The Orangeburg news. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, December 12, 1874, Image 1
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VOLUME 8, K SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 12, L8T4. ~ NUMBER U
THE SAD STORY OF LITTLE
CHARLIE ROSS.
The New York Times gives the
annexed history of the noted Charlie
Rofs, whoso abduction and mysterious
disappearance make it one of the sad
?dest cases ou record :
Mr. Christinn K. Ross, father of the
abducted child, Charlie Ross, is rcpor
ted to bo in a sinking condition. It is
said that for several days past his rcasun
has been growing weaker. This dis
patch, which came from the associated
press at Philadelphia, on the 15ch im-t.,
by ir.o?t persons will be deemed n sulB
cirnt refutation of the heartless slanders
that have been publish d in eonnecti-.n
with ono of the 6addest abduction cases
on record. It was lurd enough, surely,
tha?. Mr. Ross should have been robbed
of an idolized child, without adding a
thousandfold to the poignamy of his
grief by deliberate Matementa to the
effect that he himself had been the
abductor, and that the correspondence
of the supposed kidnappers had all
been written by his own hand, for the
purposo of obtaining $10,000 or 20,000
from the public. Pressed down by the
weight of this suspicion, by anxiety of
his wife's health, and l-y the continual
tortuie that came of false reports of the
discovery of his boy, it would have b?uu
a wouder, indeed, if his reason had re
nmiued unaffected.
On the 1st of July the little boy.
Charlie Ross, then four years of ago,
while plnj'ing wHi his brother, a b oy
of six. was tukmitito a buggy by two
men and carried beyond the reach of
t?arcut8, as well as detectives. The
father immediately offered a reward of
$300 for the restoration, but this O'lly
elicited an anonymous communication,
iv. whieh it was stated tint he could it u.
l>c returned for u les? sum than SHI,
000. TliO distracted father proo ptly
replied by a "p< r.^onul" in the Phi'udcl
jdiiti Jjulger that he was ready to
negotiate to the extent of his ability.
SEARCH U-Y THE POLICE.
In mi.o j?>. -r._i n.. ii ,u_
police department of Philadelphia
having been awakened to thrt necessity
of doing something to save its rcpum
tion, issued a circular d^soriljin^ tho
vehicle iuto which I bo boy wns enticed
?"a falling-top. yachtbody buggy,
painted dark all over, lined with dark
material To this \vas added the im
...ant information that the wagon was
?trawn '"by a dark b-jy or browu horse,
fifteen and a half hunds high, and
driven, it is believed, without ohectc
xcin." Then there was a description of
ithc two men who were engaged in the
ttbducation. One woro a broad brim
med straw hat, look ing us if it had been
Worn a ecason' or two, and much 8-u
browned: Tho other woro a high
crowned dark colored straw hut. One
wore u liueu duster; the other a gray
alpaca duster. One had a light, with a
tendency to sandy, complexion, sandy
mustache, and a rather rod uose and
face, and aboflt thirty years of age. and
five feet eight or nine inches high.
The other was ?vo feet eight or ten
inches high, about forty years of age,
with a mustache and full beard, or
Whifckcrs of brown or sundy color.
