The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-23

ears.-.A slip, which Willie was to
hand to the conductor, was put In the
boys pocket. It reads:
"Send this boy to the Hollenden Ho-
tel double quick"
Willie says the man told him that II
anybody asked him who took him to
the car line. to tell them 1t was Mr.
Just tell them your name is Jones.
too. IL you want to-" said the kidnap-
per.
"AI right, Mr.. JONES'" answered
Willie.
Presently a car came into view and
the mysterious Mr.. Jones drew the boy
closer to him.
well. Willie, you are going down
town now and you Will see your papa
pretty SOON" he said.
This delighted Willie. He swung on
to the car quickly. according to the
conductor. "Mr. Jones'" paid the boys
fare and then got off the car and dis
appeared, waving a friendly adieu. This
salute to his little captive was contin-
ued until the car had disappeared in
the inky darkness of the night
Presently Edward Mahoney. aged IL.
sat down in the seat with the boy.
Mahoney, like most every. other person
in Cleveland. was looking for Willie
Whitla. So he started a conversation.
whats your manner" he queried.
Jones'" answered Willie, as his kid
napper friend had told him to do.
But Mahoney was not to be fooled.
He called his friend Ramsey over from
another part of the car and showed
him Willie. He suggested that 1t
might be the missing child. Then Will
lie showed them his transfer slip. say
Ing that he should put Off at the Hol-
lenden Hotel. and they were convinced
1t was he.
Boy Reaches Hotel.
The boys took Willie to the hotel.
He skipped through the doors ahead Of
them and into the lobby
Willie didn't see his father in the
lobby. Walking over to the clerk, he
asked: Have you seen my papa?"
"Who is he, boy?" he was asked.
"Oh. am Mr.. Whitla's Willie," he
replied.
The crowd nearest the boy who
heard the words rushed in around him.
The father and his boy were then
brought together and the rapidly in
creasing crowd gave frantic cheers for
them both. Father and son went to
the formers room. Then, through the
door came these words, spoken by the
father to the boys mother on the long
distance phone.
"Oh, mother, 1 have Willie here In
my arms. He Is safe. Glory to God,
mama. 1t Is the happiest night of my
life."
Fully 1000 people gathered in the
Railways and Hobbies Of the hotel
Those who were unable to get into the
hotel stood on the sidewalks and
shouted for a glimpse of the boy.
Again and again they called his name
and implored his father to bring him
out and let them look at him. Whitla
acquiesced and carrying the boy on
his shoulder. walked down into the
the center of the lobby, Whitla gave
every one chance to see both father
and son.
Cries of Speech! Speech" caused
Whltla to say few words as follows:
This Is my son. He was lost and Is
found again. If l live a thousand
years I never can do enough to repay
the press. the police and the people
who all have done noble work in help
ing to find my boy, and In extending
their sympathy to me and my family
and relatives"
The father then sought to induce the
child to say few words in response
to the crowds demand, but. frightened,
Willie began to cry, SO the assemblage
cheered him again and desisted In its
efforts to make him speak.
Child Tells Experience.
Later the boy related his story to his
father and the newspaper men as fol-
lows:
"A man, tall and with black mus
tache, came to the school house Thurs
day and told my school teacher. Mrs.
Anna Lewis, that you wanted me at
your office. I went out to a buggy
with him. On the. way down he asked
me to address a letter to you. 1 did
this and then dropped IT into a mail
box. He was awfully kind.
I'VE went from Sharon to Warren.
The man. who was the same one who
brought me to the car line tonight,
was nice to me. he tucked the robe
about my legs. Gee! he was good.
when we got to a place tile maf
said was Warren the man left the
buggy in the road. Then we got on
what think was an electric car.
was sleepy when we got on the car.
when we got to a town that the
man called New Castle, they took me
70 a bodybuilding and turned me over
to a woman. She was good to me.
The hospital. or whatever the building
was. was a clean place. There was a
man there who. I think. was doctor.
He looked like q doctor because he
had whiskers-short. grey whiskers.
The people in the hospital told me
that 1 must do just what they told me
to do. If l did not obey them they
said. they would take me to a place
called the pest house, where folks that
have smallpox have to go. 1 walked
the chalk just like good boy. papa;
like you've told me to do.
ION Saturday night I was taken away
from the hospital. and 1 think we went
to a town called Ashtabula. We trav-
eled in a buggy and on foot. Early
In the morning we went back to the
hospital. I heard one of the men say:
There will be nothing doing tonight,
I guess
"They told me I was taking a little
vacation. 1 wasn't going to be hurt,
they told me, so just acted nice and
had good time playing around the
hospital 1 knew I would get back
home all right. and just supposed Mr.
Jones' was one of my friends. who
was treating me nice because you