Charley Brewster Ross was a young child who lived in Philadelphia, Pa, and on July 1, 1870, they kidnapped him at four years old.
The story is interesting because it’s one of the earliest cases where ransom notes were used to extort money from the victim’s family in the kidnapping.
Imagine having your child disappear, never to be seen again?
Well… that’s what happened to Charley Brewster Ross parents.
Audacious child abduction news began in 1874.
To clarify…in 1874, two men in a horse-drawn buggy pulled into an affluent neighborhood in Philadelphia and befriended two little boys who were playing in front of their home. 
They visited and talked with Charley Ross and Walter Ross during the following five days, giving them candy to gain their confidence.
Another critical point that Walter told was that two men driving on the Lane in a buggy had given him and his brother Charley candy on the following days:
- Saturday, June 27, 1870
- Monday, June 29;
- Tuesday, June 30;
Then once again…
On July 1, 1874, the men pulled up as usual, but this time they offered to take the boys to buy candy and fireworks for the upcoming Independence Day holiday, and the boys agreed to go.
After driving away, the men stopped and sent Walter into a shop to buy fireworks alone.
But when the boy came out, he discovered that Charley and the two men in the buggy were nowhere to be seen. He looked up and down the street and did not see them.
A little girl who saw confirmed Walter’s story about the men giving him the money and directed him to the cigar store.
Likewise, she saw the kidnappers drive up to Palmer Street to the first small street, turn the corner, and disappear.
Sadly, that was the last time Walter saw his brother.
Walter Ross’ father, Christian Ross, received the first of 23 ransom letters from the kidnappers shortly after returning home. The letters demanded $20,000 for Charley’s release.
However, despite living in a wealthy part of town, the family’s fortunes diminished. So, he refused to pay.
Because of his refusal, people have made a torrent of negative comments toward him.
In response to the negativity, … Christian Ross responded by writing a book in which he explained himself and described his anguish at the loss of his son and the toll it took on his family.
Having been unable to afford the ransom, it forced him to go to the Police.
That said, the Police would arrest a gang member, William Westervelt, who was a disgraced Philadelphia police officer and brother-in-law of William Mosher, another kidnapper…
Anyway, Westervelt insisted he was not involved in the actual kidnapping; however, the Police were convinced he was complicit in the abduction.
The confession
Despite being in prison waiting for his trial, Westervelt told Mr. Ross that Charley had been alive when William Mosher was killed.
In August 1875, Westervelt went on trial for the kidnapping of Charley Ross.
Despite being found not guilty of kidnapping, he was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to six years in prison.
Christian Ross’ ordeal didn’t end with the deaths of Mosher and Douglas or the incarceration of Westervelt.
In 1876, he wrote The Father’s Story of Charley Ross, the Kidnapped Child, and poured all the profits from the book into the search for his son.
They posted thousands of circulars about the abduction and pictures of Charley Brewster Ross in police stations, railroad stations, post offices, and ship ports across the nation.
Additionally, over several decades, the Ross family spent over $60,000 looking for Charley Brewster Ross;
following leads and investigating over a thousand imposters who claimed to be their missing son.
One of the last and most enduring claims was that of a carpenter named… Gustave Blair. 
Amazingly, in 1939, an Arizona court ruled that Gustave Blair was Charley Ross;
Based on his testimony in court, he told the jury that he vaguely remembered being held prisoner in a cave as a small boy;
And the family who raised him revealed to him that he was a kidnapping victim.
After the ruling, Gustave Blair officially changed his name to Charley Ross and traveled to Pennsylvania, but the Ross family refused to accept him.
Meanwhile, the kidnapping of little Charley Ross was one of the great crimes of the Gilded Age, yet what happened to him remains a mystery.
To this day, Charley’s fate remains unknown despite decades of efforts;
and the tantalizing revelations of one burglar moments before his death that he had been involved in the kidnapping and knew the boy’s whereabouts.
Final Thoughts…Read more
Sadly, those men took Charley from his family at four. They died, never knowing what happened to their son.
The heartbreaking story may have happened over. a century ago… but it is still worth talking about!
Remembering…
Charles Brewster Ross
May 4, 1870 …151 years six months nine days
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Disappeared July 1, 1874 (aged 4)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Status: Missing for 147 years, four months, and 12 days
The world is a scary place. There are people out there who want to harm children, and these crimes happen every day.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, “In recent years, stranger abductions have accounted for approximately one-third of all missing children cases where the circumstances could be determined” (NCMEC).
Child abduction by strangers isn’t as prevalent as other forms, but it can still happen and should be discussed so we can recognize potential dangers before they even arise!
Tell your children...
Don’t take candy from strangers.
Source of Information