With such a "wild" description, it
Was not at all surprising that so many
cases of
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Jollowcd. The arrests ut Philadelphia
Were ot a piece with the character ol
tho circular. 1 he police failed utterly
to find a particle of evidence to connect
their prisoners with the crime, and the
latter had to be dischargoJ. In tho
meantime poor Mr. Rosa was receiving
unonymOUs 'letters from the kidnappers,
contoiniug^plans for tho surrender of
hin son upon payment of the ransom, at
a certain bridge in tho outskirts of the
city. He would then have borrowed
jmd begged until ho had procured the
/unount demanded, and would have had
.' his hoy, hut it was npt considered right
that public juBtioo should bo defcited
? Viewing the subject in this light, the
city authorities of Philadelphia finally
pgreed to offer a reward of 320,000 for
'?such information ua would load to tho
recovery of the boy, and the arrest und
conviction of the abductors." This was
tho u.eans of gaiuing tho services of
Allen Piokcitoo and bis men, in addi*
tiou to those of tho regular detectives of
the country, nnd the scores of amateur
I detectives who ore always ready to take
a haud when tttore is a prospect of turn
ing an honest penny. Finding so many
persons at work iu his interest .Mr. Ross
became more hupelul, and waited day
after day for favorable intelligence. Tt
was at this point thai the terrible ordeal
be bad to pass through was begun in
earnest. On the 25th day of July
fresh tears were wrung from his heart
by a telegraphic announcement that "a
suspicious apparently crazy, man."
giving the name of Myron Lcisur.:, hid
been arrested at Richmond, Va., whilo
en route to Baltimore , with "the corpse
of a child" that had died at Dayton.
Ohio. His contradictory statements
gave rise to a suspicion that the derd
body was that of the abducted Charlie
Ross. It subsequently transpired that
deceased child was only tei months old.
but it nevertheless was not considered
cruel to send a special dispatch to
Philadelphia to the foregoing e'Fect
On the 4th ot August
MR. ItOSK* HOPES WERK RAISED
by the notification that a woman, giving
the name ofjuckson, had beon arrested
at tbo West Philadelphia railroad
depot in company with a chil l th it bore
a strikiug resemblance to the littlo
Charlie. He hastened t>thedop>t. as
may be supposed, with a palpitating
heart to find that there had boan a mis
take In his sympathy fur tho child's
mother be gave her a lottcr to secure her
against further annoyance.
lie had scarcely ceased to think of
the incident at the West Philadelphia
depot when be received a dispatch from
BcnningtOil, Vermont, to the effect that
a Mrs Froderick Hamilton, of that
place, had been arrested with a child iu
her possession "o irrosp Hiding to thj
description given of Charlie Boss." The
additional infer natio.i w is vouchsafed
that -he has the ss tue colored huir and
eyes; I.is hair has been recently cut
lie is about the same age, talks plainly,
says that his name is Charlie, and that
be bad a nice homo once." Surelv this
mformtmon was enough to m ike p >or
Mr. Boss almost die of expectation.
Mr. Joseph Lewis, Mr Boss' brother
iu law, started at once for Benuington.
and arrived there only to find that the
little boy was the adopted sou of a man
iu the employ of Mr. P. T. Barunin.
Ou the 18th of August another tele
gram arrived at the Boss house.
THIS TIME IT WAS FROM OD ELL, ILLI
NOIS,
and contained an account of the arrest
of two men and a woman, "having in
their possession a child supposed to bo
tho missing Charlie Boss." The trio, it
appeared, had caused suspieio i tbroU'h
having arrived from Philadelphia abtut
a mouth previously, and furthermore ,
through thu indiscreet utterance of tho
family with whom they were domiciled
The arrest wus uiudc by direction of the
circuit attorney, so soon us it had been
represented to him that "the child was
dressed in girl's olothos, and bore a
striking resemblance toChariie Boss.'
Mr. Boss was greatly excited by this
news, uud immediately began a corres
pondence with the authoriti ts it Oldl.
The *uppos?ii Charlie was if;o ward
questioned closely, but "be failed to
givo a vat is factory aecouut of himself."
In the midst of the excitement the fact
came out (hat the little boy was t!ies>U
of cue James Heuors ui, and that "like
nearly all children of ten lur age, Jim
tnie wore a fro-rk,nol this wis rs^irdil
as evideuco of an elf ?rt to djuca.il the
boy's sex." Alter this
A HIGHLY SENSATIONAL STORY
was publishod concerning the effort of a
mythical Pittsburg detective, who had
traced "suspicious parties" to New York
city,* aud wts hourly in expectation of
encompassing their arrest. It was
stated in this conueotiou that, within a
week of a certuin date, the ro.il abduc
tors of the little Charlie had removed to
New York from their hiding place i n
PcnosylTuuin, and brought their cap
live with them. Cuptaiu Irving, of our
Ceutrul Detective force, quickly ex
ploded this statement, by informing the
publio that during the period mention
ed the utmost vigilanco had been ob
served in watching ruilroad dopota and
steambout landings. Washington, D.
