Year: 1876

DISAPPOINTED AGAIN.

 A correspondent writing from Pine Plains, N. r., Thursday of last week says:

 This obscure. out-of-the way little ham, let has been in a state of great excitement for the past two or three days because of the arrest of man and woman having in their possession boy supposed to be Char lie Ross. The telegraph will have in- forned you by this time that the boy in quewtion is not Charlie Ross. and it remains for me to tell the inner history of the whole business.

 Let me premise by saying that for months past it has been dangerous for any stranger to visit this place with any kind of small boy. Several of the villagers, whose cu- pidity had been aroused by the reported heavy rewards offered for the discovery of the Ross child, have been continually on the watch, and some of them have been possessed of 8 positive mania on the sub ject. One of this latter class, cobbler, ticularly prominent in all discussions con cerning the Ross abduction, and it has been 8 standing joke to ask him where he was going to invest the reward money, and whether he would continue to live here or go to New York, etc. Still, as will pres ently appear, some of those who laughed at his folly were hardly sound on this goose themselves.

 A gentleman in Boston who has interest ed himself in the Ross case from the be- ginning, heard some time ago that man named Parker, an accomrlice of Mosher, was travelling around the country with woman and child. Instead of securing a description of Mosher's friend, the Boston gentleman jumped at the conclusion that the Parker be had heard of was the identi- cal Harry Parker, alias Tom Richardson, got description of hin and published it in the papers far and wide. The description, with the accompanying particulars, was printed in the Poughkeepsie NeaOs and was read by the cobbler at Pine Plains. The cobbler declared that he had seen the party man, woman and boy-in the village, but as his mania was well known no notice was taken of him, apparently. Apparently, l say, for in fact his remark had attracted attention, and was destined to bear fruits. On the following day hotel keep CT named Dibble and one Place, an ex- constable, held consultation and decided to capture Parker and the alleged Charlie Ross ''on speculation" and to divide the reward. They were up betimes the next morning, and took with them their guns and dog saying they were ''going to hunt Woodcock," in order to divert suspicion. They tracked Parker to Sharon, Conn ,and there came to halt.

 The question then arose how to arrest Parker and his party. They had no war rant, could get none, and if they asked for assistance they might have to divide the reward. Dibble was non-plussed not so Place, who, with ready wit, fixed up fc- titious warrant, and on the strength of this succeeded in arresting Parker, his wife and the boy, and bringing them back to this place, where they were promptly locked up. On the road Place got very drunk in anticipation of his coming fortune, and al- ready began to complain that the banks paid such modest interest on deposits. He went further; on his arrival here, begin ming to feel jealous of his confederate, he attempted to prevent him from having any further hand in the matter, and actually told the telegraph operator not to let him See the messages sent to and received from MT. Ross.

 As to the cobbler, when he saw the par ty return he fairly wept with rage. He de- clared that it was shame to rob poor old man like him of his hard earnings, and claimed the merit of having been the first to detect the whereabouts of Charlie and his abductor. The villagers generally were anxious to see the boy, and were admitted to view hlm first at fifteen cents head, and subsequently for whatever voluntary con tributions they might choose to give him.

 At last Mir. Ross arrived, and ID hls wake came number of ladies and gentlemen from Poughkeepsie, Newburg and the sur rounding country, prepared to witness the meeting of father and child. MT. Ross saw the child with fearful eyes. Then it came to light that the Parker in custody was a tramp named George ". Parker, the man described by the respectable Boston marplot, and not Harry Parker, the man wanted; that the woman was his wife, and that the boy was his son and did not resem- ble Charlie Ross at all, and in short, that the whole business had been series of blunders from beginning to end. MT. Ross compensated Parker literally for his forced detention, compensated Dibble and Place for their trouble, paid all the bills present. ed to him, and left last evening for New. burg en route for Philadelphia, Parker and his family leaving at the same time for Sharon. While here Mr. Ross said that he was writing book descriptive of his search for his lost son, and that he has received over six hundred letters and photographs