The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-15

How Mosher and Douglas Were KILLED.
Charley Roau's Fate Sealed.

The recent burglary at Bedford. which end
ed In the murder of Walker B. Adams and tho
death of three Of tho burglars, and has wound
up with the csca pc of the only Surviving bur-
Rlar from jail, recalls a famous case of at
tempted burglary. which. however, resulted
in the death of the burglars alone. though in
their death was lost the key to a mystery
which now will probably never he cleared up.
The case Is that of the attempted robbery Of
Justice Van Brunt's summer home at bay
Ridge. The two burglars were William Mo-
sher and Joseph DOUGLAS. and when !Mosher
died the key that have unlocked the nys-
terry of Ch.rlev Ross's abduction was lost, al
most certainly fore Ser.
When Justice Van Brunt, then. as now ,..on
the bench .of the Supreme Court. brought his
family back to this city for the winter, he had
a burglar alarm arranged in his house. the in
dicau,r and alarm he'll of which were placed
In the house of his brother. MIR. John Van
Brunt. next to his own.
About . O'Clock in the morning Of Dec. II,
1874, the alarm q woke Mr.. Van Brunt. wis
awoke his son Albert. and told him to 20 over
to the Judges house and see If the wind had
not blown open a blind. Albert Van Brunt
dressed himself hastily. and put a nistol in his
pocket; then he ran out. AS he neared his
uncle's house he saw a light through the blinds
of one OF the windows. He ran hack and told
his father and then woke up the Judges
and had the keys of the house. On their way
back the two men saw through the blinds two
Men moving about the Judges house, and
thrreupon woke up Mr.. Van Bruuts man
Herman Frank.
Mr. Van Brunt then Joined them, and at his
Brunt and Scott guarded the front door. Mr..
Van N,r,,oI srnnt w sna Franz Wb ahs rnari ,ab his ,in aita in.
ward. remain in those positions. for il we
move around We shall be certain to shoot one
They stood on guard for nearly an hour, Then
Mr.. Van Brunt. who had been sick, found him
raining hard:and very cold aud decided to push
thinss. He told F ank to open the nafk doc.
I Iui n the F l3tR. w aisS the & HG naSsi Ia D Gsalaf. i In.
stantly the light was extinHuished, and then
steps were heard on the cellar stairs. Mr;Nan
BrunL and Frank reached The cellar door nrst.
lust as two men appeared. Mr.; IAN Brnnt
called Halt" but was answered by tT9 shots,
fired his shotgun ut the first man. who fell
with IA cry OF agony The second man hred
the front OF the house. lie ran alp'.st into
a berl Van Brunt' 8 arms. but lodged and
fred ty 10 SLOTS vSn R r. m!m; was ne urDS him. .G 'G strikimS
his arm with his shotgun SO hard that me
breach was ,smasned' ING purEAar y1iieo
old nah fired ag.in and he droppel dead.
The man first shot had emp,isd his rcno'ter
waist down. calling for help. Nsighbors
aroused hy The firing camg, up. and Mr. Van
Brunt ana MS IartS galIeTch hI''HLh. AhS"
he was dying, and was eager T. confess;
Men, he said. II won't lie 10 YOU. Ny
name is Joseph Douglas, ard my pal ,s-Wh-
liam Mnsher. He lives IN New YORK he "a"
ny e"chst, and wa : It.! 70 GG @ur 4S.H Win at, i;
n time, he said Its no use lying nov. Mnsner
and l stole Charley Ross from Germantown.r
In reply TO questions; he s,iL; Mosher
knows all bout the child; ask MN
'Mosher is dead. tome one said
He isf' said Douglas, and .hcn they raised
hin, M, and held thp lanterns so he could SEQ
the dark heap Of Moshcr,s body.
God help his ,po3r, wife, and family said
Douglas. as they laid him down again.
Where Is Charley Ross now" the crowd
insisted. but Douglas ONLY sad:
God know? I'm, tciung {o9 me truth, l
perintenucnt alliug knows AL about us, and
WAS after us; nov he'll have us SEND nm
word, and the child will he returned safe aud
sound IN a lew days The people would have
moved him under cover but he begged them
not to, but to lei hlul dc III peace ana they
So endet. the burglary at Judge Van Brunt's.
Mrs. MosLer. when the police questioned her,
said that her husband ny tod her that lhs
woman, and was well cared for; but she did
nnt know VINO his keepers were, or whers they
lived. A rev ud OF 1000 WAS then offered,
bur in vain. An acgohpiiee OF Mosher Vas
! Mosner's brother. He had posted letters
10 Mr.. Ross. Offering to return the child on
payment Of IL ransom. but he seemed not 10
know where Mlnsher lad concealed the boy.
years imprisonment as an accessory 10
! MUsher's "rimt.
Wostervel' was long ago re.ea sed. hut the
clue 10 the mystery of the fate or I harley hCs ~
was buried with the dead burglar MYsher neoec
4 ~ twenty-five years aSG