C., was the next point lroaj which Mr
Ross received nows of tho diso >very of
his son. Acting upon the information
that a mysterious "Englishman and
woman" had placed a boy four years o f
age, resembling the Ross chill, a? a
boarder <u the home of "a family living
in an obscure portion of the country be
tween Tcnallytown and Brightwood,"
detectives were sent to investigate They
brought the child to Washington. The
"'mysterious English man and woman"
were subsequently arrested, ' but the
detectives wero satisfied that the family
likeness proved that tho child was
theirs."
It was on the 7th of September that
the news of the "discovery " at Washing
ton was sent to Philadelphia, b it scarce
ly had tho detectives finished their
investigations when a dispatch came
from Jeflcrsouvillo, Indium, that the
Hoss child had just been found there,
and that ho ha 1 bee t photographed ,
and his picture sent on to Pail* I:'. thi i
for id nti?cation. This proved as delu
sive as all the others.
In ten days afterwards Mr. Ross'
hopes were once more cruelly raise 1 by
the following dispatch :
"Chicago, Sopte nbcr 20. A Tribune
special from Line dn, Nobr u'ci. slys
deputy sheriff Manning, of Harlan
county, has arrested one Jackson, with
a boy who answers perfectly the do
scriptum of Charlie H.iss. The boy says
his mother's name is Belle Ross. M in
ning will leave with the man and b)y
for Philadelphia to-morrow."
The foregoing dispatches woro n >t ill
that dame to Mr. Iloss m 1 t> tho dotcj
lives at Philadelphia There wctc
Bcorcs "of others that wer; tnoru vajuu
au 1 unsatisfactory.
1'INKKllTON ?IV KS IT UP.
On the 28th of September, A Ten
Piukcrton announced that tha eise had
got the better of him, and that he was
willing to relinquish t!tc reward of 820,
000 "to the parties who shall give itifAir
mat ion which shall lead to th ) ro;)v.;ry
of tho child un I the capture of the
abductors " Un the loll iwing il ly tho
proprietors of a Reading ( IVujmA news
paper Were arrested lor libelling Mr.
Ross. It then came out in the testi
mony of the family physician that Mr
Iloi-s was "in a condition of prostration,
.in which he is unable to concentrate his
thoughts or to express his meaning."
In spite of that testimony iiich hive
been found brutal enough to make jokes
at his expense. One of these, the most
brutal, perhaps, was perpetrate I in
Philadelphia, iu front of the Adams 12.x
press Company, Chestnut street. On
the pavement stood a box laholo 1 ''Rob
ert Swan, Newcastle, Del." At about
0 o'clock in the morning a distinct cry
of "Let mc out, I'm dying " The bo*
was peized and turne 1 upon its side and
the voice, which it was now plainly evi
dent came fro n the inside, cried, "Oh.
don't; you hurt me. Let mc out." The
reporter, who was present, may now bj
left to describe what followed in his
own way : '"Excitement was at fever
heat, and threats of lynching the partv
who had shipped the box were freely
uttered. In a few moments the who'e
neighborhood became aware ol'tho fact
that the lost boy, Charlie Itofs had been
found in a box at the express o!Hce.
About the express office things wero
aasutuiiig a highly interesting phase.
Some shouted to burpt open tho box;
others exclaimed it would be illegal.
Many hooted tho idea of stopping to
inquire into its legality, and 11 to 1 .
