The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-20
Points to Ashtabula as Hid ing Place for Lost Boy. Message Written in Cleve- land With Borrowed
 Pencil.
Boys Grandfather Says Pinkertons Expect to Ap- prehend Abductors and Rescue Boy Before Night A Reward of $6,OOO Of fered.
Special from United Press.o

SiSNSAoiio, o-, -ddI Cu AV.-l Ilc ldLSSl clue to the whereabouts of Billy Whit Ia or his kidnappers to-day turned
 the search in the direction of Ashtabu-
 la, sixteen miles east of Cleveland
 near the lake shore. Albert S. Couture
 told the Cleveland police this morning that on Thursday night he lent a pen Gil to mud-stained, breath1ess man
 and saw him write with it, in a door way on Prospect avenue, the follow ing messa ge: twill leave for Ashta- bula tonight. Cannot make lift here. Cleveland is like a live wire about it. Beware"
 Couture also saw the beginning of 1 the address the man wrote on the en- velope into which he slipped the mes sage. It was "A. A. D.
 This morning he told the police. Cou- ture said the man who wrote the mes sage was short and heavy with a forid complexion and stubby moustache, slightly sandy. He wore a mud bleared overcoat and was dusty and unshaven.
 Billy WhitIa's abductors abductors would have had time to reach Cleve- land by 5:3O D. n1., the time this mes sage was written but not to change their clothes bearing the tell-tale mud stains of hard riding, or to shave. Ashtabula Harbor, where it is be-
 lieved the writer of the mysterious
 letter intended to go, has large for eign population. Its streets are full
 of children and abound in good hiding
 places. The search was further stin1-
 ulated to-day by a reward of S6,O00 of fered by the Scripps-McRae League of newspapers of which the Cleveland
 Press is member.
 Newcastle, Pa, March 2o.-Judge
 Whitla. grandfather of Whitla, the
 kidnapped boy, in an interview here
 to-day said that the Pinkerton detec- tiyes have informed J. P. Whitla, fath-
 CT of the missing boy that they expect that before night they will apprehend the kidnappers and secure the release of the lost boy. ,z The millionaire uncle of Billy Whitla
 is in Cleveland to-day ready either to
 aid in the search for the boy who was abducted from his home at sharon, Pa, Thursday, or dicker with the kid pappers With $1O0OO cash in his pock-
 cts and practically unlimited credit at
 Cleveland banks. Frank H. Buhl de- clares that no amount Of money will
 stand in the way of recovering his eight year old nephew. Catching the
 kidnappers is a matter of Secondary consideration with him and the pa rents. If Billy comes back to them unharmed the men who took him are welcome to the s10.000 ransom.
 Mir BuhPs determination to conduct the hunt in Cleveland arose from the fact that MT. Whitla's advertisement in the Cleveland press that he would comply with the abductors' terms brought immediate response in the shape of a second letter received yes terday at Sharon. The whole city, from the police to the last school child is cooperating with Buln1 in his search. Wealthy cIubmen have turned over their automobiles for use of the searchers Steel magnates, some of whom were associated with MT. Buh1 in business, are personally urging the city authorities to grant him all pos sible aid
 Billy Whitla's uncle arrived here late Ia st night and at once took up a hot clue A man with a child answering the description of Billy had been seen in the Euclide Hotel. After two hours chauffeur who knew he could not be called to account for disregarding the speed laws the man and child were both found and the clue proved false.
 A dozen families were routed out of bed during this search and one whole residence section turned upside down all to no purpose. The boys uncle went to bed about A. M. tired out, but arose early and resumed his search
 MT Buhfs hotel was crowded with people of all kinds this mornIng' Wait ing to give him tips. Some were honestly interested in the search and had informat ton which they honestly thought might prove useful.
 Warren. O.. March 20-Pennsylvania | officials to-day invaded Ohio to take | to house search in Warren ana throughout the country was begun for Billy Whitla whose kidnapping has aroused the middle west To make their search legal however. the posse of officers and detectives was headed l by Deputy Sheriff Masury of Warren |
 whitla in asking permission to send l officers from Sharon to Warren follow | ed the finding of the rig in which the l boy was taken away.