[Indexed as: (Gannard case), “Heartless Abduction,” Richmond Enquirer (Va.), Aug. 18, 1835]

This appears to be the age of crime – and crime of the most horrible dye. Mobs, murders and conspiracies of the most lawless, bloody and traitorous character, overspread the country from North to South – from East to West. Human nature appears verging towards a state of depravity, which calls loudly for a chastening arm; and if such an act as the following, the details of which we copy from the Mobile Register, cannot be reached by the laws of man, surely high Heaven will not pass the miscreants by without punishment – Petersburg Constellation

Our city, for a couple of days, has been the theatre of extraordinary and exciting events. – The whole population has been thrown into a feverish anxiety alternating with fear and indignation, – a large part of them has been actively employed in summary efforts to arrest the parties in a daring and singular conspiracy, which was developed yesterday morning, and to extract from the principal offenders, confessions which might lead to the recovery of a child, which has been seized and carried into the woods, as a hostage for the success of the boldest and most heartless and desperate attempt at extortion, ever heard of in the community. The details involve the family relations of a respectable physician, which we do not feel it our privilege to make more public than they are already in the knowledge of every inhabitant of Mobile. The facts, so far as we think it right to repeat them, are as follows, and few will deny that they form a case of hardened villainy, of which, happily for the world, the examples are few.

The gentleman in question, a Frenchman by birth, is in the possession of a very considerable fortune, and the father of an infant boy, 5 years of age. He has also several brothers, who came to this country some time ago. What are their of his obligations towards them, we do not know, but their conduct, or at least that of two of them, in the present case, shews a resolution to despoil him of a large part of his fortune at once. Their plan was bold and bloody in determination, and insolent almost beyond belief, in the exorbitance of its exactions. On Monday evening, day before yesterday, one of them stole the infant child, and carried it off to the woods. Notice was given to the father by a letter, that unless the sum of thirty thousand dollars, should be furnished within a certain time, the child should be murdered, and the murderer did not intend to escape, but would commit suicide. Another brother remained in town to receive the price of the child’s life. It is the proof of the estimate formed in the community, of the desperate and profligate character of this man, that after this was made known, in the manner we shall presently speak of, no one doubted that he was capable of executing this threat, atrocious and diabolical as it was. So thought, too, the unhappy father, for he took instant measures for complying with the extortion as speedily as possible – and so little did he expect, that any thing but the money would save his child’s life, that he took no counsel, and had he possessed the whole sum in cash to pay at once, it is possible that the conspiracy would have completely succeeded. He however, had eighteen thousand dollars or thereabouts in bank, and undertook early next morning to borrow the balance. To one of those to whom he applied, he revealed the cause of his distress. He would have obtained on his credit, almost any amount in reasonable time. But the urgency of his feelings, the consciousness of what he felt to be the dangerous position of his child, and the terrible agony of its mother, whose life was endangered by the excess of her fears, pressed him to close with the terms of the ruffians without an instant’s delay, and in a short time made deposites in the Bank of Mobile to within eighteen hundred dollars of the sum. The agent to whom the receipt of the sum had been entrusted; had already received his check for thirty thousand dollars, and was awaiting for the amount to be made good. Impatient to receive it, he went out and obtained from his brother the necessary funds, and returned to receive the check on N. Orleans for the whole THIRTY THOUSAND dollars, that being the mode of payment, for which he had stipulated. Thus far villainy appeared successful; but, in the mean time events out of doors changed its prospects. Rumors were abroad concerning the transaction. A vague impression was created in the Bank that there was something wrong in the transaction. The last sum brought in, consisted of specie altogether, or a large part of it. While it was counted the person was recognized, and an account brought to the Mansion House, that the Bank was then paying the check in specie. There, a fire company was assembled, who had just returned from a fire, and were then discussing what was proper to do. They were in the act of dispatching a deputation to prevent the father from acceding to the terms, and had resolved to sally out and arrest the ruffian conspirators and search for the child. On hearing that the conspirators were so near accomplishing their object, they turned out en masse, and a committee, of them, instantly proceeded to the Bank and arrested the villain at the counter. He was armed fully, but made no resistance. Two other brothers supposed, we know not how correctly, to be partners in the iniquity, were seized immediately after, and underwent a strict and efficient, though somewhat extra-official examination. All this occurred at about 12 o’clock. – The stubbornness of the principal offender at last gave way. His connexion with the plot was soon established, and at last a full admission for the conspiracy was obtained; but it was a long time before he could be brought to aid in the discovery of the place where the child was kept. He told various stories, and seemed apprehensive that on the intelligence of the failure to get the money, or an attempt to arrest him, the other ruffian who had the custody of the little hostage, would, in a fit of desperation destroy it and himself. The streets, and especially Conti street, is the neighborhood of the Guard House, were, during all this time, thronged with a most excited multitude, and on every corner was a knot of eager questioners. There were hundreds ready to scour the country in every direction. At last, it was determined to send a committee of citizens to a place which the prisoner had pointed out.

