New-York tribune., 1909-03-22
WHlTLA'S EFFORT TO
RECOVER BOY FAILS
OBETINGLETTER. HE GOES
TO 4SHT4BUL4, OHIO.
Puts S1O,OOO Under Rock KidHap-
pers Fail to Appear-An
agreement Reported.

in attempt to negotiate settlement Tot tns
return Of his kidnapped son. Willie. in a park at
Ashta buIa. J. P. Whitla returned to-day 10 his
home in Sharon Penn.
Tonight a special dispatch to The Plain
Dealer from Sharon. Penn says that Mr.
WhitIa. while in Cleveland. met representative
Of the kidnappers OF his son and agreed that he
would pay the ransom demanded Mr. Whitla
guaranteed to the spokesman, the dispatch says
that there would be no prosecution
Mr. Whitla was instructed in a letter, osten-
siby from the kldnappers, 10 leave $4,000 In
F1atiron Park Ashtabua on Saturday night
If no detectives were about. the ktdnappers
promised they would remove the money and
deliver the boy safely to the father in hotel in
Ashtabula at 5 O'Clock this morning Whitla
deposited the money requested, but the Ash
tabuIa police learned OF the plans TO pay ths
ransom and went TO the park The kidnappers
are supposed 10 have seen them, for at 3 o'clock
the money was intact and not man had ap-
preached the spot at which II had been left
WhitIa had a score Of detectives in readiness
in this city to start search for the kidnappers
as soon as he had received the boy. The de-
tectives left here for Sharon tonight A con-
ference is being held in Sharon. and plans are
TO made to attempt to capture the kidnapperS
with the boy in their possession whitIa be-
lieves that the failure to effect settlement with
him last night will frghten the kidnappers and
they Will not communicate with him again.
The police Of Ashtabula are unwilling 10 be-
Iieve that the kfdnappers have left that vicinity.
Although WhtIa has instructed them 10 dis
continue their search. he believes 1t useless,
they attempting tonight 70 find the hiding
place of the kidnappers.
Detective T. s. Ward Of the PHILADELPHIA Of
flee Of the Perkins Detective Agency, said.
The boy Is in Ashtabula, Ohio. The pOlics
there could get him, but agreed not TO Try for
fear the kidnappers would kill him The kid
nappers can't take the boy out OF Ashtabuls-
We are waiting until they reopen negotiations
for a ransom. We don't want TO arrest the kid
nappers"
TOLD TO PUT MONEY IN PARK
The letter from the captors OF Willie Whitla
/ came to the boys parents in Sharon on Friday
afternoon. Instructions were given that the
/ father should 20 alone to AshtabuIa on Satur-
! day night and should place the $4,000 under a
q. rock in a gorge in the park at 10 o'clock At
/ o'clock on the following morning il the money
/ was received by the kidnappers. they promised
that the stolen boy would be sent TO the SL1ith
} Hotel In AshtabuIa, Unharmed- In order that
. there might be no mistake made. another letter.
. ii promised. would be written to Whitla
[ under the name Of &C A White Saturday
night. He was 10 receive this letter at the
Smith Hotel in Ashtabula. Whitla vas in
. structed specifically that he TO be accom-
1 panied by no one when he went TO the park 70
( deposit the money
/ Immediately on receipt OF the letter. whita
/ called in private detectives in his employ and
I asked their advice about paying the money.
/ They were anxious 10 capture the kidnappers
/ and pleaded with him 10 permit them to place a
I decoy package of bills at the designated spot
and let officers lie in wait 10 capture the men
who came after the money
WhitIa would not agree 10 this. but finally
/ consented to permit the detectives to accompany
IL
/ a search for the kidnappers. A special inter
| urban car was chartered to carry the searchers
/ from Cleveland to Ashtabula in case they were
/ called G. B. Perkins. OF Pittsburg. chief OF the
detective squad, was placed in charge OF the
| men.
+ At s o'clock last evening Whitla left Cleve-
land for AshtabuIa. He was accompanied By
I Detective McCabe. who was to act his body
guard but was not to go with Whitla to the
park
4 few minutes after O'Clock the kIdnappers.
+ in keeping with their promise. sent letter ad-
/ dressed to &C. A. White to the Smith Hotel in
Ashtabula. A boy who was unknown to any
of the clerks at the hotel handed the letter to
Albert Temple. night clerk Temple called the
/ name out several times, and. receiving no re-
/ sponse. threw the letter into a mail box behind
/ the counter. expecting some one would cali for
it, Half an hour later. when no one called for
the envelope.
7 Failing 10 grasp the Importance of the letter
to the man to whom it was addressed. the clerk
handed the letter to a travelling man. and sug
gested that It might prove clew to the kid
nappers. The travelling read It and at
once Informed Mayor Cook and Chief OF Poiics
Laskey The Mayor ordered all his police TO in
stitute search for the captors-
wHITLA OBEYs DIRECTIONS.
Promptly at 10 O'Clock whitia left the package
of bills in the park. He went to the designated
spot alone feeling certain that his compliance
with the request OF the kidnappers would prOvs
the means or delivering his boy back 70 him.
Three policemen who had been sent out from
the AshtabuIa central station saw whitla leave
the money in the park They apprised chief Las
key of their discovery. and received Instructions
10 remain an guard at tn park and capture the
kidnappers should they appear
In the mean time WhitIa returned - the city
and had established communication with his de-
tectives in Cleveland. They advised him not 70
go to the hotel for his boy a minute before the
time set He promised to observe orders.
After FIVE hours Of anxious waiting Whtla
started after his boy. AS he was on his way a
policeman informed him that three officers bad
been on guard at the park and no one had called
for the money
Whftla was overcome when this news was
broken To him. He went to the park and found
his package of money Undisturbed
A detachment Of detectives was sent out from
cleveland as soon as it was learned that the
AsbtabuIa police were working on the case Dur
ing the remainder of the night and all day to-
dav the officers have searched the country
around Ashtabula. attempting to get a trace Of