The sun., 1902-12-09
HOLD BOY FOR KILLING LEYH
81 HESTPHAL SAYS NE PUT BROMO
SELTZER INTO the BEER.
Bought n Hic,cic and Pair Of Gloves with
Nonc, He SAYS lie Found on the Floor
.ftcr Trussmaker Died Feared 10
Tell "lcn lie Saw the Doses Eject.

ItIi wv NV -" WV UVs'
Robert T,s'Ihal the fourteen-yes
boy VII fi, Nth George F. Leyh, the
aged Bro, kivn tr,issmaker when the latter
died after drinking poisoned beer week
ago to-day in his store at 73 Broadway,
Wiliamsb irg, was arrested last night at
his home, 2i7 stockholm street, on suspicion
of having murdered he old man The
arres, was made By Detectives Uonlin and
Miller of The Brooklyn Detective Bureau,
who since Friday last have been working
on the case under he direction OF Inspector
Druhan.
The an Noi discoveries by the
detective 40, O., .porditures by the boy far
beyond his means shortly after the death
of the OLD man.
Although Wcstphal had been repeatedly
subjected TO close examination 10y the police
= Of the Bedford avenue station by Central
Ofice detectives and bv reporters. he man
aged to tell ~ straight story that he was
finally allowed to go home, and the police
began 10 work up other clues,
Last night however, Wes,rhal broke
down when he leard that his expenditures
were known. and saii That on the morning
of Lcyh's death he placed what he thought
was bromo seltzor in glass 81 beer that
his employer was about To drink, He did
this. he said, for the purpose of Soldering the
old man up. but when IL killed him instead
of having the intended effect. he became
alarmed ana made up his mind not To say
ANYTHING about what he had done 10 any
body.
The detectives from Police Headquarters,
es well as the precinct men who had been
trying 10 solve the mystery Of old man
Leyh's death. had practically eliminated
West pha from the Case because Of the
straight stories that The boy had told after
suspicion first pointed 10 him. Yesterday
morning, however, after a conference Of
the Leyh family. AZ which the police were
severely scoreI for not being more active
In running down the m,rd erer of the old
man, Inspector Druhan calle Detectives
Donlin an NJ Her before him and said that
he wanted complete and careful in
vestig1tio made OF the old mans death
and especially did he want the record Of
the Westphl boy AMI the records OF the
various M. uLrrs Of the old trussmak er-
family who would profit by his death lpokai
into.
The detectives looked up the Westphal
boy first and discovered that on Tuesday
night last. only a few hours after the death
Sporting Goods ani Novelty Store al ss3
Broadway, a few blocks from his home, and
bought a bicycle for $27 and a pair Of buck
skin gloves for about a dollar. He paid for
both bicycle and gloves. but left orders that
the bicycle be sent to his home, addressed
10 him o., Christmas eve. The gloves he
took with him.
Westphal was employed for a few dol
In n h,l Nr I ayh oh
and at no time had he ever had a. much
At 327 OF his own money. Although the
police had questioned him on every con-
ceivable point and had practically told
him that he was suspected Of the murder.
he never mentioned the purchases he made
30 soon after the old trussrnaker's death.
Last night Donln and Miller went to the
boys home in Stockholm street to question
him. The lads parents resented the call,
saying that the boy was being bounded
and that he had already been questioned
half a dozen times by the police. Never
theless. the detectives insisted on seeing
Westphal, and when the boy was pro-
duced they confronted him with the pur-
chases he had made
For the first time since the death of Mr..
Leyh the boy showed signs Of weakening
He wasn't questioned any more then,
but was ordered TO put on his hat and coat
He was taken 10 Police Headquarters AZ
once and was there questioned AZ length
For long time Westphal denied that
he had put anything into LEWIS beer
The money with which he purchased the
bicycle. he said, was part of what he found
on the floor Of the sore in a pocket book
after Mr.. Leyh died. II VAS an hour and
half afterward, he said. and all hough
several members of the family had been
around, no one seemed to ssc the pocket
book. After the rest had gone out, he
said, he picked mp the pocket book and
decided to keep the money now that Mr..
Levin. the real owr"r. was dead.
There was S27Os in the pocket book
said Wes'phal "and thought would buy
a bicycle with the money. II took 427 for
the bicycle. but with the eight cents and
some money OF my own had enough to
think there was any harm in taking the
money as long a. IN" old man was dead
Westphal could not be- induced to tell
what his object was in having the bicycle
scnt home to him on Christmas eve bur
the police believe that he figured tha, h"
wouldn't b' too closely quo-, toned about
II ~ II Gaze a. an anonymous present
The detectives went all over the old
ground with the boy before they got him
10 admit that he had put anything into
Ieyh's b""r, For long time he insisted
that he hadn't touched the beer, but finally
he said that he had put bromo -eltzcr in it.
Mr. l%yh lad been drinking all the
morning," he said. He drank whiskey
and wine until he was too drunk 10 attend
10 business, and as he sometimes took
bromo selt2er when he was that way |
decided to give him some. There was some
in "A bottle on the she ,and after he poured
out glass Of beer took the cork from the
bottle and dumped some Of the powder into
the glass. He tasted the beer afterward
and said he didn't like IL Then he was taken
sick and afterward he died "
After telling this mhch the hoy seemed
10 get his nerve back and declined 70 say
anything more although the detectives
kept at him for an hour
The story is undoubtedly true in part,
hut the boy lied aboW ONE things the
iaost ilAl ''tart being tho prtting Ot what
he says was bromo seliT IN the glass of
beer. Whatever poison II was that killed
Mr. Iryh came from tie otile from which
he poured his beer, ami So much Of il was
placed in this bottle that after his death
there was fully half an inch Of sediment
in the bottle. There was also some sedi-
ment in the glass from which the old man
drank bt"r, but net more than tha-c would
bc naturally II part Of tn" poison in the
bottle had been we'll shaken M in the beer
Westphal insisted that he did not place
anything in the bottle tie said that he
never touched IN. bottle. but the police