The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-09-12
THE STORY OF CHARLEY ROSS.
n Tragedy of the Hearth and the Bro
ken Hearts Around It. a Sehs"'4on -
Ten Years Ago Revived for Tine "S"
Generation.

stood for a long time before q picture yes
terlav, the life-size portrait Of n lovely lauSh-
ing child The face was that of boy OF +
years. fair and dlmpled, with a little rosy
mouth lust made for kissing, large, clear
brown ewes, through which a happy little sou
shone brightly, and soft, tiaxen curls Shao-
no A broad. white brow, and falling about =
round white neck.
THAT is Charley, my little Charley, said the
master of the house sadly, and, looking from
his careworn nervous face to the cheruD vision
on the wall, for the first time an understanding
ofthe tragedy of Charley Ross dawned upon
ma and for the benefit Of the new generation
and those TO whom the tiny hero of a mourn
full tale has been but a newspaper myth am
going to take up the freshest threads OF a well
known story, as related to me by Mr.. Ross IN
view Of the green lane where his little son was
| stolen from him.
The house itself is situated at the end Of a
broad and beautiful place in Germantown
called East Washington lane. On both sides OF
! it are handsome, substantial mansions Of gray
| granite, such as Ponnsylvaaisns love, and
/ built far back from the road in the midst OF
spreading lawns, sprinklod with beds Of gay
dowers. More peaceful and beautiful sur
roundings one coiN hardly find, and a
miniature farm of a few acres now dotted
with sweet-smelling hay-cocks, next to MT
Ross place, even suggested the country
| The house of Mr.. Ross Is q spacious double
: one, built Of stone and surmounted bya cupOla.
Is stands on the summit of a great slope, and,
with its broad piazza covered with climbing
honeysuckles and roses, its huge basket Of
plants and ferns, and its friendly elms and
oaks, looks a secure and pleasant retreat from
noise and turmoil, the dust and confusion OF
the world.
Sitting on the front veranda, Remarked how
thoroughly the great hedge of fir trees az the
foot Of the lawn cut of the view of the street
Eyes" said Mr.. Ross, TOO thoroughly, for it
helped the wretches who stole my children TO
escape with theG. Ten years ago the lst of
July" he continued, my little Charley, just 4
years old, and still in petticoats, was playing
in the road with his brother Walter, two years
older than himself. While they were frolick-
ing about two men came along in q wagon
drawn by one horse. 1t seems they had seen
the children before and given them candy.
That day they invited the boys to get in for a
little ride, promising them tirecrackers and
candy. They, fearing nothing, complied, and
| were seen, as we found later, by some OF the
neighbors.
''When I got home at 6 o'clock to ten, Mrs.
Ross and my eldest daughter being at Atlantic
III u EAI hIolLh JIG q hON 10
turned The Eeigborhood was secured in vain,
and at 8 o'clock, on my way TO the central Office
to telegraph the police stations, we met Walter
returning home with Mr.. Peacock, q friend OF
the family who had found him crying bitterly
on q street corner in the northern part of Phila-
delphia, just seven miles from home.
The boy was nearly paralyzed with fright,
but managed TO relate how these men promised
TO take them TO Aunt SUSIE to buy, sweets and
frecrackers; that they lad lifted him out Of
the wagon and sent him into a shop TO get them
and when he came out hey had disappeared
with Charley. The police thought the men
on a drunken frolic, and when sobered would
be alarmed at what they had done, and turn
Charley adrift
The theory proved false On the Sd Of
July we advertised for HIM with q reward, and
the next day we received an anonymous letter
in disguised writing, the first Of a series of
twenty-three, which said the child was safe,
but that no living power could discover him,
and his father would have to pay a big cent to
get him back. The next letter demanded q ran
som of $4,000, from which sum the kidnappers
never abated a dot, with the alternative of put
ting the child to death"
1t is impossible in a letter to describe the
methods used for the recovery of the child and
the capture of his ~jailers, who demanded that
the money should be paid in advance of the re-
turn of the boy. While negotiations were
pending 10000 photographs Of little Charley
80 6hOht Vic lAliQ AAAu AOtAN
OF posters, handbills and Autographs sown
broadcast The citizens of Philadelphia Of
fered 3 reward Of $50, 600 for the kidnappers.
OF which reward the police volunteeredto claim
nopart, and other large sums were offered from
public and private sources, while the pressure
put on Mr.. Ross not to jeopardize the safety OF
every child in the land by paying the ransom
was tremendous.
The police force and detective bureaus Of the
whole country engaged in the search, and in
Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey every
river boat and saloon, every outhonse' stable
and place of iii-repute, every hotel and lodging
house, tramp quarters, burglars haunt, barn,
mill, ferry and deserted hut was searched. and
every building, private and public, in Phila-
delphia gone through. The post office and all
the letter-boxes were watched, detectives
watched every train that left or entered the
city. Human ingenuity wore itself thraaaha.;
Al attempts 70 recover the stolen bow.
Fraud, too, found q festival in this new form
OF domestic calamity, and Mr.. Ross received
thousands of letters from spiritualists, clair
yoyants and mediums, and even from black
maiiers or all sorts, including convicts IN Jail
and murderers awaiting their doom. profess
ing knowledge Of the abductors.
Then came q host Of these vile creations
called anonymous letters, always the work, as
superintendent W&lling says, Of creatures who
have all the Willingness but not the courage OF
MURDER These letters were to the police.
suggesting that sfr. Ross stole his own child
that II his fine garden were dug ug its bones
would be discovered; that the child was not
Mr.. Ross, etc, One newspaper boldly printed
An article embedding these suggestions, was
sued Tor libel severely reprimanded by the
court, and obliged to pay heavy damages.
The uproar the country was In over this
case, and the way man, woman and child
Earned detective, thoroughly alarmed the
k~idnappers, and they deserted plan after
plan proposed 70 Mr.. Ross for The exchange,
30 afraid were they OF being intrappcd, m
the history Of civilization there has never been
2 crime like this, nor one that as thoroughly
bafied detectives.
One plan proposed by the abductors. and
which involved almost fatal consequences "a
into . yalise, start from Philadelphia at night
COON 70 New York and thence to Albany, riding
the entire distance on the platform OF the real
car, and the instant be saw 4 torch held up by
9 man waving a handkerchief he was to throw
LAA ~ IL -uA LLA4 ~