The evening world., 1905-07-05
killed idiot
son TO Get
INSURANCE
Tells How He Poi
soned Child and Watched
His Death Agony.

WORTHWHILE, Pa. June 6-Unable
TO longer stand the mental agony conse-
quent upon his act, Gustav A. Closson,
Of this place, who 10 a fiasman on the
Pennsylvania Railroad at Tullytown,
has confessed the murder by poison of
his idiot son, Walter, eleven wears old.
on May 10 last, and the attempted MUIR
der Of another mentally weak son,
Henry, aged fourteen, a few days be-
fore.
The man, ignorant. poverty-stricken
and with abundant physical marks of
his d~egeneracy. says that the trifing in
surance on the lives Of the boys was
the minor factor in his act and that he
was really induced to his crime by the
knowledge that the boys were idiots and
would never amount to anything. but
the authorities believe that 1t was the
money alone that he wanted
Overdose Saved One Boy.
Early in May the oldest boy, Henry.
was taken Ill. but 1t seems that Closson
gave him an overdose. causing him to
throw of the poison. On May 10 he
experimental on the younger boy, Wal
ter. and succeeded in killing i'm.
1t was the death of this boy that
aroused suspicion and got the local
authorities quietly at work in~vestigat-
ing. They drew the net closer and
closer arc me Closson. who at the same
time became more n more affected
by remorse. and when they sprang their
evidence on him It was the psychology
cal moment. for the mans mind was
rapidly giving way under his mental
suffering.
In the presence OF A. A. Esten, of the
Pinkerton Agency here. some of the
church the Blossoms attended. the MUIR
dersr confessed his crime. The story
Is best told in his own words. which
are as follows:
Did Not Mind Murder.
The boys were 40 good to me or to
themselves and I decided to get rid oil
them. Nc one would tax them from
me, and they were a burden to me,
for after my wife died l had to hire a
housekeeper and | was in debt. l
their insurance money and put myself
on my feet that way. / did not mind
killing them. because they were idiots
and could never DO anything for them
selves or for me.
"One day, 0 n my way home from
work., l stopped in a drug store and
bought a package OF rat poison, be-
cause Il saii on the outside that it
would kill instantly. 1 tool this home
and hid it in my tool chest.
THE nex night l got 1t out, mixed
some Of II with water and made a
paste Of IT. put this on a slice of
slice. n gave 1t to Henry to eat. He
did not like 1t, but l made him eat il
all. Then / waited to see when ne
would be sick.
In a little while he had great pains
and lay down. The housekeeper wanted
to call a doctor. but I would not allow
might have saved him. He got worse
and worse and suffered awfully. but I
to get better. for he was taken sick and
vomited up the poison. / was disap :
pointed. but did not dare to give him
another dose then. for I was afraid the
would get suspicious.
Ordered Boy to Die.
Two days later | made up my mlnd
to try the poison on Walter. He was
years younger. and / thought il might
kill him at once. So / got a cup OF
beer. mixed a lot OF the poison n Il;
and made him drink II; The boy drank
~ oVNohsc bS wac uIidlu 10 ulsODty me,
although he did not like the stuff any
better than Henry did.
Right after he drank II I gave MIN
a cent and told him to go and get a
stick OF candy. l wanted him to die
AVA from home. out on the road
somewhere. and to be found dead nf.er
/ had left for my place at TullytUwn,
But he got back before / could leave,
and q few minutes later fell on the
ho2r IN greet pain;
keeper insisted on sending Tor a doctor.
would not allow this, as / determined
IL kill This one, although l had failed
In the FIRST case: His pain finally got
SO awful that | couldn't watch him.
and j left the house and Went to Tully-
When l got back they told me he
was dead. | waited a few days and
collected the insurance on his life.
Lately ! have thought that / did wrong,
although the boy was no use to any one.
Anyway. l made up my mind TO confess
The way in which suspicion FIRST
pointed at foul play was that the house
Eeeper sent for a doctor just before
died and after Closson had left
The house. The physician detected the
presence of poison, made a thorough in
v~est'gatfon n later had the organs
taken from the body and submitted to
technical ANALYSIS; This revealed the