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297:. Holmes Van Brunt, Charles' brother who lived next door, gathered armed members of his household to stop the intruders in the act. Holmes's group entered Charles's house and brought down both burglars with a torrent of gunfire. The burglars, Bill Mosher and Joe Douglas, were career criminals who had recently been released from jail. Mosher was killed instantly from the gunfire. Douglas was mortally wounded, but managed to live approximately two more hours and was able to communicate with Holmes.
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only absurd, but the man's story seems unconvincing. We've long ago given up hope that
Charles ever would be found alive." As Blair's claim went uncontested, the court ruled that he was "Charles Brewster Ross" in March 1939. Despite the ruling, the Ross family refused to recognize Blair as their relative and did not bequeath him any money or property from their parents' estate. Blair briefly moved to
267:, who had millions of flyers and posters printed with Charley Ross's likeness. A popular song based on the crime was composed by Dexter Smith and W. H. Brockway, entitled "Bring Back Our Darling". Several attempts were made to provide the kidnappers with ransom money as dictated in the notes, but in each case the kidnappers failed to appear. Eventually, communication stopped.
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301:
reason admitted that he and Mosher had abducted
Charley Ross. Douglas is believed to have reported that Ross had been killed, or that Mosher knew where the boy was, possibly adding that he would be returned unharmed to his family within a few days. Douglas did not give any clues to Ross's location or other particulars of the crime and died soon afterwards.
319:
told
Christian that his son had been alive at the time of Mosher's death), there was virtually no evidence to tie him to the crime itself. Walter, for one, insisted that Westervelt was not one of the men in the carriage that had taken them away. Westervelt was found not guilty of the kidnapping. However, he was found guilty of a lesser
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252:
communications generally requested a ransom of $ 20,000 ($ 400,000 today). The notes cautioned against police intervention and threatened
Charley's life if Christian did not cooperate. While the kidnappers had assumed the family was wealthy because of their large house and Christian's ownership of a small
304:
Charley's brother Walter was taken to New York City to look at the bodies of Mosher and
Douglas so as to determine if they were the men from the carriage ride. Walter confirmed that they were the same men who had taken the boys from in front of their home the previous summer. Mosher in particular was
740:
Charley was the nickname of
Charles Brewster Ross, who was abducted from his home in Germantown, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1874, when he was just four years old. ... This site was named in honor of Charley so that his memory, and the memories of all other long-missing people in this country, would not
419:
procedures, DNA was collected from a male descendant of each of two suspected brothers, Harrison Miller and Nelson Miller (aka
Gustave Blair). DNA analysis determined they had a “99.99903% probability of kinship” meaning they were, in fact, brothers. They shared the same paternal lineage, a perfect
300:
There is no clear consensus regarding exactly what
Douglas said as he was dying, as all who were present to witness were too shaken by the night's events to give accurate reports. It is thought that Douglas may have said that lying was pointless, as he knew he was mortally wounded, and he for this
401:
court to recognize him as the real
Charley Ross. Blair claimed that after he was abducted, he lived in a cave and was eventually adopted by a man who told him he was Ross. Charley's older brother, Walter Ross, dismissed Blair as "a crank" and added, "The idea that my brother is still alive is not
350:
Christian and his wife continued to search for their son until their deaths (Christian died in 1897 and his wife in 1912). They followed leads and interviewed over 570 boys, teenagers, and eventually grown men from around the world who claimed to have been
Charley. All proved to be imposters. The
318:
Former Philadelphia policeman William Westervelt, a known associate of Mosher (and his wife's brother), was arrested and held in connection with the case. He was tried in 1875 for kidnapping. Although Westervelt was a friend and perhaps a confidant of Mosher (while in prison awaiting trial he had
251:
Christian K. Ross, the boys' father, began receiving ransom demands from the apparent kidnappers. They arrived in the form of notes mailed from post offices in Philadelphia and elsewhere, all written in an odd hand and in a coarse, semi-literate style with many simple words misspelled. The
242:
pulled up to the residence and the boys were approached by two men who offered candy and fireworks if they would take a ride with them. These two men were known to the boys, as they had been visiting with candy in the days preceding July 1. So the boys agreed, and were transported through
309:
or cancer). Walter himself was asked to identify the bodies of Mosher and Douglas, and he confirmed they were the kidnappers. For most, the issue of who the men in the carriage were was settled beyond reasonable doubt, but Charley Ross was still missing.
