The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-23

| was Paid.
| Pa, and were escorted to the railroad
station by a cheering crowd of people.
| The kidnapped youngster was clasped
| in the arms of his father from the mo-
| 1nent they left the Hollenden hotel un-
| til they reached the train.
| Hundreds clogged the corridors of the
| Hollenden hotel in the hope of catching
| had become a puzzle to the detectives
| of the land
| Gee, papa said the youngster, as
| he was being helped into a taxicab, Il
| hope mama is on the front porch wait
| ing for U.S."
"she will be there. was the simple
answer from the father as he clasped
the hand of his boy.
The speed of a Cleveland taxicab did
not deter hundreds from following to
the Erie station. where the Whitlas
boarded train. The father appeared
to be the happiest man in northern
that a real chu chu was more better
than one of them street engines"
Mr.. Whitla was not inclined to dis
cuss the matter of ransom, or the plans
| of the family in dealing with the kid
| napers.
I am so glad to have the boy in my
| arms said the father half smiling and
half crying. that I have given no
| thought to the kidnapers. That will be
up to the police and as 1 live and
| breathe, I am not worrying over their
movements" The $4,000 ransom of
| Billy WhitIa was paid to his kid
4 napers in a little grocery store at East
\ Fifty-third street and Standard ave-
nue., an hour after noon Monday.
Took the Money and Smiled.
The money was received by an ordi-
| narily dressed working man who gave
his name as Hayes. He picked UP the
package filled with yellow backed bills,
smiled nonchalantly, and left.
Mrs. Bond Hendrickson, temporarily
in charge of the store for her mother,
Mrs. Margaret Uhle, forgot to notice
door of the little grocery is the last
trace the police have of him.
The Hayes man stepped into the
store at noon, and asked if a package
had been left there for him. Mrs.
Hendrickson, without noting his ap-
pearance, told him there had not been.
An hour later a prosperous looking
man, who said his name was Williams,
came in with a small package in his
pocket.
He said he wanted to leave it for a
man named Hayes said Mrs. Hen
erickson today He asked if Hayes
had been here. and l said he had. Will
liams left the package and not two
minutes later, Hayes came in and
asked:
:" Is my package here?'
II told him it was and he smiled.
without another word he took it from
where it lay exposed on top of the
cigar case and went away"
The Uhle store is in the rear of the
Standard school and is one of the
familiar small shops where school chill
dren may purchase pencils and note
books. It's customers are frequent. and
the place was exceedingly well chosen
for such a transaction when publicity
was not desired.
Mrs. Uhle. the proprietor. has con-
Quoted the place for seventeen years.
She was not in the store when the
passing of the ransom took place and
her daughter was the only witness to
the transfer.
Believe Woman Innocent.
The Cleveland police are not in
clined to believe Mrs. Hendrickson
was a party to the kidnapping plot.
Mrs Hendrickson said today:
"a man whom had never seen be-
fore came in here just at noon Monday,
He asked for some stogies, and as he
paid for them asked how business
was. He did not seem nervous but
rather good natured. He told me his
name was Hayes and that he had ex-
pected a package to be left here for
him. ! told him there was none and
he said he would come back. He said
a man named Williams would leave it
for him.
''From what I can remember the
man seemed to be Irish. Certainly he
was neither German nor Polish and
he was neatly dressed.
"It was nearly an hour after that a
finely dressed man, whom I now be-
lieve to be Mr.. Whitla, came in and
said he had package. for Mr..
Hayes.
''I told him Hayes had been in Will
lisms left the package wrapped in
newspaper. I did not know there was
all that money in it. He had hardly
got out of sight when Hayes came in.
4" Your friend just went out I said.
He laughed and said it was too bad. |
1 gave him the package and he went
away I never saw him before"
How Money Was Paid.
Cleveland, March 23.-Little Willie
Whitla, who has caused the police of
the entire country endless worry since
he was kidnapped from school in Shar-
on, Pa last Thursday. was returned
to his father at the Hollenden hotel