We Is Got Him

by Carrie Hagen

  Letter 21

  NEWBURG, N.Y. Oct. 11.—Mr. Ros: You say the money is ready how is it then we can’t come to a speedy compromise if yu was anxious to get yu child and wiling to pay yu money then there is no troble about it we are anxious to give him up but only on the conditions we have before told yu you ask again how we are to deliver him to yu we told yu in our last letter plainly how we would return him to yu is not that way satisfactory yu don’t want us surely to turn him loose on the road at the ded our of night we wil never bring him to you personaly nor wil we ever take him to any one you appoint but we will take him to a strange family where it is least expected and where you will be sure to get him if the way of delivering him is not satisfactory to yu then we cannot come to terms for we are determined in delivering him to yu that no person shal see our face when we do go with him we shal be completely disguised yu ask to state plainly how yu are to pay the money that is imaterial to yu what disposal is made of it so long as yu comply with our demands which you already know all you have to do now in order to have yu child restorded to yu is to make up yu mind that yu have got to part with so many dollars and it maters not to yu what becomes of the money so long as it satisfies our demand we return yu the child. yu may have a doubt that yu may not then get yu child. we cannot give yu the child before we get the money for then we part with every compulsion to make yu pay it. we cannot hand you the child as yu hand us the money for all the power and all the law is on your side. the thing is all embodied in a nutshell. the child is of no entrensic value to us whatever, any further than to compel yu to ransom him if yu pay the ransom and we do not give him up to yu would any one else give a dollar for their child when they would have no assurance whatever of getting him. you certainly would not be full enough to pay the ransom the second time when we had not kept faith with yu the first time but yu ask he might be dead and then we could not give him up— yes he might have been dead a dozen times through your neglect to redeem him but as it hapens he has lived in spite of his close confinement again yu say we might hurried his death as we have threatened it so many times. That is true—we might but it has not come to that crisis yet so long as the inducement is held out of geting the ransom he is in a measure safe but there wil be a time when the inducement wil exaust itself when this death takes place it wil be our policy and interest to make it know n to yu at once that others may be wiser than yu—if yu should pay the ransom and then not get yu child would any one else have faith enough in us to pay a ransom when Ros did not get his child after paying for him—Mr. Ros you can rest assured with all confidence when yu pay yu mony yu wil get yu child but it wil be imposible unless you do. yu have ben living in hope of geting him without the ransom but the detectives in the case are powerless. yu get a clue every few days or rather a false clue. only a few days ago yu child was seen in New Haven. i tel you positively and tu save you trouble and anxiety that yu child has not been seen by any human being since the third day of July other than the party who have been in charge we could not take him five miles without being arrested; when we return him to yu it will be in the night time if at all when yu hear yu child is seen here or there yu can have no faith in it. for he wil not be see by any one while we have him that yu can rest assured of. yu say yu money is ready. are your eady to take a short journey and have this thing settled. Mr. Ros this continual correspondence looks to us as if it was but a ruse to get a clue to our whereabouts. We tel yu positively should they succeed in capturing one of us it would certainly prove death to yu child. Do you believe it or not—whether or not it wil not alter our decree. If yu banish all hope of ever getting yu child til yu ransom him and drop the detectives yu wil then take a rational view of the thing and see it in its true light. We told yu we were going to urope last month; part of us did go, but we expect them back in few days and then we can settle the business if yu are ready. We wil see the personals in the New York herald.

  OCTOBER 15—we had almost concluded after writing this not to send it for you ask questions that answered planly—but we wil see what you want now—if yu are ready to pay we are ready to return the child to your satisfaction.

  Letter 22

  PHILA Oct 31 Mr Ros we told you at the beginning of this bisnes we would deal with none but you the reason of this must be apparent to yu the fate of your child would depend upon your actions in dealing with us we know you would not intentionally sacrifice your child in breaking faith with us we told you in dealing with us you must act in good faith and any breach of faith on your part would be meeted out in crtain death Mr Ros if you have any relation or friend that you can delegate to this important bisines then we are ready to deal with him we care not who he may be if it be mr hines or the states attorney—we are willing to negociate with him but mr Ros we want you not to deceive yourself in this bisines for we tell you plainly his acts will involve the life or death of your child we shall regard him as your substitute in every particular and hold the life of your child responsible for his actions. Mr Ros from your answers we understood you agree to the terms we previously dictated. send your substitute to New York tuesday 3rd november with the means to settle this bisines. remember the money must be in every particular as we directed for you can accomplish nothing with us in using any stratagem for we will not release the child under any other circumstances then your carrying out the terms in good faith with us it is unnecessary for us to pledge ourselves in any way in regard to the child being immediately returned to you. all we can do or say is —it shall be our first move to restore the child after we see the money is all right. we shall spare no trouble or expense in returning the child to you safely. though it cost us five thousand we would not hesitate to use it in order to return the child. but it will not cost us ten dollars and you shal have him as safe and sound as he was on the first day of July last when he was playing in front of your door with Walter. your substitute on arriving in new York must put a personal in herald. say. John i am stoping at _____ hotel with his name in full. Mr Ros you say the money is ready and your substitute. and we are ready. then Novemer the 3d wil prove or disprove the sincerity of your action. Mr Ros you see by this we have come among you once more.

