The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-20
CHARLIE ROSS.
The kidnapping Of Child which
Occurred Long Ago.
By Joe Hit in Atlanta News

By Joe Hit in Atlanta News
The following is the full story Of the
kidnapping of Charlie ROSs-the most
celebrated crime of the sort since the
middle ages.
1t happened about thirty years ago,
and thought the younger generation
has never heard the details of the affair,
and in the minds of the older people
. they hove grown vague and indistinct
with time, the name f"Charlie Ross"
is as familiar to every ear as the name
of Little Red Riding Hood herself, and
his sad story is still a theme of CONVEX
sation in every land. There was never
another crime that so deeply moved
the heart of humanity as the theft and
death of this,four year old golden haired
boy. ..
The man who furnishes the facts for
the following story of the kidnapping,
is at present an Atlanta business man.
He was, for twenty-four years a PIN
kerton detective. And when the kid
mapping occurred, he was chief of the
Pinkertons' New York Bureau, and,
as such, directed the work of the sleuths
who followed the case.
The criminals and who they were ;
the crime and how it was accomplish
ed the pursuit and how it was eluded :
the fortunes that were offered in re-
wards the tragic death of the kidnap-
pers, and the pathetic end of Charlie
Ross are told fully and authentically
in this narrative.
In the little suburb Of Germantown,
lovely and historic, and hard by the
City of Brotherly Love, there is a great
expanse Of greensward near the center
of the town, whereon stands stately
and elegant mansion of red brick and
white mortar.
In days agone this stately house and
this spreading sward was the demense
of one Christian X. Ross, wealthy,
aristocrat, we'll liked by his fellow
townsmep, and unknown to fame.
And he lived there for time in quiet
happiness, with his wife and two little
sons, enjoying all the comforts and
ease which the possession of money
makes possible, and seeing fewer clouds
in the skies of life than the average
man.
Then he fell upon evil days. His rich
es took unto themselves wings and
flew away. And it came TO pass that
all he possessed vanished, save green's
ward with its house, and the wife and
boys.
Which stroke OF fortune was not suf-
ficient, however, to entirely overcast
his skies. He still had more than the
average man to make him content in
life.
Then another stroke fell. The two
boys were playing upon the sward one
sunny morning, and suddenly one OF
them vanished.
He was four-year-old youngster,
this boy. And he was exceeding Win
some. He had the face and figure of
the little aristocrat, and he wore the
dainty garments of a lady's son. His
eyes were blue and dancing. His hair
was golden and curly. His complex
ion was milk and roses. And his name
was Charlie.
The brother returned to the house
and told prattling story of how two
while they played and took Charlie
away with them to buy him some
candy-"he was such pretty boy they
said."
That occurred on the second day of
July, 1S74-a little less than thirty
years ago. And the alarmed parents
who waited, hoping that each succeed
ing second would bring to their ears
the sound of pattering footsteps upon
the graveled walk, have never seen
him more.
Two days after the child disappeared
the father received a communication,
roughly and illiteratey scrawled and
advising him that the lad had been
kidnapped and was being held for ran
som.
This set the father frantic. And he
appealed wildly to his friends for the
loan of the money to buy back his boy.
"Wait," the friends said ; 1.-THE pol
ice can catch them TO pay the ransom
would be to invite other crimes OF, the
sort"
He saw the reason in their argument
and waited.
The police were set upon the track of
the kidnappers, and the story of the
kidnapping was sent out to the press.
It was new crime, this kidnapp-
ing of child. And it so appealed, in
all its many phases, to the hearts OF
men, that q search such as never seen
before was instituted.
And day after day the writers Of the
press furnished fresh inspiration to the
searchers. They painted word-pict-
ures of the charming little fellow tortur-
ell by the rough usage OF his cruel
captors, and sobbing for his mother
and little brother. They described
the silent anguish of the father the
wondering grief of the brother
and heart rending tears of the
mother, as week followed week with
out developing a trace of the where
abouts of the. goldenhaired one. They
said, these writers, that the captors
would probably murder the boy and es-
cape the country unless quickly appre-
hended. They declared revengeful
mutilatlon upon the little body was
likely to be perpetrated and they ap-
pealed, by one means and another, to
everybody to join in the search.
Christian Ross friends later came to
him and rendered the money he had
asked and more in addition, and said :
''Give the kidnappers this-in our
name ~
And individuals all over the country
rose up and offered rewards for them.
and for the child, And in Philadelphia
party of rich men, among them
Childs, Drexel, and others, met togeth-
and resolved to employ the best detec-
tive talent in the world at their own
expense.
They sent to the Pinkertons, these
millionaires, and told them to put a
man on the trail and spare no expense.
1--WE will pay all costs and add five
thousand dollar bonus, they said.
o. Later they doubled the bonus.