The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11

fed himself that William Mosher had writ
ten the anonymous letters. Then began the
were run to earth they were killed in the
commission of another crime.
Friends of the Ross family had advanced
the amount demanded by the kidnapers, but
the police persuaded Mr.. Ross not to give
the money on the mere word of outlaw
fiends that they would return the child.
Several times Mr. Ross notified them by
personals that he was ready to exchange
the $4,000 for the child the exchange to
be simultaneous, but they would not agree
to tbs. The authorities urged that if the
money was paid and the abductors were
not punished, an epidemic of child-stealing
would surely follow, so the police had their
Police Superintendent walling knew
Mosher and knew that he had twelve
the East-river shipyards where the father
of the Mosher family, and some of the sons,
had also been employed. He knew, too,
that William Mosher had married Martha
Martha had a brother, William, who had
always been an idle and dissolute fellow
and who made his living by selling to the
fences on the East Side various articles
of merchandise which his brother-in-laW
had stolen. Walling sent for Westervelt
and arranged to have him appointed a pa
trolman on the police force in consideration
of WeSterVelt, acting as a stool pigeon and
bringing about the return of the stolen
boy. Westervelt, like his sister, was abso-
lutely loyal to MOsher. He was willing to
sacrifice Douglas, but was unable to do so
and at the same time save his brother-in-
Jaw. So he deceived the head of the police
force
THE BURGLARS KILLED
1t was proved that on the night of Dec.
~, 1874, Westervelt had interviews with
both Mosher and Douglas, right under the
noses of the police in New York city. His
sister was then the proprietor of a restau-
rant in the basement of the old building at
So Grand street. The basement of this
building had been occupied by a shoemaker,
and the upper floors were tenanted by
pawnbroker partly for business and partly
for residential purposes. But the fact that
he was there was not then known to the
police. Westervelt kept Mosher informed
of the police moves to the extent of his
power but the hunt was getting close when
Mosher and Douglas were killed on the
night of Dec. 10. 1874.
The burglars had sailed to Bay Ridge to
rob the untenanted house of ]. Holmes Van
Brunt, but the vacant house was fitted with
burglar-alarm wires communicating with
the house of Judge Van Brunt near by. j.
Holmes Van Brunt. his son and two hired
men responded to the alarm. The burglars
tried to dash by them, firing from revolv-
ers as they ran, but they hit nobody and
the return fire from the Van Brunts NOR
tally wounded Douglas. A moment later
Mosher, running away got a bullet in the
back and fell dead.
Douglas was revived with liquor, and
when asked who he was he, feeling that
death was but a few brief moments away
m.
When he was told that Mosher was. dead,
he voluntarily declared that he and the
other burglar had stolen Charley Ross from
Germantown but he asserted that he did
not know where the boy was. as Mosher
had taken charge of him and had never
told of his hiding place. His last intelligent
words were:
THE child will be returned home safe and
sound within a few days
He had spoken freely of himself to the
men who witnessed his dying agonies. and
had spelled Mosher's name out letter by
letter, adding:
''Mosher is married and lives in the city
but | have no home. l am single man
and have no relatives, except a brother and
a sister"
The last part of his statement was untrue.
He had married Mary O'Brlen, dish
washer in Moshers restaurant, and his
wife is now the proprietor OF hotel IN At
1antic City, n. j.. where she changed her
name by marriage four years ago. His
brother is working at his trade OF ship
caulker in San Francisco. The bodies of
the burglars were taken to the morgue. and
the widow of Mosher brought John Henry
At his undertaking establishment 100
Avenue D, Mum said last night to the
Journal representative:
Il begged and pleaded with Superintend-
ent Walling not only TO have the woman
trailed every minute in the day, but also
urged him to arrest her at once, because
believed she knew where the boy was and
that she might be frightened into telling
Walling was very angry al tie double deal
ing of Westervelt and ne thought 1t was
best to arrest him and not Mrs. Mosher
Westerveit was a miserable loafer. He
never was any good at anything which re-
Quired the services of an honest man.
had made up my mind that II he had
recovery Of the boy even before Mosher and