The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-02
LESSONS OF THE WHiTLA CASE

The WThitla abduction case is one
of the most remarkable in the records
of crime in one feature at least, and
that is that $4,000 persons were en-
gagged in the hunt for the boy and his
captors for nearly q week, and yet all
efforts failed, although it turns out
that the quarry was hidden during the
entire time within a radius of fifty
miles of the scene of the abduction
According to the boys statement. he
was brought from his place of hiding
to Ashtabula on Saturday evening
where his father had arranged with
his abductorS to place the $4,000 ran
som under a rock in F'latiron park. 1t
seems almost inconceivable that the
boys identity should have remained
undiscovered when the criminals made
such a bold move, or even that they
could have evaded capture under any
circumstances in such limited field IN
the face of such a determined search
entered into by practically the entire
population, including hundreds or
skilled detectives and constabulary of
every kind It would seem that the
presence of strangers would have be-
come known and aroused suspicion
In any place where the pursued party
took refuge and particularly that it
would have been impossible for them
to move from one town to another
However this phase of the case
serves as a forcible reminder of the
fact that people are ever prone to
overlook a thing, no matter how ear
nestly sought after, when 1T is lygh'
under their noses, and to lm\5lnt
that they must go far from home to
find what they seek. This queer trait
In human nature has been conspicu-
pusly demonstrated in the history OF
The great gold and silver strikes II
the west-at Cripple Creek, Lead
rille and other famous camps. IL
almost every instance the rich dis
rovery was made by chance, and gen
,rally by a tenderfoot, in place
which had been walked over hun
dreds Of times by skilled prospector
who thought they must go far afiel
to find treasures which lay all tn
while in the grass roots under thei
feet. Nevertheless, prospectors ar
by no means peculiar in this respect
1t is a universal characteristic of NOR
tails to look far away for the fortune
that are right before their eyes. Or
portunities are always near at ham
for those who know how to find then
However, a much more importal
lesson than that of overlooked OF
portunities may be drawn from tn
abduction case. In the first place.
Is wise. as Mr.. Cudahy advises ar
both. ne and Mr.. Whitla did, to pa
the ransom. if possible, and look f
the abductors afterward. The reco
of the dozen or more such cas-
which have occurred in recent veal
shows that in eight out of ten instan
es where the ransom was not paid Z
child was never heard of again. In {
next place. the frequency of these cas-
demands that the crime of abducti
should be made capital offense,
not with the penalty of hanging,
least with Imprisonment for life. The
is no more dastardly atrocity than t
!lidnaper's trade. 1t is worse than t
slave trade, because besides being
traffic in human flesh il is usually a
companied by torture or death visit
upon the innocent child as matter
revenge by his abductors when disa
pointed in receiving the ransom. NJ
or women who conceive such col