Evening star., 1932-03-20


. to the conclusion that although silence is
q cheap virtue" it sometimes fails in its re-
ward Up to this time the leading Phiiadel-
phia newspapers had refrained from speaking
of the case, as one states in the following ex-
planatory editorial
For about 10 days past the people of this
community have been deeply moved on &C
count of the kidnapping of little boy, the son
of Mr. c. K Ross Of No. 304 Market street.
whose residence Is In Germantown The crime
is Of q nature utterly base and inhuman that
1t lis almost unknown in this country, though
common enough In some Of the countries OF
Europe 1t Is of q nature to force itself upon
the attention of every household. and to ex-
cite the most intense anxiety in the mind of
every parent
ITO thousands Of people it is the subject of
the first question every morning and of the
latest conversation every night. We have never
known sympathy with the individual grief of
q person in private life to be so universal nor
so intense desire that the perpetrators of
crime shall be hunted down and punished at
any cost.
In the midst of all this deep and strong
feeling not a word on this subject has been
printed In the editorial or news columns of
this paper. We have abstained until now, be-
cause 1t was the expressed wish of the proper
public authorities that as little as possible
should be published about the matter, and
to understand that silence could not interfere
with the efforts of the police authorities to do
their duty; whilst publication from day to
day might thwart and defeat them. This is
the answer to the numerous inquiries by letter
and In person why the Ledger has not here
tofore published anything relative to the afro
cious crime committed by the heartless villains
who have stolen the child of Mr.. Ross. Mean-
while great deal has been published else
where the subject some little of which
was probably correct in point of fact while
much of it was wholly in error. So far as
it was correct it may have played into the
hands of the thieves by keeping them par
TALLY posted, though we believe such scoun-
drels always have surer and Ito them) safer
means of information than any newspaper.
1t is nevertheless, our purpose for the present
to continue to abstain from the publication
Of any fact connected with The case that can
be taken advantage of by the thieves. Hence
what follows is confined to facts which the
thieves know better than anybody else, and
to the expression of a judgment which is be-
yond all question the judgment of this aroused
community, and this is probably as well known
to the brigands it is to nearly everybody
else
'ilT is known everywhere that little 4-year-
old boy, the son of Mr.. c. K. Ross of Ger
manCown, has been kidnapped Tnat occurred
on last Wednesday two weeks ago (July -.
The little fellow was playing with a brother
year two older on Washington lane, Ger
mantown, when two men, who were driving
in q wagon along the lane stopped to talk
to the children and offered them some candy.
The missing child, understanding that he could
get a ride in the wagon, child-like took ad-
vantage Of the opportunity, and with his older
brother, got in the wagon The men then
drove off with both.
Some hours later the wagon having In the
meantime been driven into the northeastern
part Of the city, the older boy was induced to
leave the wagon and his younger brother on
pretense of buying some fire-erackers, and
when he returned, the men and the wagon
and his brother were gone. This older brother
was seen returned to his home, but since that
time the younger child has not been seen by
any friendly eye, and his whereabouts are