The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-17
STORY OF CHARLEY ROSS.
Mr.. Ross Relates the History Of His Great
Domestic Affection.

Philadelphis Letter in Cincinnati Enquirer.
stood for long time before picture yes
terday, the life-size portrait of a lovely, laugh
ing child The face was that Of a boy Of four
years, fair and dimpled, with little rosy mouth,
just made for kissing, large, clear brown eyes,
through which happy little soul shone brightly,
and soft, faxen curls shading broad, white
brow, and falling about round, white neck.
One could imagine how the artist enjoyed
putting that witchery of color and baby out
line on canvas, how proud the mother VINO
clasped the original in her arrhs-nee1r own 4e',
if those rosy lips could part, and the voice Of q
a soul take sound, should we not hear in childish
accents the familiar words of David: Let me
fall into the hands of the Lord, but let me not
fall into the hands of man."
'aThat is Charlie, my little Charlie said the
master of the house, sadly; and looking from his
careworn, nervous face to the cherub vision on
the wall for the first time an understanding of
the tragedy of Charlie Ross dawned upon me;
and for the benefit of the new generation and
those to whom the tiny hero of a mournful tale
has been but newspaper myth, lam going to
take up the freshest threads of well-worn
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 broad and beautiful thoroughfare in
Germantown, called East Washington lane. On
both sides of it are handsome, substantial man
sions of gray granite, such as Pennsylvanians
love, and built far back from the road in the
midst of spreading lawns shaded by fine trees,
and sprinkled with beds of gay flowers More
hardly find, and miniature farm of few acres
now dotted with sweet-smelling haycocks next
to Mr.. Ross place. even suggested the country.
The house of Mr., Ross is spacious double
one, built of stone, and surmounted by a cupola.
1t stands on the summit of great slope, and,
with its broad piazzas covered with climbing
honeysuckles and roses. its huge baskets of
plants and ferns, and its friendly elms and oaks,
looks a secure and pleasant retreat from the
noise and turmoil, the dust and confusion of the
world
Sitting on the front veranda, remarked how
thoroughly the great hedge of fir trees at the
foot of the lawn cut off the view of the street
Eyes, said Mr. Ross, ''too thoroughly; for it
helped the wretches who stole my children to
escape with them. Ten years ago the first of
July, he continued, my little Charlie, just
four years old, and still in petticoats, was play
ing in the road with his brother Walter, Two
years older than himself While they were frol-
licking about two men came along in a 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 fre-crackers
and candy. They, fearing nothing, complied,
and were seen, as we found later, by some of the
neighbors.
when got home at o'clock to tea, Mrs
Ross and my Oldest daughter being at Atlantic
City for their health, the children had not re-
turned. The neighborhood was secured in vain,
and at o'clock, on my way to the central Office
to telegraph the police stations we met Walter
returning home with Mr. Peacock, friend Of
the family, who had found him crying bitterly
on a 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's' to buy sweets and
ire-crackers; that they had lifted him out Of the
wagon and sent him into shop to get them, and
when he came out they had disappeared with
Charlie. The police thought the men were on
drunken frolic, and when sobered would be
alarmed at what they had done and turn Charlie
adrift
The theory proved false. On the Sd of July
we advertised for him, with reward, and the
next day we received an anonymous letter in dis
guised writing, the first of series of twenty
three, which said that 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 a ransom Of
500, 1000, from which sum the kdnapers never
abated a jot, with the alternative of putting the
IL.
1t is impossible in letter to describe the
methods used for the recovery of the child and
the capture of his jailers, who demanded that
the money should pc paid in advance Of the re-
turn Of the boy. While negotiations were pend
ing, seventy thousand photographs of little
Charlie were distributed throughout the land
and tons Of posters hand-bills and autographs
sown broadcast The citizens of Philadelphia
offered reward of $40, 600 for the kidnapers, of
which reward the police volunteered to claim no
Oar mi laror Gums fnor
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 the detective bureaus Of
the whole country engaged in the search and in
Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey every
river boat and sloop, every clubhouse, STABLE
place OF Ill repute every hotel and lodging house.
tramp quarter. burglars haunt barn, mill ferry
and deserted hut was searched and every
building, private and public, in Philadelphia
gone through. The postoffce and all the letter
boxes were watched; detectives watched every
train that lett or entered the city. In fact,
human ingenuity wore itself threadbare in at
temps to recover the stolen boy.
Fraud, too, found festival in this new form
OF domestic calamity, and MIR. Ross received
thousands Of letters from spiritualists clair
voyants and mediums, from black matters of ali
sorts, including convicts in jail and mnrderers
awaiting their doom, processing knowledge of
the abductors
Then came host of those vile creations
called anonymous letters, always the work. as
Superintendent Walling says, 'sof creatures
who have all the willingness but not the courage
to commit murder These letters were to he
police, suggesting that Mr.. Ross stole his own
child, that if his fine garden were dug up its
bones would be discoverd that the child was
not Mrs Ross, etc. One newspaper boldly
printed an article embodying these questions,
was sued for 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 turned de-
tectiye thoroughly alarmed the kidnapers, and 4
they deserted plan after plan proposed to Mr..
Ross for the exchange, SO afraid were they of
being entrapped. In the history of civilization
there never has been crime like this, nor one
that has SO thoroughly baffied detectives.
One plan proposed to the abductors and
which involved almost fatal consequences to Mr..
Ross WAS that ha should MT tlta ronav- u n