The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-10
POISON FOUND IN LEYH STORE,
BI-SULPHIDE or MERCURY NAY
HAVE KILLED OLD MAN.
Nestphai. VINO Is nder charge Of Larceny.
still Insists That He Gave Employer
BrOmO.Selt zer - Nobody Is wiling
10 Charge the boy WIN Murder.

year-old boy who worked for George r.
Leyh. the wealthy truss maker Of 70 Broad
way, Brooklyn, has admitted putting a
substance which he says he supposed was
bromo settler into the beer which killed
1eyh, and has admitted taking the dead
mans pocketbook after his death and
spending the money found in II on him
self, no one among the Brooklyn author
titles could be found yesterday who would
accuse him of anyt hing worse than larceny.
Westphal. as told in THE SUN yesterday.
was arrested on Monday night after De-
tectives Donlin and Miller of the Central
Office squad had discovered certain ex-
pendit ures that he had made which were
beyond his means. He admitted these
expenditures when he was confronted with
them, and for the first time told the1 story
Of having found old man Leyh's pocket
book on the floor Of the room in which he
died. But he persistcntly denied having
had any hand in Leyh's death until five
hours of steady examination wearied him
so that he finally confessed TO having placed
what he saws he thought was bromo settler
in Leyh's beer glass, his idea being, he said
TO sober the old man so that he could attend
10 business
Whether Westphal meant to put poison
in Leyh's beer or not. the police say there
il no doubt that he did put 1t in and that
what he says he thought was bromo settler
was some poison that killed the old man
Coroner Williams agrees with the police
that Leyh was killed by the stun that West =
phal put in his beer but when il came 10
making charge against the boy yesterday
morning no one could lie found AT first
who was willing to do it. For while il
was quite n problem what TO do with the
little fellow.
Westphal is bright boy, and although he
is an awful liar he seems to have a definite
programme in his mind. His parents are
poor but respectable people. and they are
| extremely bitter against the police for
| bounding their boy. They maintain that
there isn't one bit Of evidence OF wrong
doing against the youngstcr, and Coroner
| Williams was so impressed Yesterday by
/, what they said that he declined 10 make
any charge against the boy, on the ground
that he was man with property and didn I
propose to be brought into "A suit
Inspector Druhan and Capt Reynolds of
the Brooklyn Detective Bureau seemed
afraid to make any charge against the boy,
and finally the detectives appealed TO the
leyh family to make a formal complaint
The Ieyh family has been extremely bitter
against Westphal since the death of Mr.
Leyh. maintaining that lie knew more about
the matter than he had "r told but DR..
George r Ieyh, who j. I! . read Of the fam
lily since tho death OF hl> father, wouldn't
charge Westphal with killing his father.
either accidentally or otherwise, ana Il
compromise was finally reached, DR. Levin
charging Westphal with larceny in stealing
Lao, rl..I ,,,,l % h..f dan
On thi, complaint Wes,phal was brought
! from the Children's Society Shelter, where
/ he spent Monday night. 10 the Adams
! street police court and arragned before
, Magistrate Dooley The boy didn't show
! any more emotion because of his position
than he has shown al any time since the
! death Of his employer. His father, "A hard
working Garman mechanic, was i'll court
and seemed far more affected than his son.
Westphal talked freely 10 reporters about
! the bromo settler which he says he put
in Leyh'- beer. He still insisted that he
! put it into the glass only. and not into the
! bottle and he could offer no explanation
, of the sediment in the bottom of the b-er
/ bottle
There was only a little of il, anyway. "
| said Wcstphal Il didn't think that | put
/ any NOR" than three grains into the beer.
! ! know II was bromo settler because II
! looked just like rock salt
Rock salt and hrumu .et2-r are not a.
! all anne III appearance, ana lniH state
meut simply strengthen, the theory 4
| IA" police that. accidentally or otherW ts.,
| N.S'phal pm poison in his employer :
! beer. Detective Miller asked Magistrate
/ Dooley to send W-Stphil back TO the ear. Of
/ the Childreu'- society until tn. police could
make further Investigation ot Inc death
! of Mr.. lnyh and the Magistrate did This
! after marking on the papers n plea of not
! guilty of IA" charge of larceny Tor West phal.
In. police of tie Bedford VENUE station.
: Tho had no hand in the arrest Of We; pIal
/ are still working on the death Of Mr.. lev h.
/ They repeated yesterday thar they would
! make no move on hp evidence in their pos
session until the Coroner had announced
I the result of the chemical ANALYSIS of the
! puisOned beer and of the contents of Mr
| Leyh- stomach Detective Garland has
| n suspect under surveillance who had u
/ motive for the crime. That motive, ho
-ay-. was money, and he plainly minated
/ that there might be two persons IN lie
! cons piracy to Kill the old trusS maker.
Neither Garland nor Capt. Short would
| say ANYTHING about the case yesterday
| wouldn't even Say whether the person they
| had under suspicion Vas We-tpha or not
1 From their attitude 1t * believed that the
person they SUSPECT iS woman, not a
! man.
A swarm % detectives We're al worl,
I searching Lewis store Yesterday for poison,
and any other evidence that they might pick
I up. BY examining members of TIA" family
lhtN phTUsu Illil MISS lSdNelt fs'Nn MS
! in the habit of using bromO setter, but
none of the family could state ever having
seen the old man take any.
| A man who was in Ley his store Yesterday
/ il authority for the statement that on the
shelf there Is u bottle ofcyanide of potassium
the poison NhiUh IL was a, first believed
killed Leyh, and a bottle of bi-sulphide OF
! mercury. The bottle containing the latter
/ poison was very much clearer than any OF
the others, according to this man, and there
were knife marks on the cork. which in.
Dictated that it had recently been pried ou
and had then been hastily replaced. Ri
sulphide Of mercury is not n quick actinG
poison, and had lcyh accidentally taker
some of il he would have died exactly a.
his son and son-n-la" saw he died
The coinpcai ions that arise over lack o
knowledge Of the poison that killed leyl
have led To many criticisms of Corone
Williams and the police of tho Bedford ave
nue. station From Tuesday morning unit
mdnigh, Friday night the poisoned bee
and all the other exhibits in the case wcr