410:
Gustave Blair's victory in the Maricopa County courtroom was met with considerable skepticism but was reported at the time to have solved the disappearance of Charley Ross. In 2011, descendants of the family Blair claimed had adopted him commissioned a
351:
Rosses eventually spent approximately $ 60,000 looking for their son. In 1924, newspapers ran stories about the case to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Ross's abduction. By that time, Walter was an adult and was working as a
358:
The case, and in particular the fates of Mosher, Douglas, and Westervelt, served as a deterrent to other potential ransom kidnappers: it was a quarter of a century before another high-profile ransom kidnapping case emerged, with
406:
and attempted to sell his life story to a film studio but was unsuccessful. He eventually moved to Germantown with his wife before moving back to Phoenix. Blair died in December 1943 still claiming that he was Ross.
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Philadelphia to a store where Walter was directed to buy fireworks inside with 25 cents ($ 6.73 today) given to him. Walter did so, but the carriage left without him. Charley Ross was taken away and never seen again.
343:
in order to raise money to continue searching for his son. By 1878, the media interest in the case had begun to wane. To renew interest, Ross had the book reprinted and began giving lectures in
305:
very identifiable because he had a distinctively malformed nose, which Walter had described to police as a "monkey nose". (The cartilage of Mosher's nose had been destroyed by
385:
The common admonition "don't take candy from strangers" is said to have come from Ross's abduction. The Charley Project, a major missing persons database, is named for Ross.
433:
226:
On July 1, 1874, four-year-old Charley Ross and his five-year-old brother, Walter Lewis Ross, were playing in the front yard of their family's home in
454:
962:
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charge and served six years in prison. He always maintained his own innocence and swore that he did not know the whereabouts of Charley Ross.
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noted a prank had been played on a public address announcer by someone getting him to continually summon a "Charles Ross" to the press area.
577:"(still image) Philadelphia, PA. -- the trial of William Westervelt, an alleged accomplice in the abduction of little Charlie Ross, (1875)"
1021:
812:
Everly, Thomas. “Searching for Charley Ross.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, vol. 67, no. 3, 2000, pp. 376–96,
758:
685:
218:
to receive widespread media coverage. His fate remains unknown, and his case is one of the most famous disappearances in U.S. history.
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481:
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957:
355:. In interviews, he said that he and his three sisters still received letters from middle-aged men claiming to be his brother.
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Gustave Blair vs Walter L Ross, et al, “In the Superior Court of Maricopa County, State of Arizona - Judgement, May 9, 1939)
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371:
914:
637:
1011:
972:
Christian Ross, The Father's Story of Charley Ross, the Kidnapped Child (John E. Potter, 1876) Book at Archive.org
576:
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match. Gustave Blair was born into the Miller family, not adopted, and as such could not have been Charley Ross.
900:
886:
872:
1026:
260:. Seeing no way to pay the ransom, Christian went to the police. The kidnapping soon became national news.
263:
In addition to the heavy press coverage, some prominent Philadelphians enlisted the help of the famous
398:
281:
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Life, trial and conviction of William H. Westervelt, for the abduction of little Charley Ross ...
367:
152:
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210:(born May 4, 1870 – disappeared July 1, 1874) was the primary victim of the first American
788:"Philadelphia Boy Still Missing; Charlie Ross' Brother Declares Claim Of Blair Ridiculous"
8:
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837:""I am Charley Ross: Gustave Blair, Nelson Miler and the Crime that Changed a Nation""
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Two years after the kidnapping, Christian published a book on the case titled
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977:"I Want To See Mamma Once More" Words by George Cooper, Music by E. Mack
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Ransom Kidnapping in America, 1874–1974: The Creation of a Capital Crime
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store, the truth was that the family was heavily in debt due to the
579:. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations
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edited by Marion Elizabeth Rodgers, 1991, Doubleday, pp. 337-339.
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293:, New York, the house belonging to Judge Charles Van Brunt was
215:
93:
33:
1874 likeness of Ross as published on his missing person poster
28:
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be forgotten. His pictures also appear on the website banners.
459:
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Charley Ross Kidnapping
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630:
City of Brotherly Mayhem: Philadelphia Crimes and Criminals
984:– missing persons database named in honor of Charley Ross.
509:"PEOPLE Explains: Infamous Kidnappings Throughout History"
393:
In 1934, Gustave Blair, a 69-year-old carpenter living in
537:
Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence
880:
The Father's Story of Charley Ross, the Kidnapped Child
341:
The Father's Story of Charley Ross, the Kidnapped Child
482:"Little Charlie and the Crime That Shocked the Nation"
814:
https://journals.psu.edu/phj/article/view/25641/25410
866:we is got him: The Kidnapping that Changed America
655:
575:Digital Collections, The New York Public Library.
936:William H. Westervelt (Defendant), E. E. Barclay
998:
415:study, which disproved Blair's story. Following
335:Headline in 1924 referencing the 1874 kidnapping
285:reporting the shooting at Judge Van Brunt's home
600:Dr. Mary Walker: An American Radical, 1832–1919
835:Miller, Rodney and Larry D. (December 2021).