  Letter 22 ½

  NEW BRUNSWICK, November 3—Mr. Ros. it looks very strange to us that you should quible about the name to address us. is your object to keep the detectives informed of our whereabouts by having us writing you so often. it looks so but time will prove all things. our advice is to you and it is better than all the detectives combined can give you is to act squarely in this bisnes if you have any regard for your child. we think we have cautioned you enough on this point. we are satisfied the detectives are working the thing up to their interest we know all about their doings and how they are bleeding you and Mr louis out of your money you will open your eyes to their games. by the by we could tell you much about them but our place it to keep mum and yours to investigate before you give more money out. it makes us jealous to see you pay out your mony foolishly when they can give you nothing in return but a parcel of fabricated lies. we confes we are bleeding you to—but we have an equivalent to give you in return, if you child is any equivalent. you will find sooner or later that there is no other earthly party in this world to deal with than ourselves if you want to recover your child. Mr. Ros why could not your relative give any name so that we could have a name to address him? it matters not what the name is we shall regard him as yourself in every sense of the word so look to whom you appoint to transact this business for you. we tell you positivey and absoluty that on his acts right or rong square or crooked in dealing with us the life or death of yu child shall hang now. Mr. Ros you may appoint any one you please to transact the bisines with us but we want you to bear in mind that his acts are your acts and it shall be consumated just as you will it – and if you want your child safe and sound this is the final day of salvation. we have been at least under $15 a day expensive since we had him but that is our own affair. you may have been under five times that expense for what
we know. Mr Ross you must not be deceived from this because we are under expenses from keeping him that we will turn him loose should you not meet our demands. we tell you positively we could not do it we would not do it should it benefit us the whole amount of $20,000 than for the redemption of your child. you may think from this should you pay the demands. we might not then return your child. Mr Ros when you have paid our demands in good faith you have answered all we can ask of you and we tell you as we have told you before that your child is not worth one cent to us after that ony to return him to you and we would not fail in any event to return him to you for $10,000. Strange as this may appear to you yet it is our interest to do so. should you not come to our terms it is our interest that you never get him and you may rely on it you never will alive. you may think this is to cruel for any sivelized person to perpetrate but we tell you positively it is the lot of one of us to perform it if it comes to this crises. you will not be able by any quibbling to stay the hand of fate much longer from him. we have kept him over one hundred days longer than we expected. now it is for you alone to say whether he shal live or die. this is the last letter we shall we ever send you till we send you the final one revealing to you whether he is either alive or dead just as you will it to be. you need not ask more questions for they will not be noticed no answer will be returned. if you appoint anyone to conduct this business for you let him come to New York make it known through personal with any address he choses. this address will do (John Johnathan is stopping at so and so. Johnathan or who he may be must not leave the hotel till he hears from us. if you mean square bisiness have your personal in Friday’s Herald (N.Y.) and be in New York on Saturday morning. Mr. Ros bear in mind this is the last and final letter you ever receive from us unless you come to New York to close this bisiness.

  Letter 23

  PHILA., Nov. 6. – Mr. Ros: we told you in the last positively we would not write you any more. this dozing about puts us to no small amount of trouble we had left phila for New York thinking you were ready to close up the business. we told you positively procrastination is dangerous. had we accomplished what we have been fishing for the last three months your child would now have been dead but we have not yet caught the fish we wanted. yours is but a small item compared with something else. Walter said you owned the two new houses right opposite you or we should never troubled you. Mr. Ros you have asked to keep this negotiation a secret between ourselves it is a wise policy in your doings not that we fear being traped in our own game. This is positively the last from us. if you are sincere you would be anxious to settle this business if you regard the life of your child. we mean to fulfil every promise we made you in good faith. the result depends entirely with yourself whom you appoint to transact this business for yu we want at least two days notice before you come to New York for we may be 500 miles off and we ask for time to get there yu can say tuesday no 10. Saul of Tarsus. (choose your own name say i will be stoping so and so all day. do not leave the hotel wherever you may be stoping for one minute during the day). this thing must come and shall come to a close in a few days.

  notes

  we is got him

  p. 17 Their shoes got caught: Wister, Frances, 23; Callard, 54.

  p. 17 Travelers had complained: Wister, Frances, 24; Clemens, 47; The Germantown Guide, July 25, 1874.

  p. 17 They lived in caves: Callard, 13.

  p. 17 the community earned enough money: Weigley, 25, 62, 327.

  p. 17 During the winter: Wister, Frances Anne. “The Great Road,” 23.

  p. 17 General Howe’s men: Switala, 5.

  p. 17 runaway slaves found their way: Ibid.

  p. 18 After Philadelphia absorbed: Wister, Jones, 24; Weigley, 24.