The steamer Don Juan was accordingly put into requisition. Even after they had embarked, the unwillingness of the culprit to lead to the right spot, was shown by his giving them a wrong direction. They had proceeded in that for a considerable distance across the bay, before he became convinced that there was no safety for him but in the truth. He then made an engagement of some kind, as we hear it reported, but without learning the particulars, led the party to an island about fifteen miles above the city in the Mobile river, where the child was given up, unharmed in good spirits, and was this morning delivered to his parents. What transpired at the island, we do not know; neither of the brothers returned with the expedition, and the delight at the recovering of the infant, is so strong in the community that the desire of punishing those who have punished themselves by exile and infamy, is not strongly experienced among us.

Nothing has transpired to connect the others who were arrested, with these two in the transaction. They will probably be discharged.

The two following documents relate to the recent abduction case in this city. It ought to be mentioned, that the Committee, whose card [“card” meaning “advertisement”] is first in order, were not “appointed” in any sense of a delegated authority, but volunteered to perform the interesting duty, in which they succeeded so happily.

A CARD.

We the undersigned, return our thanks to Capt. Benjamin Rose, of the steamboat Don Juan, for the prompt and disinterested manner in which he tendered to us the use of his boat, on a dangerous and unusual route, for the purpose of rescuing the child of Dr. Gannard, from a savage and unnatural Uncle, who had from mercenary views, abducted and secreted him from his parents.

Jno. Collins, J. W. Tisdale, F. Moseley, John Soto, Ramon Soto, Noah B. Ross, S. V. V. Schuyler, W. Quigley, N. C. Quigley, Chas. A. Henry, W. Magee, J. G. Cleveland.

***

A CARD.

To the gentlemen who embarked ON BOARD THE Don Juan, on the evening of the 28th inst., the City Troop, the Mobile Guards, and Engine Companies Nos. 2 and 3.

Gentlemen : – Permit me through this medium to tender you my grateful acknowledgment, for the generous and noble service which you have tendered me. I cannot find words to express my feelings and emotions upon this occasion. – I should be happy were it in my power to manifest the gratitude which I do justly owe to yourselves and other citizens of this place. – There are among you fathers who are able to appreciate the horrible anxiety which I have felt, and on the other hand, that ineffable joy which I experienced at the recovery of a lost child.

Gentlemen: I am indebted to your generous, prompt and energetic action, for the recovery, nay, for the life of my child, which is dearer than my own. I am, respectfully and gratefully yours,

V. GANNARD.

NOTES

The nationally publicized 1835 Gannard case represents the earliest widely publicized case of ransom child kidnapping involving a ransom note in the United States (excepting perhaps earlier cases involving slave traders or cases involving Indians vs. European-Americans). Thus the first ransom-note child kidnapping occurred at least 29 years before the famous Charley Ross kidnapping of 1874. The nationally publicized 1819 Pool ransom child kidnapping case – which did not involve a ransom note – occurred 55 years before the Ross case.

The editor of the PK Papers is not aware of any mention of this case or the Pool case in any 20th century publications.

Articles on this case appeared in many newspapers. Conflicting reports appeared.

“Gannard” was sometimes spelled “Gesnard” or “Girard” in some newspaper reports.