Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-05-24
CHARLIE ROSS AGAIN.
said To BE Living in New York State and
Acknowledged 10y His Father.

Nalu 10 lie LIVING in New York State and
Acknowledged 10y His Father
l.. G. Reno, prosperous and intelligent
farmer, living about one ard one-half
miles from Cooperstown, in this state,
says The Syracuse IN. W Standard, was
in Syracuse on business, and in the course
of conversation with a friend the subject
of the abduction of Charlie Ross was-nen-
toned as an unexplained event
"Unex plaiuedy' repeated Mr.. Reno
quickly. "Why, know Charlie Ross as
we'll as do my own brother He has told
me the story of his abduction fifty times.
He lives sight among US in Cooperstown,
and everybody out there has no other
thought than that he was the child abdsct-
ed so strangely from his Philadelphia
home fifteen or sixteen years ago. He
worked for me on my farm two years ago
from October TO April. lie has since
worked in Cooperstown on the estate of
the late Edward Clark, OF the Singer Sew
ing Machine company, and is now there.
Every other Sunday he comes to see me
and takes dinnor with me. He ia now 10
or 20 years old, fine looking young man,
bright and OF faultless habits. He is
Thought great deal of by the people
of the town. The story which / have
heard SO often from him, and confirmed
in many details by others, is that cir
Gus man and woman entitled hIm into
their carriage as he was Ginning a tree,
promising TO buy him candy. An hour
afterwards he was put on board steamer
from New York aud from there he was
taken TO Cuba. He Was taught all kinds
OF circus performances, how 10 ride bare
back, jump, and swing on the trapeze
After he was brought TO CooperstOn he
often showed up hts circus tricks in tumb-
ling about the barn and on the backs of
horses. The circus people were worry cruel
to hun. In one OF their rooms NJ the
Cuban hotel, where they stopped, they
rugged up n trapezo and trained him in
spite OF his fright, They used to beat
him with buckle end of a strap, until
his bach was all black and blue. one day
he ran screaming down stairs into the bar
room. TIE circus man followed him and
struck him with his fist in the bar room,
Telling him. The landlord interior
ed, and he matter ended in the landlord
taking charge of him. Subsequently an
Episcopal missionary in CUBA named
kinney who lived IN New York city, took
an interest in the youngster and secured
charge Of him. "The missionary took
charge of Charley for year or moro and
intrusted the boy 10 HIS father, Captain
Kinney the captain OF a steamboat line
running between Havana, and New York
city. Capt. KINNEY took him to the Coop
or orphanage t.Cooperstown, an Episco-
palian institution, the matron of which
was then and ia now n daughter of }. Feni
moro Cooper. The boy was thon years
old, believe. Captain Kinney was deeply
interested ia the boy, and suspected that
he was Charley Ross, IA did tho matron.
Whstbothered them was that he pronounc-
ed his name 'BUss, giving the Scottish &c
cent. OF cuurae he couldn't spell his name.
COrrespoudonee was entered into with Mr..
Ross and photographs obtained of Mr. and
Mrs. Rosa. The boy awakened in the mid
die of the night, showed one of the photo
graphs, and asked IL he knew who was He
said il WAS his his mother. He also indenu-
fled the likncss of his father. MIR. and Mira.
Ross wero them sent for and went TO the
orphanaRe. Nus Ross had been rendered
insane by gre; over the loss OF her son but
seemed go have d lucid interval. Twenty
menwero placed ina room aud the boy was
asked which was his father. He ran right
20 him. Ho was thon taken into room
whore there were twenty two women and
he picked ont his mother. Mr.. Ross was
then satisfied and prepared 60 take his
child away. His trunk wGs packed and
sent to the depot. Then Mrs. Ross sud
denly burst forth in one OF Ter raving
spcls and insisted that the child be taken
from her sight. The only way to quiet
her was to leave the child behind. Mr..
Ross, however, believed Charley 20 be his
son aud often visited him, wrote him fire..
quent letters and paid for his clothing
for several years But various distrae-
tions including the insanity OF his wife,
have affected Nh Ross, who seems TO have
lost all interest in his son. 1t has been
nearly year since he has written him
letter. About the time of the centennial
exhibition, Capt. Kinney took Charley to
Philadelphia and walked with him up the
street where he WAS playing whom abduct-
ed. The boy did not seem 10 recognize
anything At first, but presently began TO
stOop aud look around and then said:
That Is the tree / was on when they took
me away The matter was published in
the Cooperstovn papels at the time of
these occurrences but there we're so many
Charlie Ross stories about that time that
this story did not attract attention out
side. None Of Charley rclatiyss admit
his identity except Mr.. Ross himself. The
young man is smart aud ia bound to make
his mark in the world.n