  p. 18 Often, salesmen and charlatans: Callard, 101, 113.

  p. 18 In the early summer evenings of 1874: Coffin, 25; Zimmerman, 1, 3, 24.

  p. 18 on Wednesday, July 1, Peter Callahan: PI, September 1, 1875.

  p. 18 Earlier that day,: Ross, 27.

  p. 18 Laughter had echoed: The Germantown Guide, June 27, 1874.

  p. 18 Just after 5:00 P.M.: PI, September 1, 1875.

  p. 18 It was drawn by a brown horse: Ibid.

  p. 18 The driver’s face was partially hidden: Ross, 33; INA, July 23, 1874; EB, December 16, 1875.

  p. 19 the men spread a dirty, ripped lap cover: Ross, 33.

  you wil have two pay us

  p. 21 Before they went out to play: Ross, 28.

  p. 21 Charley had light-brown hair: Ross, 34.

  p. 21 Charley looked up to him and put Walter in charge: Ibid.

  p. 21 If somebody he didn’t know approached him: Ibid.

  p. 21 Neither boy shied away: This is based on the court testimonies of Mary Kidder and Peter Callanan.

  p. 21 Walter asked why: Ross, 31.

  p. 21 “No, we will take you to Aunt Susie’s”: Ibid.

  p. 22 He asked the men to identify features: Ibid.

  p. 22 Charley began to whimper: Ross, 32.

  p. 22 If somebody snapped at him: Ross, 34.

  p. 22 “Faster, faster!”: Ross, 32.

  p. 22 The passenger added liquor to it: Ibid.

  p. 22 The forefinger on his left hand: Zierold, 148.

  p. 22 “Slower, slower”: Ross, 32.

  p. 22 the wagon turned again, again, and again: PI, July 17, 1874.

  p. 22 John Hay, a young tobacconist: INA, July 31, 1874.

  p. 22 Walter ran to the intersection: Ross, 32.

  p. 23 He had a receding hairline: Photo of Christian Ross, Courtesy of GHS.

  p. 23 The Panic of 1873: Beers, 432; Foner, 512.

  p. 23 Philadelphia’s commercial and industrial: Beers, 433.

  p. 23 causing neighbors to wonder: INA, July 28, 1874.

  p. 23 Christian looked forward: Ross, 27.

  p. 23 and their two older brothers: Ross, 26.

  p. 23 Walter and Charley knew: Ross, 27.

  p. 23 Germantown and Philadelphia ordinances: The Germantown Guide, July 4, 1874.

  p. 23 Christian said they needed: Ross, 27.

  p. 23 Between one and ten acres: Ross, 25.

  p. 23 Christian owned a smaller plot: Philadelphia Public Library, Map Division.

  p. 24 “Are your boys likely”: Ross, 28.

  p. 24 Christian stared: Ibid.

  p. 24 Four days earlier: Ross, 27.

  p. 24 “No, Sir”: Ibid.

  p. 24 Mrs. Kidder hurried: Ross, 28.

  p. 24 That week, a local paper had addressed: The Germantown Guide, July 4, 1874.

  p. 24 kidnapping in America was a misdemeanor: INA, July 31, 1874.

  p. 25 “Where have you been, Walter?”: PI, September 1, 1875.

  p. 25 he had seen and heard a terrified Walter: INA, July 30, 1874.

  p. 25 “a man had put him out of a buggy”: Ibid.

  p. 25 It had served as: Callard 59, 68, 100.

  p. 25 The central office dialogued with: Berman, 86; Harring, 49.

  p. 25 Buchanan, a large, thirty-eight-year-old Irishman: GHS, Ross folder, “Buchanan.”

  p. 25 Thirty minutes later, Buchanan reported: Ross, 29.

  p. 26 The Ross and Lewis families had known: Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, 1896.

  p. 26 Christian’s grandfather was a German immigrant: Ibid.

  p. 26 the Lewis brothers owned three successful: PI, December 23, 1874.

  p. 26 Joseph Lewis owned more property than: Philadelphia Public Library, Map Division.

  p. 26 Joseph and his son Frank Lewis listened: Ross, 29.

  p. 27 Christian noticed how unusually quiet: Ross, 30.

  p. 27 The men arrived around 11:00 P.M.: Ibid.

  p. 27 repeated their belief that drunken fools: Ross, 35.

  p. 27 A thunderstorm loomed: Winner, Septimus, Diaries.

  p. 28 “head-aching weather”: Ibid.

  p. 28 men often gathered to sit: INA, July 31, 1874.

  p. 28 In search of eye witnesses: Ross, 36.

  p
. 28 His memory shocked both men: Ross 37, 42.

  p. 28 Only one paper: PL, July 3, 1874.

  p. 28 the community gathered to pray: Ross, 39.

  p. 29 A local doctor reported that: INA, July 23, 1874.

  p. 29 A handyman remembered: PI, September 1, 1875.

  p. 29 A couple of people in town: Ibid.

  p. 29 Mr. Johnson: Ross, 40.