The Washington times., 1909-05-09

ers. He might even persuade the pri-
vate detectives and railroad wStchmen
to retire. The money could be left in
confidence that no shots would be fired
If the kidnapers came 10 get IT So the
$4,000, in a bundle about the size OF a
shoe box. wrapped carelessly in a news
paper. was laid on the foundation OF
| the cannon. And there 1t stayed, un-
| touched and unharmed. from $3.50 that
night until 4 the next morning, though
thousand persons passed and re-
passed. But the cap4ors had been
frightened away, and the only news that
could be sent back to the agonized
mother. pacing the floors of her luxuri-
Gus home in an agony we outsiders can
only imagine. was that the boy had not
been found. but would be soon.
For three nights he mother did not
sleep at all For three days she walked
the floor. or sat with her sister and
brothers, moaning and tremuIous. For
three days the rather waited, all
ktdnapers might propose. Then their
boys was returned.
Aftermath
Of the Kidnapping.
But the heartache was not over. For
"Billy'-though he has come through
the entire experience as unspolsed as
any like child in any American home
still bears the imprint of his FIVE days
with Boyle and his wife. He has not
yet begun TO sing. The training In the
apa ftment house where he was confined
still makes him move around his home
on tip toe. He wakes from his sleep
talking of smallpox When he fell last
week and hurt his knee a little, and the
bandages brought out some Inflammation
he at once grew apprehensive IN his
boyish way and held both his parents
near while he whispered,
rs it smallpox, do you think2''
Then stories began to be whispered.
In the thousands of letters and postal
cards that flooded the whiua home
were many insinuations that the boys
teacher. a good woman. had been party
to the crime Mrs. Hendrickson, a
well-meaning and unoffending German
woman, had taken IL the money, wrap
ped in the newspaper, without the.
slightest idea that a was ransom. Yet
there were countless suggestions that
she was party to the crime.
Worst of all, there were rl1aaors in
volving members of Mrs. whitIas own
every one of them down. He does not
believe a single reasonable reader Of
this article would accept any one Of
them.
Every probability is. in fact, against
them. When Boyle and his wife were ar
rested they were both under the in
fiuence Of liquor. AS Mrs. Boyle walked
with the Cleveland police she said:
Wen. I'm the frail little woman that
planned it ALL"
When she was searched by the ma
irons, all the ransom, save about $50
was found sewn, IN the original 500
packages, under her skirt. The wo-
man said again, as the matron took
out these packages: Yes, I'm the frail
little woman that planned Il all And
you notice that I got all the money
guess I'm caught this time. There'u
be hell 10 pay in Sharon when the
BOyies hear of this" She herself now
denies that she made any reference to
"Old Buhl."
This crime had clearly its upspring
in a personality blending Becky Sharp (
with Messalina- Like Becky, Helen z
Boyle surmOunts every setback with an 4
easy invention on the spur of the oc-
casion. Like Becky, she wants only the !
luxuries of her sex-and like Becky she 4
becomes those luxurieS so wonderfully 1
welli Anybody could be virtuous o. /
10000 pounds a year, said Becky; and /
Helen Boyle might have been not only 4
viTtuous but splendid If only fortune /
had given her the meansl
To the Very Last.
Even at the trial this Becky Sharp
was eXemplified. She /
sat with her back to the courtroom