Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-03-26
KIONAPERS
ARRESTED.
SUSPECT DECLARES HER IDENTITY
WILL CAUSE SENSATION IN
HONE OF WHITLAS.
MAY STOP HER PROSECUTION.
Billy" and His Parents Hurry TO Cleve-
land for an Interview with
the Suspects.
SUPPOSED RANSOM RECOVERED.
nay STOP HER PROSECUTION.
SUPPOSED RANSOM RECOVERED.
BULLETIN.

DCALb lin.
! CLEVELAND. O.. March 24-Devel-
| opments III the Whitla kidnapping case
came thick and fast this afternoon.
! Billy" Whitla was taken to police
! headquarters where he identified the
man and woman suspects as his caretak-
ers while he was confined iii Il house at
! the east end Of the city.
An unidentified woman. said to have
! been seen in company with the two sus-
! poets, committed suicide this afternoon.
CLEVELAND, O., March 24.-[Spe-
! al. IA scandal involving not only the
names of the Whitlas but other persons
prominent Ill Sharon, Pa, is promised
! by he woman suspected of kidnapping
/ Billy" Whitla last Thursday afternoon.
This woman, now III the custody of
! the police, has refused to make known
/ her identity, but declares that sooner OF
/ later it viii cause sensation. This
statement, together with the one which
she made at the tine Of her arrest,
! There will be HI i'll Sharon when
Bull hears Of this" brings the million
aire uncle Of the kidnapped boy into the
affair.
| 1t is whispered here that the Whitlas
! desire to have this story suppressed and
! for that reason hurried to Cleveland to-
| day. NJ. and Mrs. Whitla and their
son and daughter, together with Harry
Forller. Il brother of Mrs. Whitla, ar
rived III this city at / o'clock and went
! directly to the HOllenden hotel. They
Immediately notified Chief Kohler that
they will visit him later and make an
| effort to identify the man and woman
held by the police.
Bull Not in Party.
! The absence of Frank H. Bull the
millionaire member of the family, was
commented upon freely when the party
! left Sharon. Reports from Sharon say
| that incidents happening Il number of
! years ago have been suddenly brought
up by the abduction of the boy. 1t is al
| legged that the divorce suit is playing an
important part in the kidnapping case at
the present time and that it is desired to
conceal details of the scandal which has
no direct bearing upon the kidnapping af
! fair
| While it is thought strange that ''Bil-
| ly' did not recognize the suspected wom-
an, the fact that he was kept in a
drugged condition is advanced as an eX-
! PLANTATION and also explains, it is alleged,
! why the drugs were administered
| One report says that the Whtlas will
make an effort to have all prosecution
Of the woman stopped The man sus-
! pect mas told the police that his name is
/
! Sharon. He insists that the woman is
his wife. He said that he is plumber.
| Advices from Sharon state that Boyle
recently visited that city TO attend the
funeral of an uncle. He formerly re
sided there.
Chats the Woman"
Mrs. Harry FOrker, wife of a brother
| of Mrs. James z. Whitla of Sharon was
seen at her home in Norwalk O., near
| here today and when the description of
! the woman under arrest in the kidnap-
ing case was told to her she exclaimed:
That's the woman"
| Mrs. Forker then broke down and de-
| clined to say anything further or explain
! her remark She would not name the
woman. Mrs. Forker has been living in
! Norwalk several years. She is sepa-
rated from her husband.
Man Offered Fight.
The suspects were landed in the police
station late Tuesday night after the
escape from the police. He ierked
away from Capt. Shattuck on the street
! near the police station and ran Can't
| Shattuck fired two shots at the fleeing
man and the suspect thoroughly fright
ened, stopped and surrendered.
"Oh. it's all off now,' said the woman
as she entered the police station door
You got us dead right. There will be
HI in Sharon when Bull hears Of
| this
When the woman was searched in the
| police station S9790 in bills of 50, $40
! and $40 denominations were found sewed
carefully in the inner side of her skirt.
| All but $40 of the money was done up
in $500 packages. This is the shape
in which Mr.. Whitla withdrew the
money which he paid to the kidnapers
in this city. general description of
| the packages of money was read over a
telephone to Mr.. Whitla at his home in
Sharon. and he said he believed it was
| the same money which he had left as a
ransom for the captors of his son. Bills
and loose change to the amount of
| $3.50 were found in the pockets of the
man. This brought the total amount
I of money which the two suspects had
up to $9S4S.50.
Willie Whitla's place of CAPTIVITY
while he was kept in Cleveland was an
old, abandoned residence on Prospect
avenue, S. E., diagonally opposite Plym-
outh Congregational church. This fact
was learned by the police acting on
meagre information furnished them by
the boy before he was taken to Sharon
| by his father.
About five days ago" said Thomas
Z. Thorpe, the proprietor of the hotel,
today, "A man and woman began COM
ing TO the hotel for their meals. | know
! now that they resembled the descriptions
l have read of the kidnapers. Neither
offered any information concerning their
| business. The man wore dark specta-
cles, the very ones, l suppose, that the
boy had on, at the time of his return.
! They never brought the boy here"
The discovery of Billy Whitla's hiding
place was made by Detective Bernhard
after 4 talk with Billy. The boy re-
membered little distinctly, but he re-
called that he had been kept in a house
from which he could see tall trees. 4
stone church and the sign of Thorpe 5
Hotel -