The boy will bo dead before y io git it
'open' FinaPy, Wat ren appeared with
an axe and wont at the box. You could
hear the leaves on the trees flutter over
head, and every sir Ac the axe made was
distinctly heard wu the cor ler below,
while, "I'm dying hurry,'camo from the
inside in a faint voice. The top is loose;
another stroke, and off it flics. A huul
red pair of eyes anxiously peer into tho
box. * * * Sold ! aud such a sell
is not up iu record, while but lew, tho
'initiated' only, imagine for a m i n mt
that all tho furore was crcato 1 by the
quiet little gentleman leaning calmly
against tho awning polo, twenty feet
away and uttering not a word. It was
j the 'King of Ventriloquists.'" It was
no wonder that poor Mr. Ross lost his
reason. He aud his futility h ivo beju
treated with savago cruelty. The re
1 fusai of this uufurtuuutc gentleman tc
' submit for publication a aeries oflottard
i\om the kidnappers, lull ol* tho moat
djisgustiug personalities, was made the
biisis of cowardly and heartless slanders.
r\ gcntlouian connected with the staff
ojf tho Springfield Republican, who was
permitted to examine some ofthennony
idous letters, promptly mad') a fincer-.;
and cl iboratn defense of Mr. Ross. In
the moantime
THE WORK OK " DISCO V Bill NO" TUB
STOLEN HOY OOES ON
in the same unsatisfactory manner. On
tljo 4th ol the present month he was
'?found" at New Haven by ' a gentle
man, while entering .1 dint ng room, with
a '.woman claiming to be his mother.
The gentleman made arrang'emonts to
have them followed, but after pursuing
thorn some time tho trail was lost II !
is confident he saw tho kidnapped boy."
The very latest "discovery" was made
among a band of gypsies within a few
miles of Wcstchcstcr, Denn. A child
"very much resembling the boy, Charlie
Brewster Boss," was d ttectcd in the
gypsy camp. Tlu dispatch siys : '?The
likeness to Charlie is very striking II c
is closely watched and cannot be appro
ached. Olfiecr Car pen tor has tha case
in hand, and has telegraphed M tyor
Stokely to sea l some on 51) sec au 1
identify tho b ?y."
Thus the case drags along, while the
heart broken mother is daily fed with
new hope of getting back her boy, and
the' poor father?is tho dispatch head
iitg this article states?is in "a sinking
condition."
???-?
Tho Power of ! mtvgination.
Alexander Pumas published some
time nt'O, in a daily Baris paper, a nor
cl in which the horione, prosperous an 1
happy, is assailed with consumption:
All the gradual symptoms were most
touehingly described, and the greatest
interest was felt lor the hcriono.
One day the Marquis de Dalomicu
called on him.
'Dumas,' said he, 'have you compos :d
tho?nd of the story ut.w buing publish
?Of con-ve *
'Does the bcroino die at the en 1 ?'
?Of course, dies, of eiurso?dies of
consumption. Alter suuh symptoms
as 1 have described, how could she
live?'
'Von will have to make her live
You must ( hange the catastrophe.'
'L can not.'
;\ os you must; lor on your heroine's
life depends my daughter's !'
?Your Daughter's V
Yes. She has all the various symp
tons of consumption you have describ
eil and watches mournfully for every
U'.mbcr of your uovel, reading her own
f.te in )our heroine's. Now, if
yiur heioin ? live, my daughter, whose
imagination has been deeply impressed,
wiil live too. Come, a Ii 'a to save is a
tnnj tattoo ?'
? Not to be rcsi?te 1.'
Dumas changed his last chapter,
li- luorine recovered, au 1 was hap
'}'?
About live years afterwards Dumas
met the Marquis at a party.
'Ab, Dumas!' he exclaimed, 'let me
'ntroducc you to my daughter; she owes
it r life to you. There she is.'
