New-York tribune., 1909-03-25
LIGHT ON WHITLA CASE
BOY IDENTIFIES ALLEGED
KIDN4PPERS.
Are J. II. Boyle, a Sharon Plumber,
and Homan He Says Is Wife
FOr1nPy- n ITTgDdPrPr
Former a " Gnderer.

named him from the school at Sharon, Penn,
last Thursday. and held him for the $1,000
ransom which was paid r.. his father, J. /.
Ufitla on Monday.
Willie said the man. who gave the name of
lanes H Boyle. was the one who took him from
rboof carried him through a tortuous route TO
Cleveland then TO Ashtabua and back TO this
ritz. and placed him in the house in the East
t-r5 where he was held until the money
mid Willie also declared that the woman was
.he one who cared for him at the house where
be was detained, and who acted the part Of
nurse.
F7oz,e saws the woman is his wife, Mrs. James
L Bowie The police have no other Identified
,.o7 a the couple than the names given. So
es- IS the man IS concerned, the police believe
.fe name IS correct. Boyle IS said 10 live in
Sharon and 70 be a plumber by trade He Is
said r. have a widowed mother, four brothers
and a sister
The woman VINO IS accredited with being the
-ife OF Boyle declared soon after her arrest that
her Identification would cause sensation in
crzror When the Identification was completed
NJ Whitla would say nothing regarding the
woman He said he knew Boyle slightly
Immediately after leaving the grand jury
noon Mrs. Whitla, Willie and the janitor Of the
sharon school which Willie attended left Cleve-
land for sharon. AS the train started q police
nan v-hisrerec 20 Mr.. Whitla and he hurriedly
returned 10 the police station.
As the prisoners have not waived extraditlon
the- viii he held here for Two or three days until
the necessary papers for their removal TO Sharon
csn he arranged between the Governors Of Ohio
and Pennsylvania
ASSOCIATE A SUICIDE7
4 woman known as Mary Diener. who the
police say. may have been an associate Of the
bi5naupers. or was implicated in the plot, COM
rrfrted suicide to-day by drinking morphine
The woman drank the poison while standing in
f-nrt n : drug store in the East End. not far
from rhe house in which Willie Whitla was de
tsined here She died in an ambulance while
being taken 70 a hospital. She had been in com
panv with the Boyles in q saloon before their
arrest last night and probably vas not imPH-
Gated n the kidna piping
Nj Whttls. accompanied by Mrs Whitla, their
son snd daughte-. Willie and Saline: boy
tchoolrate of Willie Harry Forker. q brother
ot Ms Whftlz: S1oss the janitor: Chief of Po-
lic= Crane. Detective Keynpler. District Attorney
Iininger ex-District Attorney Cochrane and De
tecrive Ward. al Of Sharon, arrived here st /
O'Clock today and went 10 the Hollenden Hotel
Two private detectives who represented Nj
WhitIs first went 70 the police station in an ef-
fort 20 see chief Of Police Kohler TO arrange for
The Identification At once there was 2 clash
ststed that he would have nothing 10 do with
rhern and would deal only with Whitla and his
sOr.
This vas reported to Whitla- ana another dis
Yute occurred. which promised for a time 10
stop the Identification proceedings Whitla teis-
rhoned 10 the chief from the hotel that he had
arrived and that he was ready 70 see him
Chief Kohler replied hotly that he was al the
police station where the prisoners were being
held. and that Whitla could see him there II he
cared 70 assist in the prosecution OF the man
and woman in custody
NJ Whitla then went to the police station
but Vas not allowed to see the prisoners himself.
H vas informed 10y the chief that the only iden-
tifcstion desired was that which only the boy,
Willie could make.
The chief also told Mr.. Whitla thar II he DID
not care to make the Identification in the usual
manner he could return 10 Sharon, and that the
prisoners would be prosecuted here on the charge
cf blackrnail-
Whitla then agreed 10 have Willie see the man
and woman An hour later Mr.. and Mrs,
Whitla their children and the janitor appeared
before the chief Of police. The man was the first
one taken before them. Boyle little pale
and nervous. There was faint smile upon his
lips He was seated before the party, which
formed a sen1i-circle in front Of him. Chief
Kohler asked Willie If he had ever seen the man
before.
WILLIE IDENTIFIES PRISONERS.
sure" said Willie brightly, why, that is the
MN left Sharon with. He took me 20 Cleve-
land. then TO Ashtabula and back 10 Cleveland
..r4a had a rnustache when I first saw him at
she scboolbouse" Willie supplemented, but he
-,,,s, have cut it off later. This is the way he
looked when I last saw him IN Cleveland
Fo,,Ie smiled sarcasticaIiy throughout the re-
He
6aesr,yv When Willie concluded Boyle was
taken hack TO his cell and the woman was
brought in.
She was defiant and naughty in her demeanor'
She stared blankly at Whita and the other
members of the party. Her only relapse from
her indignant manner when she first sa"
Willie Then she smiled.
Immediately Willie walked up TO her and, ex-
tending his hand. said: How do you do?'
Hello, Willie the woman replied. as she
placed her hand upon his head and caressed him
for sn instant
The boy then stepped hack TO his father and
vas asked several questions by the chief Of
police.
Yes I know her" he said: "she was the
nurse who took care Of me in Cleveland. She
told ne ! sick and in a hospital
her whole lot, she Was with me most all
of the time"
notwithstanding the vomans former asser-
non that there would be a sensation when she
vas identified, OF when Whitla saw her. she and
Whitla looked at each other without any out
ward evidence Of recognition. They did not
speak with each other. Neither did she speak
With any Of the other members Of the party.
After the brief examination by the chic: the
woman was taken back 10 the jail After leav-