Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-12-20

n New YoEEer Gives Ills HeRsona- ,foEe'
Believing Such Was the Case.

oalu MI helly III COHNcFSdlloH WIN Il
reporter. mo more than Guiteau,
and I'll tell you in few words why
am of this opinion. On an October
morning in 1879, the Rev. Father
McCullom, pastor of the Church of the
Sacred Heart, Brooklyn; j. ].
McClosky, then stage manager of the
Brooklyn Park theatre, but now clerR
in the Marine court, New York, and
myself started in rowboat for Staple
ton, II. l.. on little excursion. We
remained there until about o'clock,
when we again seated ourselves in our
boat and prepared to return to the city.
We were moving along slowly and
chatting over the pleasure we had ex-
perienced during the day, when my at
tention was attracted to a small sail
boat anchored between Robins Reef
light and the Jersey shore.
"She was sloop-rigged and painted a
dark hue. Thinking it strange that a
vessel should be anchored just at that
point, and suspecting that it might be
pirate craft, | suggested that we
board her and ascertain who and what
she was rowed the boat, but just
before reachingit Father McCullom ad-
'yised that we should not proceed fur
ther. rs we had no authority to board
a strange vessel. Just then there ap-
peared on deck hard-looking character
about five feet ten inches in hight.
He was bare-headed, and wore blue
Overhauls. a red undershirt and a pair
of heavy brogans. lie had red, sandy
whiskers,sprinkle with gray,and | dis
tinctly saw that the cartilage of his nose
had been eaten away. As W APP
preached the vessel he seemed alarmed,
but nevertheless remained on deck
anNiously watching our movements.
We finally concluded that it would be
dangerous to attempt boarding the
boat, and left the man, who stood in
the same position for as long a time as
he was visible. We then remarked
upon the suspicious appearance OF the
. craft and its navigator, but scarcely
anything more was said after our arri-
val home concerning what we had
seen.
About month later Mosher and
Douglass. the Brooklyn burglars, were
shot dead by nephew OF Judge Van
Brunt, who caught them robbing the
latter's house at Bay Ridge. The
bodies were removed TO the morgue
on Carlton street, Brooklyn. ON the
day of the removal, believe, Mr. Nc
Closky and myself were walking
through Myrtle avenue, when it oc-
CURED to me that | should like to see
the bodies Of the noted robbers. and we
visited the morgue for that purpose.
To our surprise on examining Mosher's
body we both recognized in il that of
the mysterious person Of the sail boat.
nose led to his Identification Stories
were then being circulated connecting
Mosher with the abduction Of Charley
Ross 1t was alleged on good author
ity that he had treated with the father
under an assumed name for the restor-
alton of his child. 4 week or so later
a body Of a boy about nine years,
answering rs nearly "a could be TO the
description of the lost boy as he might
have grown since his disappearance in
1874, was found tossed up by the waves
on the Jersey flats near Robins Reef
light. The remains were so dccom-
posed rs to be almost unrecOnizable.
but the feet were clad in mems brogans
similar to those worn by Mosher the
day we discovered him in the boat
II believe that Charley Ross was
aboard the boat with Mosher on that
day. / believe that Mosher. having
given up all hope of securing reward
AOi Nilo AtapFtig VI Itit Ihllls AnGt"
him overheard. and that il was his
body which was washed ashore on the
Jersey Flats. The brogans. believe,
which were found on the boys feet.
were worn by Mosher when we first
saw him. The sail boat was found
anchored off Bay Ridge on the morning
afteE)Mosher and Douglass were shot
Thi9 proves to my satisfaction, and to
th6 of several others to whom have
RENTED this story. that Mosher on the
sail boat, Mosher. the abductor, and
Mosher, the burglar are one and the
same person. Douglass. when shot,
was not instantly killed and tried TO
speak. His wound prevented him
from doing so. and he died soon after.