Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-05-13
LIFE SENTENCE
FOR KIDNAPPER
Mrs. Boyle Gets Twenty-Five Years In
The P0nitentiary and Fine Of Five
Thousand DOllarS-Impli-
cate Boys Uncle.

Boyle was sentenced today to life i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary for the
kidnapping of Billy" Whitla. Mrs.
Boyle received sentence of twenty-five
years, with fine of IS, 900 and the costs
of the prosecution.
AS soon as sentence was pronounced
on Boyle and his wife, they were turn
ed over to Sheriff Chess, who at
once hurried them to the Western Pen
itentiary at Pittsburg to begin their
long sentences.
The severity of the sentence imposed
upon the pair appalled, Mercer where it
was pronounced, and caused both pris-
oners to collapse so that they had to be
csrried from the courtroom.
Before starting for the penitentiary
Boyle gave out sensational statement
duplicating Harry Forker, brother of
Mrs. Whitla. in the kidnapping case,
but his story is not very generally ac-
cepted. 1t is as follows:
"On the morning of -, between
the hours of -, Dan Reeble, Jr., was
found dead on the sidewalk in front of
the Mauser block, East Federal Street
Youngstown, and over the PROSTATE
form was Mr.. Harry Forker, of Sharon,
Pa, holding In his right hand package
OF letters that was gathered from tae
sidewalk, near the dead body of Mr..
Reeble.
AS he was about to depart from the
vicinity he was intercepted by the
writer and man who has since passed
to his reward, Mr.. Dan Shay, a saloon
keeper, of Oyk Street, Youngstown,
Ohio.
I'm mr. Forker's hurry to leave the
scene he failed to find two envelopes
that contained four letters. The same
were picked up by Mr.. Shay.
The writer and Mr.. Shay examined
and read the contents of same, which
proved beyond doubt the presence of
Mr.. Forbes there at the time.
The letters were written by Iadv
two from party in New York State
the other from Cleveland, Ohio.''
Boyle then proceeds to set forth that
he demanded and secured money from
Forker, under threat of disclosing the
secrets contained in the letters. He Sc.
cured, he sets forth, various sums. and
finally demanded $1,000. Forker. he
said, professed inability to secure the
money for him, but suggested the kid
mapping of Little Willie Whitla."
1 a
ing letter, Bailey" being the assumed
name employed by Boyle:
Friend Bailey: You know the cir
cumstances and the promise made YOU
when you left here, but if you are really
desperately in need of money as YOU
profess to be, will outline little plan
which with your cooperation can be
very successfully carried out. viz: the
abduction of ]. P. Whitla's sop. lean
arrange to have the boy brought to
Warren, Ohio, due there at :ls with
escort"
The letter bore no signature.
Resuming, Boyle states that par
ty' brought the boy to him at Warren.
whence he went to Niles, Ashtabula and
then to Cleveland. He continues:
On March q, received letter from
Mr.. Forker stating that some one had
informed Mr.. Whitla that they had re-
cognized his boy on March IS in Niles.
Ohio, and that James Boyle, of Sharon.
was with him, also that Mr.. Whitla was
afraid to divulge the information for
fear the boy might come to some harm.
and telling me to be careful and be ON
the alert, and when received The mon
ey to Immediately surrender those
Youngstown letters to him, Mr.. Forker.
at Sharon, and on Tuesday, April %, to
return half of the ransom money to him.
Mr.. Forker, and ne would turn over the
same to the party who took Willie
Whitla to Warren,
Upon learning that my name was
mentioned in connection with the case.
l made it point to meet Mr.. Whitla
personally in Cleveland at Fifty-third
street and st. Clair avenue, showed him
the letter that passed between Mr..
Forker and myself, also the Youngs-
town letters, and Mr.. Whitla promised
that if would substantiate the truth of
the Youngstown letters he would see
there would be no prosecution.
II then surrendered through Mr..
Whitla all the letters that were in nv
possession, and the world knows the re-
suit. was arrested and convicted by
my own counsel of telling my story on
the stand. l informed my wife the boy
was brought there in order to escape
being quarantined in the pest house,
and we were to be handsomely reward
ed for taking care of him.
"This unfortunate woman was duped
from start to finish in regard to the boy
and was duped from the moment let
the letters go into Mr. Whitla's posses
aion