The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-22
Effort of Father to Get His Boy Fails Through BIunder
 of Policemen
WHITLA ANSWERS LETTER
 AND DEPOSITS MONEY
AshtabuIa Police Interfere With Plans and Disheartened Father Returns to Sharon Where Wife and
 Little Girl Await Him.

Cleveland, O., March 21.--After failing in an attempt to negotiate a settlement for the return of his kidnapped son, Will lie. in a park at Ashtabua today. J. P Whitla has returned to his home in Sharon.
 Whitla was instructed in a letter from the kidnapers to leave s1o,OOO in Flat Iron park Saturday night. If no detectives were about the kdnapers promised they would secure the money and deliver the boy safely to the father in hotel at Ashtabula at 3 o'clock this morning Whit la deposited the money as requested. The Ashtabula police learned of the plans to pay the ransom and went to the park The kidnapers are supposed to have seen them for at 6 o'clock the money was intact and not a man had approached the spot.
 Whitla fears the failure to effect a settlement with him last night will fright en the lddnapers and they will not com municate with him again.
 The police of Ashtabula are unwilling to believe that the kidnapers have left that section of the country. Although Whitla has instructed them to dscon- tinue their search, as he believes it is useless, they arc attempting to find the hiding place of the kidnapers
 The letter from the captors of Willie Whitla came to the boys parents in sharon. Pa, Friday afternoon. instructions to WhItia.
 Instructions were given him to go alone to Ashtabula on Saturday night. place the s1o0o0 under stone at the base of gorge in the park at 10 o'clock At 3 o'clock on the following morning if the money was obtained by the kidnapers. they promised that the stolen boy would be returned to the Smith hotel in Ash tabula unharmed.
 In order that there might be no mis- take made a other letter, it was prom ised, would be written to Whitla under the name of "C. A. White" Saturday night. He was to receive this letter at the Smith hotel in Ashtabula. Whitla was instructed specifically that he was to be accompanied by no one when he went to the park to deposit the money.
 Immediately upon receipt of the letter Whitla called in private detectives in his employ and asked their advice about pay ing the money They were anxious to cap ture the kidnapers and pleaded with him to permit them to place a decoy package of bills at the designated spot and let officers lie in wait.
 WhitIa Would Not Agree.
 Whitla would not agree to this At & o'clock Whitla left Cleveland for Ashta- bula. He was accompanied by Detective McCabe. The latter was to act as his bodyguard, but was not to go with Whitla to the park.
 few minutes after o'clock the kid napers, in keeping with their promise sent a letter addressed to "C. A White' to the Smith hotel in Ashtabula. A boy who was unknown to any of the clerks at the hotel, handed the letter to Albert Temple night clerk. Temple called the name out several times, and receiving no response threw the letter into a mail box behind the counter and awaited the person to call for it.
 for the letter the clerk became curious and opened the envelope. The clerk hand ed the letter to a travelling man and suggested that it might prove a clue to the kidnapers The travelling man read it and at once notified Mayor A. D. Cook and Chief of Police J. w. Laskey. The mayor ordered all of his police to institute search for the captors
 Promptly at 10 o'clock Whitla left the package of bills in the park. He went to the designated spot alone, feeling cer- tain that his compliance with the request of the kidnapers would prove the means of delivering his boy to him.
 Policemen Blunder.
 Thre policemen, who had been sent out from the Ashtabula central station saw Whitla leave the money in the park. They appraised the chief of their dis covery and received instructions to re- main on guard at the park and capture the kidnapers should they appear.
 In the meantime Whitla returned to the city and had established communication with his detectives in Cleveland. They advised him not to go to the hotel for his boy minute before the time set. After five hours of excited waiting Whit la started after his boy As he on his way a policeman informed him that three officers had been on guard at the park and no had called for the money.
 Whitla was overcome when this news was broken to him. fc went to the park and found his package of money undis- | turned.
 detachment of detectives was sent out from Cleveland as soon as it was l learned that the Ashtabula police were working on the case. During the re- mainder of the night and all day today l the officers have searched the country around Ashtabula, attempting to get a trace of the boy and kdnapers. Late to- night none had been. found. Whita re- turned to Cleveland and later returned to Sharon.