The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-10
POLICE HAD KIDNAPPED BOY.
STRANGE BLUNDERING OVER
WILLIE L.ABARBERA.
Wan Found Him Near Bridge Last satur-
dap Reached ChiIdren's society Via
Two station Houses -PetrOsinO solves
Mystery No Glue 10 kldnaDpe ~.

day-Reached ChiIdren's society Via
Two station Houses -PetrOsinO Solves
Mystery-NO clue 20 kldnappe 70.
Willie Labarbera. who either strayed
away or was kidnapped-the police hold
the latter theory-from his home at 1877
Second avenue nearly three weeks ago, is
home again. His is the returned prodigal's
extra portion of candies and csresses,
while to an admiring circle Of stay at homes
Willie relates a wonderful stOry-several
Of them in fact.
More strange even than the tales Willie
tells is the fact thai for the last three days
OF his absence from the family grocery
store, during which some 5000 policemen
were supposed to have an eye out for a
small Italian boy Of Willie's description
and thirty picked men from the Italian
bureau Of crime we're moving heaven and
earth, and even New Jersey. in a search
for Willie. he was lost in the Official care Of
the police and the Society for the Pre-
vention Of Cruelty to Children.
Willie would probably nave still been
missing had il not been for the watchful-
ness of one man, Detective Sergeant Petro-
sino Of the Central ONCE. Willie had been
the subject Of many headlines, his picture
had been printed and reprinted and his
description read out in every police station
in The greater city, yet no one knew him
when he was found, and no one save Petro-
sino thought it worth while to go over to
Brooklyn to take a look at an unnamed
Italian small boy who was picked up there
and taken to the bridge police station on
Saturday morning.
Ernest O'Connor of SIS Middagh street,
Brooklyn, a printer, on his way to work
found a very small and unhappy Italian
! boy seated on the curb at the corner OF
Washington and Nassau streets. It was
Willie and he was wet M hungry.
willie wants to go home, he announced,
as O'Connor bent over him. O'Connor
didn't know where home was, but he thouRht
that the police could probably find out and
led Willie to the bridge station house. On
the way Willie tried to tell his second name,
but it was only a tumble of sounds to
O'Connor. He did manage to catch some
thing that sounded like Barbara out Of the
child's talk and he says that he had "a
kind o hume that it was the Italian kid
he had read about,
The sergeant in charge Of the police
station was too busy 10 take notice, O'Con-
nor says, when he tried to tell him who he
thought the boy might be. Lost children
were about the most common experience
in that sergeantis life. and he turned Willie
over to the doorman with scarcely a look.
O'Connor went his way and with him went
Willie's last hope OF a speedy return to the
Second avenue grocery store, for no one
else even took a guess as to who he was.
The police did guess his age and guessed
wrong, for they made him 9 while he is
only half past 1, but the description
that they sent in to Police Headquarters,
inaccurate as it was, resulted finally in
Petroeino's discovery OF the child.
The bridge station doorman found that
Willie had four pennies fast clasped in one
dirty hand. This made him think that
Willie had been sent out from some Italian
home near by to buy candy. A policeman
was sent out to inquire, and when he re-
turned to say that no children were missing
in the neighborhood Willie was sent 70
the Adams street station house. where there
is a matron. He waited all day in Adams
street while policemen on reserve read about
him in the papers and the sergeant gave his
$50 in the evening Willie, as the new police
order requires was sent to the rooms of
the Children's society on Schermerhorn
street. There, too. no one recognized
Willie Labarbera Of the headlines.
In the meanwhile Petrosino had been
over at Kenilworth, N. j., where rumor
had it Willie had been seen on Friday.
He got what he believed to be a clue to the
kidnappers, and IL was not until Monday
night that he returned to Police Head
l ASA ~ "oB C1A hA u VlAVhA
one OF the men whom he had left to keep
watch in New York informed Petrosino
that an unnamed Italian small boy had
been picked up in Brooklyn two days before.
Petrosino read the description and de-
cided TO take a chance. He went to Brook
Ign. He took one look at Willie, another
at the picture in his pocket, and then signed
a receipt for William Labarbera. aRed 4,
n hurried back to New York with his
find. A detective was sent to call the
Labarbera family to Headquarters and
at half past 8 little Willie was safely back
in the Second avenue grocery store.
On the way to New York Willie told
Petrosino several stories Of his adventures
but he was too drowsy to be coherent and
the detective learned little or nothing that
would aid in the detection Of the supposed
ki~dnappers. In the morning Willie's imagi-
nation had grown TO such proportions that
the police gave him up in despair and he
was left to relate his marvels to an admir-
ing circle Of relatives and playmates. Again
and again Willie told Of his adventures,
levying contributions Of toys and sweets
in payment, as il the right Of the story
teller.
Willie's latest story il that two black
men" carried him away and that he voyaRed
over a river in a boat. Later ne says he
was taken to a house where the black men
met two black women and he was put TO
sleep on a cot. He says that he was well
treated and fed with many delectable
things, but he wearied Of the life. and,
escaping through a window-remember
that Willie is OF the mature age Of 4-climbed
on the tail OF a truck and o for a very
long time.
just how he got TO the place where O'Con-
nor found him IL not made clear in Willie's
story. Had IL not been that he was gone
20 long, since September Fl, there would
be serious doubts that Willie was kidnapped
at all. He has run away ever since his legs
we're strong enough to bear his weight,
and once he journeyed a. far az the Grand
Capitalization. Al any rate. Willie enjoyed
his adventures, for he says that very sOon
he will run Away again in search Of strange
sights and a land where there is much candy
OF a superior sort.
Willie's father and mother will say but
little OF their sons adventures. He In safe
home again, and hat 10 enough. Petrosino
and hie mel are still trying 20 find the men
supposed 70 have taken Willie away, hut