'That line handsome woman, who
ooks like Joai ne d'Are V
'Yes, she is married and has four chil
reii.' '
And my novel, has four editions,'
aid Dumas; .so we ate quits.1
At the close ol the lato session of the
Jourt at Greenville, Judge Cooko gave
lOtice to the members ol the bar that
le would require them hereafter to
j.vcar the regular court habit ol black,
lie directed the Sheriff to provide him
keif with a cocked hat and sword, which
ho must wear as he escorts the Judge to
the scat of justice.
A ^oung man in Daiilit Id Iowa, re
ceived a letter front his girl lsat Suuda'
and, live minutes after raadiug it, shot
himself dead. 13vcry woman in the
town would give teu years of her lifo to
know what the letter contained that
made the youtig man feel.so.
How to be a Christian?don't think
boaveu was madj for the exclusizo uso
of yourscll and friends.
A View to Lookout Mountain Bat
tic Field.
Polking among the crevices with awal
king cane Was amclnnclioly, one armed
man, who wc thought was a soldier; and
vc wondered if ho had como back, after
the battle to look for tho lacking arm
He seemed so sad?so thoughtful?and
as he stirred awny the fallen leaves with
his stick,wo wondered if his memory
was not poking around among the orack
and crevices of tho past to uncover what
had once been on that very spot. And
we concluded he wis a good man to in,
tcrview, and L approached him and
suid
'You seem familiar with this place
sir.'
He took a sort of inventory of him
Fclf, as it to sec what led me to such a
supposition, nud replied very quietly:
No, sir; I have never been here be
fore'
?Ah! Some personal intorest in the
spot, I suppose?' Your regiment, per
haps, was in tho buttle?'
'No, 1 never was in the army.'
?Ah ! but, uh ! 1 ch, wc ch, my friend
there and I were wondering if you did..'.,
lore your arul in the battl c.'
'That arm, sir,'he said 'was snaked
in a raw mill,' and he left mo liko a
man who was terribly borcl.
That interview didn't turn out to
suit us, and we thought wc would have
souio fun with the colored troops, (.-all
iug a mtiniuoth lump ofebony to him,
my friend u-ked :
?What do you call thi? a b.itlte ground
lor V
'Cam. der wuza fight here sah.'
' -Vho fought V
'Mas?a Gcr.,1 Hookah, sah; an' 1
don't 'now de other gentleman's natin,
sah; I disrcrnenibah dit just n>w.'
'Which licked V
?Massu (jcti'i Hojk ill, sah, of course'
What did they fight about?'
'Well, sah, I don't just reckon what
this beau fight was 'bout; do whole
fight, sah, was to free do niggnh, sab.'
'Who owned the nigger, Hooker or
the other man r
Pompy's eyes opened till they looked
like two round agites. He loo'cdd at
my friend and then locked at mo, then
In; looked over to his companions, who
were ihoutitig ami laughing at the an
tics of one of thoir number in a swing;
but he didn't reply. My fr.cnd spoke
sharply;
'W-w-w-ubar's you bin?' Who is
you, uxin' me dis?axin' dis chile who
owns dat niggah V Whar's you bin?'
'I ve been all nround here, but I
didn't sec any fi^ht. When was the
?ght V
'Kight smart run of time since dat,
sah; dat's a good while ago; boss, dat
was.
'What sort of a tight wos it?a prize '
light V
'A which, sah ?'
'A prize tight. Did they for n a ring
and pound each other with their fiits ?
Did Hooker mash up the other fellow
with his lists ? Who got the first kn >ak
down ?'
The expression that grew on that
man's face?tho transformatio i seme
passed over that man's features was a
better answer to tho qujstio i th in his
tongue could have given. Pirst a lo>k
of bewilderment, then of ami >yauoo,
then of ntty contempt, a i 1 utter disgust
successively, till be turned silently and
walked back to the party, seeming to
wunder which was the greatest fool, he
or we.
