Defy All the Devils

America's First Kidnapping for Ransom

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, True Crime, Biography & Memoir, Historical, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Defy All the Devils by Norman Zierold, Open Road Media
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Norman Zierold ISBN: 9781504050883
Publisher: Open Road Media Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Open Road Media Language: English
Author: Norman Zierold
ISBN: 9781504050883
Publisher: Open Road Media
Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Open Road Media
Language: English

The “fascinating, hair-raising, suspenseful” account of a little boy abducted in broad daylight and the desperate manhunt to find him (The New York Times Book Review).

On July 1, 1874, four-year-old Charley Ross and his older brother, Walter, were playing in front of their stately Philadelphia home when a horse-drawn carriage pulled up with two men who offered candy and fireworks if the boys would ride with them.

Hours later, Walter came back, stating that they had ridden through the city until the men abandoned him in the street but kept Charley. Soon after, their father, Christian K. Ross, received a demand for $20,000 in return for his son.

Ross went to the police for help—and before long, the case became a national phenomenon. A popular song pleaded for the boy’s safe return. The Philadelphia police searched every home in the city, and thousands of people falsely reported that they had seen Charley or knew his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the kidnappers’ ransom letters were becoming more threatening and bizarre. The press, eager to fan the flames of hysteria, printed wholly fabricated stories and even accused Christian Ross of orchestrating the whole thing in order to hide the fact that Charley was illegitimate.

And then the men who took Charley went silent . . .

This is the chilling true story of a crime that transfixed a still-growing America, the unlikely series of events that produced the case’s most tantalizing clues, and the tragic twist of fate that plunged the Ross family back into darkness and haunted them for decades to come.

Originally published as Little Charley Ross.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The “fascinating, hair-raising, suspenseful” account of a little boy abducted in broad daylight and the desperate manhunt to find him (The New York Times Book Review).

On July 1, 1874, four-year-old Charley Ross and his older brother, Walter, were playing in front of their stately Philadelphia home when a horse-drawn carriage pulled up with two men who offered candy and fireworks if the boys would ride with them.

Hours later, Walter came back, stating that they had ridden through the city until the men abandoned him in the street but kept Charley. Soon after, their father, Christian K. Ross, received a demand for $20,000 in return for his son.

Ross went to the police for help—and before long, the case became a national phenomenon. A popular song pleaded for the boy’s safe return. The Philadelphia police searched every home in the city, and thousands of people falsely reported that they had seen Charley or knew his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the kidnappers’ ransom letters were becoming more threatening and bizarre. The press, eager to fan the flames of hysteria, printed wholly fabricated stories and even accused Christian Ross of orchestrating the whole thing in order to hide the fact that Charley was illegitimate.

And then the men who took Charley went silent . . .

This is the chilling true story of a crime that transfixed a still-growing America, the unlikely series of events that produced the case’s most tantalizing clues, and the tragic twist of fate that plunged the Ross family back into darkness and haunted them for decades to come.

Originally published as Little Charley Ross.

More books from Open Road Media

Cover of the book Buddy Boys by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Taking Hawaii by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Sentimental Journey by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Heaven on Earth by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book The Miss Silver Mysteries Volume Four by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Patriarch's Hope by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Children of the Streets by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book A Late Phoenix by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book The Happy Ant-Heap by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book A Rough Shoot by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book The Hero and the Crown by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Turbulence by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Rivals by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book Acastos by Norman Zierold
Cover of the book The Stone Woman by Norman Zierold
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy