Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-24

to him. In one of their rooms at the
Cuban hotel, where they stopped, they
| rugged up trapeze and trained him in
spite of mis- fright, They used 10 beat
him with buckle end of strap, until
his back was all black and blue. One day
he ran screaming downstairs into the bar
room. TIE circus man followed him an6
struck him with his fist in the bar-roorn,
Telling him. The landlord interfer-
ed, and the matter ended In the landlord
taking charge of him. Subsequently, an
Episcopal missionary in Cuba named
Kihney who lived IN New York city, took
an interest IN the youngster and secured
charge of Thin. THE missionary took
charge of Charley for year or more and
intrusted the boy to his father, Captain
Kinney, the captain of 8 steamboat line
running between Havana, and New York
city. Capt. Kinney took him to the Coop
er orphanage at Cooperstown, an Episco-
paiian institution, the matron Of which
was then and is now daughter OF J. Feni-
more Cooper. The boy was then years
| old, | believe. Captain Kinney was deeply
interested in the boy, and suspected that
he was Charley Ross, as did the matrou.
/ What bothered them was that he pronounc-
ed his name Russ giving the Scottish &C
| cent. Of course he couldn't spell his name
Cores pondence was entered into with Mr..
Ross and photographs obtained of Mr.. and
Mrs. Ross. The boy awakened in the mid
die of the night, showed one of the photo
graphs, and asked if he knew who it was. He
said it was his his mother, He also indenti-
fed the likness of his father. Mr.. and Mrs.
Ross were them sent for and went to the
orphanage. Mrs. Ross had been rendered
| insane by grief over the loss of her son but
seemed to have lucid interval. Twenty
menwere placed in a room and the boy was
asked which was his father. He ran right
30 him. He was then taken into a room
where there were twenty-five women and
he picked out his mother. Mr.. Ross was
then satisfied and prepared 80 take his
child away. His trunk was packed and
sent to the depot. Then Mrs. Ross sud
denly burst forth in one of .er raviDg
spells 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 to be "a
son and often visited him, wrote him fire.
quent letters and paid for his clothing
for several years. But various distrac
tions, including the insanity of his wife,
have affected Mr.. Ross, who seems TO have
lost all interest in his son. Il has been
nearly year since he has written him
letter. About the time of the centennial
exhibition, Capt. Kinney took Charley 10
Philadelo hia and walked with him up the
street where ne was playing when abdunt-
ed. The boy did not seem to recognize
anything at first, but presently began to
stoop and look around and then said:
That is the tree l was on when they took
me away The matter was published in
the Cooperstovn papers at the time of
these occurrences, but there were so many
Charlie Ross stories about that time that
this story did not attract attention out
side. None of Charley's relatives admit
his identity except Mr.. Ross himself. The
young man is smart and is bound tc make
his mark in the world"