight, several members OF .ue
governors council, the clerk OF tae
Massachusetts senzte; snd many; otn .e,
gentlemen we'll known in puOiic. a'i1
private life. Mr. Ross was introduceu
by the Hon. 7. 3. D. Cogswell, OF faI>
mouth The speaker stepped forward, anu
after the applause with which he -as re-
ceived had somewhat subsidized, sald
% Ladies and gentlemen, don't presume
to come before YOU as a lecturer; that Is
not nv forte my sole and only objects 70
state plainly simply and clearly to yea the
leading facts of Case th8t Is nearest 10
my heart. There are certain events De-
longing to persons and families that as
sumo such an enlarged sphere and. be-
come of such deep interest sc TO excite
public attention, and the case OF the
abduction of my boy was a case of this
kind. The ietterA exchanged between
the parties in this case" sgd he. show
that the business was to have been Inade
permanent had the attempt to extort
money from me been successful. / re-
fused to compound the crime, and my
own home has beer desQlate. / think
my refusal to compound Tie crime by
paying the villains the sum of money
they GemandAd, $40 600, has made the
children of other people much safer than
they otherwise would have been, FOR
the popular cutlery that ensued, when
the fact Of the abduction OF my little
boy became knolfn; shoHed the kidnap-
pers that their lives would lot be safe a
minute If they were arrested" Mr.. Ross
then went on to relate the facts connected
with the abduction, occasionally reading
extracts from letters received from the
Williams to show that She men really had
the child in their possession, and that up
to the time the reward of $50. 900 vas
offered by the citizens of Philadelphia,
for the return of the boy and the arrest
| of the abductoTs, they were, If not in the
/ city. very near it, and that the offering
of the regard and the renewed activity
among the ofhcera that Immediately
/ followed, had the effect of dfi7ins them
/ from the city and out of the state. Hs
also read letters showing that the men
/ MoEher and Douglass, who were killed
/ at Bay Ridge, j.. l., while attempting
to commit bjifgiaf5; -efe, without
doubt, the men who kidnapped the boy.
! Their death he regarded as an unfoft-
innate circumstance, because they would
! have been very soon arrested, and then
/ they might have revealed the boys
Whereabouts. As the lecturer related
/ the many journeys made by him in the
/ vain attempt TO recover the child, It was
very evident that he had the fall SYM
pathy OF his auditors. He spoke, during
the lecture, of an attempt that was to
have been made by the same men TO alb
duct n little grandson of Commodore
! Vanderbilt, and then compel his par.
ents to pay a large sum as a ransom
| II adj the attempt been Successful, he had
information from the men themselves
that his little boy would have been killed
in order to show the parents of other
/ little ones what to expect in case their
I children were stolen and the ransom
demanded was not forthcoming. The
I insinuations that have been thrown out
regarding the disappearance to the effect
that ne or his family knew where the
! child was we're referred TO, and Mr.. Ross
announced his determination 10 prosecute
the search rs long As God gave him
/ strength so to do In conclusion he
/ announced that he would speak in the
same place on Friday night of this week,
upon the pleasing Incidents thst have
/ occurred during his long search. - B0s-
/ ton Herald