A swell, while being measured for a
pair of boots, observed : "Make them
cover the calf." ''Impossible I" exclaim
ed the astonished boot maker, surveying
his customer iroin head to foot, "ain't
leather enough on earth!"
"Press do Lord for do multiplication
table for it was of dat tablo dat da good
Lord eat do fiippor, my brodorou," is
what we are reliably iuf'ormcd a colorod
nxhorter said iu addrcssiug his audience
no loug ago.
Upou the marriage of oo? cf hor com
pauions, a little girl nb >ut oloven yens
of age, of the same sohool, siid to hoi*
pa ' Why, don't you think Amelia is
married, and hasn't gone through frao
tiuus yet-'
Old Dutch Proverbs
We must row with the oars we havej
and as wo cannot ordorlhe wind we are
obliged to sail with the wind that God
gives.
Patience and attention will bring uo
far. If a cat watches long enough at
the mouve nest, tho mouse shall net
escape.
Perseverance will obtain good oab
b ages and lettuce whero otherwise noth
ing but thistles grow.
The plowman must go up and down,
and whatever clso may be done, there ia
no other but this long way to do the
work well.
Learn to sleep with one eye open. Aa
soon as the chicken goes to roost, it is a*
good time for the fox,
If weary with walking, your portion
soon will bo meager
Grind while tho wind is fair, and if
you neglect, do not complain of God's
providence
Gcd gives feod to every bird, but ho
docs not bring it to tho nest, in like
manne r be g'^ea us our daily bread, but
by means of our daily work.
Rise early, then the fisherman find-*
Iiis worms.
The dawn of day has gold in its
mouth.
lie that lags bchiud in a road whero
many arc driving always will bo ia a>
cloud ol dust.
Items.
Von Arnira's father hid eleven broth
crs, of whom five fell at Waterloo.
The market value of yews largely de
pends ou who is pastor or rector of }he
church in which they are situated.
A house maid in Chicago had her
hair to turn white in n single night last
week. She fell h-ui forimnt into*
flour barrel.
An old lady, upon taking her first
ride in the cars, remarked, when the
u uln ran off tb? testete. You _ fetch jqjL.?
rather sudden, don't ye '/'
The season approaches win a the ba 1
man wants to find if his neighbor is g>
ing to have a big wood pile, anl if he is
near sighted.
A Pittsburg woman was cured of
ppcechlulncss by the prayers of a priest
II er husband is now prowling around
after the priest with a shot gun.
If the patient does not recover his
health, ought the physician to recover
his fees 7 If the doctor orders bark,
has not the patient a right to growl T
When one learns that205,800 ponnda
of faUe hair wore aotu illy sold in Paris
in one year' what a sad and sawbusty
sort of Sahara this world does see to.
A Nevada silver miner changed hia
clothes the other day, for tho first time
in twenty two months, and then only
because ho was sick, and the doctor or
dered it.
An Indiana clergyman sued a nawj
paper for libel anj dropped deal with
in a week. The Detroit Free Press saya
these fellows will learn something by
and by,
A Boston auctioneer has in his pos
session an umbrella seventy two years
old. It was built in England^ Poyte
are rcquostcd to limit their/contribution
to thrco stanzas.
The ouly excuse a Tonnessee man
had for shooting a stranger, was that
the strangers namo was Moses Bogar
dus Smith lie said nobody could bring
that name into Teunesseo and live
Mr Bcrh attention Is called to the
fact that a number of women plaoa their
furs away in snuff during tho summer
Hundreds of m ?th have saoozad their
In ads of ia consequence.
Milwaukee Sentinel: A Chicago
young lady is visitiug our fair, waved
her hand i nthusiattically during the
raco yesterday. Grangors off thought
it was a new patent five barrod gate
There arc no millionaires in Turkey
When a Turk his accumulated anything
beyond uine or ton thousand dollars th>
boss Turk of all orooks his fingers at
him, whispers, come down money,' and
tho balanco ia handed over or off goes
his head