Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-09-15
VICTIM OF KIDNAPPING or FIFTY
YEARS AGO BELIEVED TO
HAVE BEEN FOUND.
HAS BEEN WORKING Z.
IN GOVERNMENT ARSENAL
terestins story Of Wandorinss Over
United States-Claims to Have Been
Stolen by Indian Woman-Has Pa
pers to Prove Identity.

OF fifty years of forgetfullness, the
mystery of Charley Ross. kidnapped
heir to Philadelphia fortune, has
again been revived. Charley Ross,
five year old son Of a wealthy Ger
mantown, Pa. family, who myster-
iously disappeared from his home on
July I, 1874, whom distraught parents
squandered a fortune to find, without
success, whose story reused nations
sympathy and baffled the greatest de-
teetives, who was a dozen times false
ly reported found. and once reported
murdered. yet the report never veri-
fied-Charlcy Ross, victim of the coun-
try's most spectacular case of kidnap-
ping-had been located. At least that
is the testimony OF a startling coher-
names, dates, and places. and of pa
pers which bear out the evidence.
Charley Ross, known to his assoc
iates as Louis j. WEIGH, lives in Mo-
line. He formerly worked at the ars-
email. and has since been employed as
contractor. He now waits patiently,
I the time when he shall return to his
childhood home and reveal his identity.
This is the story as he tells it, 1t
| may be taken at its face value. but
those who are familiar with the former
accounts of Charley Ross as they
| were given publicity in newspapers
thruout the country for years after
the child's disappearance will be fore
ed to admit it bears the stamp of
| truth.
II was reported to have been hred
| away by gypsies or blackmailers. In
reality was stolen by an Indian Wo-
man. Altho some details of the event
are now vague in my mind, the occur
| ences that morning are as clear as II
it were yesterday.
my brother and were playins
with out pet dog in the yard taav
morning-the papers gave the date as
July /, 1874 Suddenly, quicker ti..r.
! a flash was being led away by the
hand, with something thrust into my
| mouth to, keep me from crying. The
dog followed for long distance.
1.-THE journey that followed remem-
| Der only indistinctly. Part of it was
IIldOC ny AkoiAS POI VI ~ oA WV "AA~->
walked with my captor for long dis
tances thru heavy forests.
| THE years that followed my abduc-
ton remember chiefly for the misery
which I<endured. If the buggy whips,
clubs, raw hides that were used on
me could be sold by the inch, I'd have
John D. Rockefeller cheated for wealth.
| TIL Indian woman-Mollie WEIGH is the
name she goes by-put alum and white
Of an egg on my eyes under the pre-
tense that they were sore and needed
| treatment. Her object was to conceal
my identity. The result is the terrible
Disagreement of my eyes which you
see today. Needless to say, / left her
| home as soon as I was old enough to
work for myself.
"This was at elmo, Texas. I drift
ed about from one place to another
and finally went to Wyoming. There
I worked hard and got rich. Today l
am worth ten thousand dollars in oil
stock and Wyoming land.
"One day there was a lawsuit. Some
| land had been willed to the two chill
dren Of Mollie WEIGH, a girl and my
SELF In order that she might secure
| the entire estate for her own daughter,
1.-The Indian decided to reveal part OF
the truth about my parentage. She
therefore testified on the witness stand
that I was not her son. The judge
was moved to sympathy for her, I
think. because Of the fact that she
was partly blind. He did not press her
for particulars as 70 my identity. BUT
| her testimony was accepted.
This was the first real evidence as
to the conviction which had been grow
ing in my mind for many years. about
my real identity. T.. had seen many
pictures in papers at various times of
the child Charlie Ross. The certainty
| came to me that 1 was he. :
But there was further dramatic
incident in the chain of circumstances.
At Rawlins, Wyoming, was sitting on
the station platform one day, when a
California bound train came thru.
| A man suddenly dashed off the train
and came running. toward me. Char
ley he cried. I had beep drinking and
I did not rouse from my lethargy. He
made himself known as Jim Ross,
brother Of Charley. Then he boarded
the train. When he returned lin two
weeks. I was gone into the mountains.
They made every effort to find me, but
! with no success. n
II do not know why did not theL