The Horrible Story Behind ‘Don’t Take Candies From Strangers’
Let’s try to find what the real-life tragedy behind this popular phrase is…
So many criminal cases are reported on a daily basis, and almost all of them make headlines on television channels, social media and other platforms. With time, these cases stop garnering attention and people forget everything about the criminals and victims. However, the one case that is still remembered by many of us is the disappearance of Charley Brewster Ross.
Why should I care about this case? If you have this question in your mind, then let me tell you that you will be able to forbid your children from taking candies or other things from strangers in a better way. The famous phrase ‘don’t take candies from strangers’ became known to the world after this criminal case. So, let’s get started.
The Kidnapping Of Charley Brewster Ross
In 1874, Charley Brewster Ross was trying to spend some quality time with his elder brother in the front yard of their house. They were on summer vacation and had nothing special to do at home. The family lived in Philadelphia, and they had heard a lot of stories about their neighbors. Despite the bad reputation of their neighbors, the two brothers were not afraid. Their parents were not rich, but they still managed to give a good life to four-year-old Charley and five-year-old Walter.
For a moment, they became concerned about their mother who was in Atlantic City with their elder sister. Walter told his younger brother that he had seen two men coming toward them in a horse-drawn carriage. When the two strangers approached Walter and Charley, they offered them candy.
The boys were already told that they should never accept candy from neighbors or strangers. However, being little and unaware of what could go wrong, they still accepted candy. Upon getting unconscious, both Charley and Walter got kidnapped.
Their father started searching for his sons, but all in vain. When he asked about the kids from a servant, he was told that the children were playing with the kids of neighbors. He became upset and came out when a neighbor told him that the kids were probably out for a ride with strangers.
How Did The Family Get To Know About Walter And Charley’s Kidnapping?
Two days had passed, and there was no news about the boys. A letter then arrived at their father and he got to know that his sons had been kidnapped. The letter was written using black ink, and the writing looked unsteady and full of errors.
He was urged to give some money to the kidnapers, and just like many other kidnapping cases, these kidnappers did not want cops to be involved.
After three days, another note was sent to the father. This is when he was asked to pay $40,000 as soon as possible. He was threatened that his sons would be killed if he did not give money or called police.
Still, the father took both of these letters to the police and everyone in the region began searching for Charley and Walter. Over five months, about 23 letters were sent to their father.
Who Was The Suspect?
In December 1874, Joe Douglas and Bill Mosher were shot at a New York home while they were trying to steal money. Bill Mosher died instantly, but Joe Douglas clung to life for about two hours. During this time, he confessed that he and his criminal partner had kidnapped Charley and Walter. He also said that Walter was released but there was no information on where was Charley.
The Search Of The Family
Christian Ross and Mary Ann, the parents of Walter and Charley, spent the rest of their lives looking for their little son. They were also ready to give all of their money to the person who could tell them where their son was.
In 1875, at a trial, the grieving dad told that over 400,000 people across the country were involved in the search for their son. He also clarified that more than 500 kids who resembled Charley were spoken to and over 600,000 flyers were distributed.
Over the decades, various men came forward and claimed that they were Charley Brewster Ross. His father died in 1897 at the age of 73 and his mother lost her life in 1912 at the age of 79. They could never find their Charley. The letters that were sent to them were sold to an unidentifiable local collector in 2013.