Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-25
He is a Plumber and Says Companion
is His Wife.
woMAN's IDENTITY NOT KNOWN
Boys Father Refuses to Say Any
thing Regarding Her.
MANY HINTS AT MYSTERY
Kidnaper's Statement that Her
Identification Would Cause Sem
satiOp I'm sharon Is Not
Yet Explained.

CLEVELAND, March 24.-wlllie Whitla
today identified the man and woman held
on suspicion by the Cleveland police as
the persons who kidnapped him from the
school at Sharon, Pa, last Thursday and
held him for the $1,000 ransom which was
paid by his father, Attorney James p.
Whitla, Monday. Willie said the man, who
gave the name of James II. Boyle. was the
one who took him from school and carried
him through a torturous route to Cleve-
land, then to Ashtabula; back to this city
and placed him in the house in the east
end, where he was held until the money
was paid. Willie also declared the woman
was the who cared for him at the
house where he was detained and who acted
the part of nurse. Boyle said the woman
is his wife. The police have no other iden-
tification of the couple than the names
given. So far as the man is concerned the
police believe the name Is correct. Boyle
is said to reside i'm Sharon and is a plumber
by trade. He is said to have a widowed
mother, four brothers and a sister.
The woman, who is accredited with be-
ing the wife of Boyle, declared soon after
her arrest that her ider tfication would
cause a sensation in Sharon.
whitIa Senior Strangely silent.
When the Identification was completed
Mr.. Whita would say nothing regarding
the woman. He said he knew Boyle but
slightly.
Immediately after Willie whtla had see
the man and woman at the central police
station they were taken to the county
court house and there appeared before the
grand jury They were examined for the
purpose of aiding the jury in its attempt
to find indictment against the two
prisoners. The charge. under the laws of
Ohio, against the man and woman IL an
indictment is found will be blackmail.
This is based upon the payment of the
$4,000 ransom paid by Mr.. whitla.
AS Boyle and his wife are held by the
police on suspicion only an indictment will
afford a means of placing them under
arrest formally and then they can be held
indefinitely
Immediately after leaving the grand Jury
room Mr.. and Mrs Whltla, Willie and the
janitor of the Sharon school, which Willie
attended, left for Sharon.
The woman under arrest still refuses 10
give her name but declares she is not a
a relative of the Whitlas, as was at first
| suspected here
1t Is believed that the arrival of Mr.. and
Mrs. Whitla and Willie here this afternoon
will clear up the identity of the woman
She declared that her identity not only
will cause a surprise In Sharon, but that II
will reveal scandal involving prominent
persons in the Pennsylvania town.
The male prisoner held in connection with
the kidnapping of the Whitla boy admitted
his identity today to Chief of Police
Kohler. He is James Boyle OF Sharon, Pa,
and IL a plumber by trade. He has a
widowed mother and four brothers and a
sister in the Pennsylvania town, and his
uncle, the late John Boyle, was, he says
proprietor of the shenango house.
Boyle declines to throw any additional
! light on the KIDNAPPING but is firm in his
claim that the woman who was arrested
with him is his wife.
Woman Partially COnfesses,
After cross-questioning the man and the
| woman taken into custody as suspects for
| over four hours Chief of Police Kohler said
| today he was confident the people were in
possession of the lad all of the time he
was absent from home.
THE woman has confessed that she was
in charge Of the boy" said the chief. "she
says she was in Cleveland with Willie for
four days. They roomed in the east part
OF the city.
and the man outside Of Cleveland probably
In Ashtabula, and then came here with
them. They were in Cleveland with the
boy from mid aisht Thursday until Monday
night,
she admits that she disguised herself
1