The Portland daily press., 1888-01-31
a wANpERER 20 YEARS.
The Good Fortune that Sent Rowing
John Burns to the Kennebec.
A hoy Stolen in 1865 Returned to
Home and Parents.
Methodist Beliefs and Scar on the
Neck Make II Sure.

DEANEh It ALLc, a. Odll. hAo hcWA
is much interested today in the wonderful
return of the son of Mr.. and Mrs. James
Hassey, after a disappearance Of over TWEEN
ty years. Should the long-lost Charlie Ross
be returned to his parents, the event could
be no more romantic than the reunion in the
Hassey family yesterday. In 1865 the Has
sey family lived along the Monongahela Riy-
er, eighteen miles above Pittsburg, in ALE
gheny county. They had little son, two
and half years of age, the pride of his par
ents and the joy of their home. One day in
May. 1865, the little fellow disappeared. The
most diligent search failed to find him, and
the agonized parents finally gave him up as
lost. Twenty-Five years rolled by; other
children came to them, and the lost brother
existed only in the memory of the parents as
a golden haired baby.
Not long ago there came to Gardiner, Me-,
a young man who called himself John
Burns. He had been wanderer all his life,
and not always among the best companions
OF his parents or the place of his birth he
knew nothing. But, in spite of his associa-
tions and lonely lot, he maintained such a
trustworthy character as to attract the at
tention among scores of young workingmen
VINO 1leQuenLeQ Iub henueDeC. NHlle IN
Gardiner he joined the Young Mems Christ
ian Association. There, too, he attracted
the attention of Superintendent Norwood of
the Knickerbocker Ice Company. The story
he told to Mr. Norwood reads much like a
chapter from Oliver Twist. Burns until
he was nine years old was absolutely with
out even name. The first he remembers of
himself was wandering through the interior
If Pennsylvania with a man he knew as
Jim" and two other men. These men were
low-type thieves, and they used their best
efforts to teach the boy to be thief, but he
bravely defed them, and got cruelty beaten
for it. He believes these men were part of
gang of robbers who infested the interior
of the State, and that they must have kid
mapped him. There headquarters were at
Union Depot this Jim" pulled the lad
aboard train that had begun to move out.
They rode for several hours, and at last the
boy fell asleep. When he awoke he was in
Philadelphia, and when they got off the
train "Jfm" said to him: 'If anybody asks
you who You are tell them that your name is
John Burns, and that you are nine years
DID," The boy was then taken to little ho-
tel near the Chestnut street bridge. and
"Jim" bought pie for him. While he was
never saw him again. He wandered about the
city for three weeks and then got down to
Chester, where he obtained employment In
wooden mill. Then he wandered to Bath.
Me-, and to Boston, then back to the Kenne-
bee and to the city of Gardiner where his
appearance and wonderful story brought
him friends. 81 have grown to manhood"
he said then, land after the manner | have
been knocked around am anxious to know
who / am. so to speak, and to ascertain who
and where my parents are, if such | have
living"
1t occurred to Mr.. Norwood that Burns
was the long lost Charley Ross; and the two
went to Philadelphia and called on Christian
K. Ross, father of Charley. The latter did
not think Burns was his son, and the effort
at Identification was given up. Burns went
to Lynn, Massachusetts, from which place
he drifted to Philadelphia last September.
and then over to Camden, N. j., where he
got work in AndersOn's canning factory, and
made friends who became interested in him.
He afterwards got position with house on
Arch street, this city. He has been sober
and industrious, in spite of his hard knocks,
and in Camden joined the Tabernacle Meth
odist Church.
When the call was made upon Mr.. Ross,
the Philadelphia papers got hold of the story,
and last month the North American pub
lished a long account of Burns's adventures.
This story did more for Burns than all Mr..
Norwood's kind efforts.
Three days after its publication letter
came to the newspaper from Postmaster Nc
Entire, of Fillmore, Pa, saying that he was
the uncle of a child that was lost years ago.
The child's parents were named Hassey.
The fathers first name is James, and the
mothers ReDecca. They lived at Beaver
Falls at the time the letter was written. A
day or two later letter came from James
Hassey himself. asking information about
Burns. Burns was Immediately hunted up,
and put in correspondence with Hassey.
Burns had tintype. taken, and enclosed it
in letter, describing himself as best he
could, and on Tuesday last got this letter,
enclosing ten pictures of the Hassey family.
BEAVER FALLS, Jan. "a, 1888.
Mr.. John Burns, Camden, NJ j.:
Dear sir:-Encl0sed you will find pictures of our
family. As you can see. they all differ so much in
looks that we cannot tell which one resembles an
other, so we thought we would send them all, and
you can see II you think you resemble any Of
them. We all think your picture looks like them,
as do all of our acquaintances TO whom we
have shown it. As we feel confident that you are
our lost son. we think the best thing that can be
done is for you to come and visit us. One Of us
could go and see you but that would not satisfy
the rest, as we are all deeply interested. Even If
you should prove not TO be ours, perhaps you
would enjoy visiting us for month or two, and
am sure we would be pleased to have you at your
earliest convenience. Mother thinks she would
know you as soon as she would see you, and that
perhaps, In talking and telling things thai hap
pened before you were lost, you would remember
something. Be sure to leave us know If there is
little cord on your neck left from boil 1t may
be gone. SO, awaiting speedy reply, am
MR.. AND MRS. HAssEY.
1919 Eighth Avenue, Beaver Falls, Pa.
I'VE think, If yeu are not son. you are some
relation as you are Methodist
Burns took the pictures to Mr. j. III. Og-
den, of Anderson's factory, in Camden.
When Mr.. Ogden read the part of the letter
about the scar, Burns said:
There's no scar on my neck"
LET me see," said Mr.. Ogden, Il don't be-
lieve you know yourself"
Mr.. Ogden looked carefully, and there,
sure enough, just behind and below Burns's
right ear was tiny scar almost obliterated,
yet discernible upon close scrutiny.
The young man could scarcely contain
himself. He at once set out for this place,
with the firm belief that he had found his
parents at last. His reception can better be
imagined than described. The family re-
semblances form the strongest evidence Of
family resemblance in Burns to all but three
of his seven brothers and sisters. his like
ness to two brothers, a sister and the mother