The evening world., 1905-07-05
TELLS HOW He
Slew son WHO
ANNOYED HIM
Aged Father Gives Poison to
His Weak Minded
Children.
ONE BOY GETS WELL.
Confesses Crime to Clergyman
-Murderer's Wife Died
Mysteriously.
ONE BOY GETS WELL.

WORTHWHILE, Pa. July b.-Driven
10 distraction by remorse, and the ever
haunting memory Of his crime, Gustav
A CIosson, sixty-two years old, has
confessed that he murdered his eleven
ycar-old-son.
Closson deliberately planned to kin
both his two youngest boys, who were
mentally deficient from b%abyhood, be-
cause their presence annoyed him.
Closson has been employed as night
gateman at Tullytown for the Penn
sylvania Railroad for nineteen years.
He Is a widower, his wife having died
about a year ago. He has six children
living. He had en~deavored to get the
two weak-minded boys into institutions
but had not been successful. The
other children are mentally bright.
Blossoms wife died suddenly also,
and now the neighbors are trying to
discover the exact circumstances of her
death.
Word reached the Pinkerton Detective
Agency to-day hat Ciosson was ready
TO confess and A. A. Esten was sent
here at once. Esten took with him a
warrant for Closson and gathered to-
gether a party to heal the old mans
story. A minister was a member of the
party.
Il am so sick I can scarcely stand,'
the clergyman said, after listening for
an hour to Blossoms confession.
"a Killed imH!" Said CIosson.
Il have a warrant here for your ar
rest for the murder of your own son."
said Esten to Closson as he opened the
door.
That's right" said the old man.
THAT right. I killed him."
ION May II. about noon," said Clos
son. II went to my tool-chest. where I
had a box of poison locked up. 1 took
1t out, mixed a part OF 1t with a little
water until it was a thick paste about
like mustard.
Then I o two pieces of bread
and spread Q of them with the paste.
putting them together. face to face,
like a sandwich. Then I called over my
boy. Henry, fourteen years old.
Here's something nice for YOU. I
said to him, Just eat it right down.
II saw Henry eating part of the bread
and I saw 1t made him very sick. /
kept away from him and went to work.
They wanted to call a physician, but 1
said Mo- for. you see, l expected him
TO die. But in the end Henry got well.
] suppose there was too much poison on
the bread. Yes. I knew there was in
surance on his life, $3.50. l waited until
Friday morning. May 10, at $50, and /
went to the saloon and got 10 cents
worth of beer.
Gave Young Son the Poison.
Il went out back of the house with a
enfee cup. and in the cup mixed a little
water with the poison; not SO much
poison this time.
"When I had the water and poison
mixed, I poured in a third of a cup OF
beer and gave it to Walter to drink.
Walter drank the beer and poison.
waited a little, n then gave Waite,
a penny and told him to go to the stor.
20 get some candy. 1 thought he woulu
be taken sick away from home.
but the housekeeper told ma he was
taken sick at home at noon. She cam.
no me and wanted 10 send for the doc
tor. but l told her not to. I never told
khe bous,keeper or any one else what
had done, bnt waited for Walter to die.
work. and the boy was then near
death. l was at Tullytown at 6 o'clock
when they telephoned that Walter wa
was it the insurance on the bows
life you wanted?" demanded some one
In the group
mo. / don't think it was" replied
Blossom, II gave the poison TO Walter,
were not bright, They were too much
care. There was nc prospect that th6y
would ever be of any use TO me-"