658:The Crime Buff's Guide to Outlaw Pennsylvania
16:1874 kidnapping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
988:Works by or about Kidnapping of Charley Ross
656:Franscell, Ron; Valentine, Karen B. (2013).
506:
753:
751:
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686:"Kidnapers Used Candy To Lure Charley Ross"
651:
649:
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963:"Bring Back Our Darling" sheet music cover
782:
780:
480:Porterfield, Waldon R. (October 2, 1974).
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903:(Southern Illinois University Press, 1978
602:. Rutgers University Press. p. 165.
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123:William Westervelt (accused of being an
947:(Barclay & Co., Philadelphia, 1877)
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103:Charles Brewster "Charley" Ross, aged 4
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455:""23 Letters - A Child Lost Forever.""
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378:in Philadelphia, newspaper columnist
1017:Missing person cases in Pennsylvania
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931:(Little, Brown & Company, 1967)
684:Towne, Vincent (December 9, 1941).
568:
372:1936 Democratic National Convention
265:Pinkerton National Detective Agency
13:
1022:Incidents of violence against boys
539:. Simon and Schuster. p. 38.
14:
1048:
951:
461:. Penn State University Libraries
1032:1874 crimes in the United States
917:(Scholastic Book Services, 1976)
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453:DeVito, Brittany (Spring 2010).
289:On the night of December 13, in
1037:Kidnapping in the United States
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765:. December 16, 1943. p. 15
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434:List of people who disappeared
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711:The Impossible H. L. Mencken,
660:. Globe Pequot. p. 107.
507:People staff (May 23, 2018).
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366:While waiting for President
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221:
7:
725:"FAQ – The Charley Project"
427:
270:
10:
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1007:1870s missing person cases
875:(The Overlook Press, 2011)
841:Searching for Charley Ross
632:. Otis Books. p. 33.
258:stock market crash of 1873
230:, a well-to-do section of
22:Kidnapping of Charley Ross
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958:Article at UShistory.org
816:. Accessed 13 Apr. 2022.
794:. May 9, 1939. p. 1
559:"Beautiful Shore Road",
313:
282:The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
164:Westervelt tried in 1875
1012:History of Philadelphia
792:The Evening Independent
690:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
598:Harris, Sharon (2009).
44:; 150 years ago
889:(John E. Potter, 1876)
336:
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908:Great Unsolved Crimes
759:""Charley Ross" Dead"
486:The Milwaukee Journal
368:Franklin D. Roosevelt
334:
278:
1027:1874 in Pennsylvania
892:Ernest Kahlar Alix,
763:The Montreal Gazette
562:Brooklyn Daily Eagle
535:James, Bill (2012).
63:, Pennsylvania, U.S.
982:The Charley Project
922:Little Charley Ross
729:The Charley Project
628:Avery, Ron (1997).
389:Gustave Blair claim
291:Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
118:deathbed confession
23:
337:
287:
137:William Westervelt
116:Joe Douglas (gave
21:
667:978-1-4930-0446-1
609:978-0-8135-4819-7
565:, August 31, 1890
546:978-1-4165-5274-1
370:to appear at the
361:Edward Cudahy Jr.
197:
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193:6 years in prison
42:July 1, 1874
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992:Internet Archive
920:Norman Zierold,
906:Louis Solomon,
878:Christian Ross,
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238:. A horse-drawn
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279:Headline in
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232:Philadelphia
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61:Philadelphia
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967:sheet music
798:December 3,
769:December 3,
696:December 3,
492:December 3,
404:Los Angeles
353:stockbroker
113:Bill Mosher
82:, possible
1001:Categories
901:0809308495
887:1275753337
873:1590200861
440:References
422:STR marker
321:conspiracy
228:Germantown
212:kidnapping
175:Not guilty
153:Conspiracy
148:Kidnapping
125:accomplice
76:kidnapping
49:1874-07-01
945:942285029
929:709440306
846:April 13,
583:April 13,
465:April 13,
363:in 1900.
327:Aftermath
254:dry goods
222:Abduction
134:Convicted
734:July 10,
428:See also
420:37/37 7-
307:syphilis
271:Suspects
240:carriage
190:Sentence
84:homicide
57:Location
990:at the
520:May 25,
295:burgled
204:Charley
169:Verdict
142:Charges
108:Accused
100:Missing
47: (
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543:
514:People
345:Boston
247:Ransom
216:ransom
181:Guilty
94:Ransom
90:Motive
413:Y-DNA
314:Trial
161:Trial
965:and
941:OCLC
925:OCLC
911:ISBN
897:ISBN
883:ISBN
869:ISBN
848:2022
800:2014
771:2014
736:2023
698:2014
662:ISBN
634:ISBN
604:ISBN
585:2022
541:ISBN
522:2018
494:2014
467:2022
214:for
208:Ross
68:Type
39:Date
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
