Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-03-25
THE CHILD IS RESTORED

I'LL OlALD ID AlOIVNIU
Required Ransom Paid Agent The
Scene Of the Reunion Was HELEN
den Hotel, Cleveland, o.
Cleveland, O., Special. Will
he Whitla, who has caused the police
Of the entire country endless worry
since he was kidnapped from school
in Sharon, Pa, last Thursday, was re-
turned to his father at the Holen-
den Hotel here Monday night at $50
O'Clock.
In compliance with an arrangement
Iyentered into between the kidnapped
boys father and AN agent of tie kid
napers here Monday the boy was
| placed on street car on the out
skirts Of the city and started to the
hotel shortly after 8 o'clock. Two
boys recognized the lad on the car
and taking him in charge, conducted
him to his father, who was In wait
ing. The moment the anxious parent
heard that strange boy was in the
hotel he rushed across the lobby,
grasped him in his arms and smoth-
cred his face with kisses.
| Willie is in perfect health. He
says that he has been well treated
and ever since his capture has been
constantly indoors. He believes he
was taken from Sharon to Warren
and thence to Newcastle, Pa. It is
hif opinion, expressed in happy
| school-boy way, that he was in Ash
tabula on Saturday night at the time
his father was to leave his $4,000
in Flat Iron Park.
Whitla, senior, refused to state
whether he had paid the ransom or
not. He said that he received let-
| ter Monday from the Hdnapers at
/ his home in Sharon, saying that if he
called at a confectionery store in the
east end of Cleveland he would be
told how to secure his boy 'sunharmr
ed and well fed.''
II In Mortal Terror Of Kidnapers.
5 Shortly after noon he left Sharon
for Cleveland. He was unacoom-
i panied. His Immediate family sand
t the private detectives he had in his
t employ he apprised of the proposed
i secret meeting, but insisted that he
6 make the trip alone. Every one of
t them was warned that he must be
S allowed to go unheralded end no at
: tempt at the capture of the hdnapers
r now be made. Whitla was. certain
a that if he spoiled the plans of his
e sons captors he would never see the
: lad again. His experience at Ashta,
bula served as warning.
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon
he went to a candy store in the. east
end With him he carried the $40,
:, 600, expecting that it would be de
u manded of him there. He was me-
d by a. woman who detailed to him thu
y terms of the kidnapers. With all thu
e eagerness Of a distracted paren
a Whitla agreed to them Immediately.
It Willie Unconscious of His Danger.
~ In the meantime little Willie. wa
IS being treated kindly and even at thi
D time does not realize what DANCE
he was in. The woman at the cand,
store had done her duty. She com
municated with the captors Of tn
boy and told them that the fathe
= had made no attempt to trap then
te The boy was brought from his >un
It, kno@n hiding place to car line /
" the east end of the city,
y Part Of Willie's Story.
, "When we got to a town that th
- Eaan called Newcastle, they took n
IN to big building and turned me owe
j. to a woman. She was good to M
he The hospital, or whatever the buile
: ing was, was a clean place. The1
was man there who think was
DOCTOR He looked like a doctor, b
cause he had whiskers, short gre
III whiskers.
1o "The people in the hospital tol
,. 90. me that must do just what the
us told me to do. IF I did not ODE
s ou them, they said they would take n
~ :" to place called the pest hous
- - where folks that have smallpox ha,
=. on to go. I walked the chalk line iu
~ ~ like good boy, papa, ike you''
NJ. told me to.
=. "They told me I was taking lit
nv vacation. was not going to be hu1
r.1 they told me, so just acted nice ar
he had a good time playing around Il
90 hospital I knew I would get bat
for home all right and just supposed NJ
w Jonse was one Of my friends who W;
he treating me nice because you wante
;th him to treat me that way, par
aear''
Before retiring for the night, M
Whitla admitted that he had pal
est $4,000 to the woman in the cand