The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-03-26
BOY IS RANS0MEO,
MAN HUNT IS ON
OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA OFF,
GALS DETERMINED TO BRING
MEN TO JUSTICE.
K|OMAPERs RECEIVED $4,000
Money Was Paid to Woman In Candy
store and Lad Was Put on Street
Car and Directed to Where
Father Waited.

Cleveland, O.-Little Willie Whit
la is found; now to find the men who
stole him.
A man hunt began in Ohio and
Pennsylvania that has had no paral-
lei since the detectives raj down Pat
Grove, kidnaper of Eddie Cudahy.
With the departure of James P. Whit
la, taking his son, Willie, to the moth
err who awaits the boy in Sharon, Pa.
the second chapter of one of the
country's famous kidnapping cases
closed, and the third began.
Willie Whitla was restored to his
father at the Hollenden hotel in this
city. In obedience to a summons
contained in the ~kidnapers fourth let
ter, received at Sharon. the father
came to Cleveland, left 100000 In
greenbacks at a Cleveland store, then
went back to his hotel and waited.
Boy Is Placed on Car by Captors.
At $3.50 his boy was brought to him
by men who had found him on a troll
ley car where he had been placed by
LIE NdpiOlo olAa tOiN ~ TO-
nothing except his destination. The
police of the two states will unite in
the man hunt, for, although the crime
was committed in Pennsylvania, the
ransom was paid in Ohio. There are
two means by which the ~kidnapers
may be traced. The first and most
promising is by the personal descrip-
tons given by the boy they stole, and
by the few with whom they unavoid-
ably came in contact while negotiat-
ing for the ransom. The second is
through the currency received from
Mr.. Whitla.
When Attorney Whitla met his boy
in the hotel lobby, he cried: This
is my son that was lost and is found.
/ wanted my boy, that was all. did
not want to have his captors caught"
Father is R%esentfuI.
But, with Willie safe beside him. a
resentment that was but natural and
human arose against the men that
have caused Mrs. Whitla the greatest
suffering that can wiring a mothers
heart, and. while as yet taking no
active part in the hunt for the kid
napers, he gave the police all the in
formation at his disposal.
This was little. Bills hat made
the $4,000 ransom were in denomina-
items of S., $40 and $40. This by or
der of the men W ohreceived them.
A report that Whitla had marked
them is not verified at this time.
That amount Of currency in small
bills, however. would make its pos
SCISSORS conspicuous, unless they scat
ter it among a number of confeder-
ates. end thereby increase the risks
in another direction.
The lad had been placed on the car
al the eastern outskirts of the city.
A man wko waved goodbye to him
until the car was out of sight had
placed in the boys hand a slip OF
paper asking that he be put OF the
car at the Hollenden hotel corner
and directed to the hotel. On the
car, however, G. w. Ramsey and Ed
ward Mahoney recognized the boy.
and, with a policeman they notified
upon ~alighting 1T the hotel, accom-
panied him into the lobby.
Tried to Disguise Him.
Az attempt had been made to dis
guise the lad. He wore a pair o
smoked glasses and a large tan cap.
which was pulled down over his ears.
and the father said it would have
been difficult to have recognized the
boy in such a garb had he passed
Linn on the street.
Willie is in perfect health. He says
he has been well treated, and ever
since his capture has been constant
) Is indoors. He believes he was taken
from Sharon to Warren, and thence
to Newcastle, Pa.
Mr.. Whitla said he received a let.
ter from the kidnapers at his home
in Sharon. saying that if he called at
a conse~ ctionery store in the east end
; of Cleveland he would be told how to
J obtain his boy nnharmet.
: Ii is his opinion that he was In
A%shtabula on Saturday night at the
time his father was to leave his $40.
, 900 in Flatiron park.
Willie Whitla n his father left or
7, the Ere train at 5 a. m. A big cheer
) ing crowd gathered about them al
; the Hollenden. and gave them a noisy
0 farewell.
! silver Dart Makes TWO Flights.
d -L ..