The Washington times., 1923-02-08
BOY IS ON TRIAL
FOR BRUTAL
Staying.
confesses Killing After Body
of Aged RecIuse Found
Battered to Death.
BY international News Service.


BINGHAMTON, N. Y, Feb. g.
1.-THE boy knew what he was doing.
It was greed that actuated him. He
wanted the money that the old man
had saved and human life meant
nothing to him. A verdict of guilty
will do more to establish law and
order throughout the country than
anything else could do"
That is the conviction of Charles
Van Scotch. assistant district attor-
ney of Susquehannah county, Pa, on
the other side of the New York State
line, who will prosecute fourteen
year-old Elmer Washburn, school
boy, for the brutal Staying OF Cyrus
Payne, Brushville recluse and civil
war veteran, on October q last.
The trial of the child the State
brands q cold-blooded murderer was
scheduled for the late January term
of court, but. was placed over until
the April term. Today the boy, APP
parently unable to grasp the serious.
ness of his plight, awaits the trial
in the Montrose, Pa, jail.
Confident He WIN Go Free.
The attorneys assigned by the
court to defend the youth are conf
dent that he win be freed by the
jury, in spite of the fact that he is
alleged to have confessed.
It was a particularly heinous MUIR
der.y The weak old man was his
neighbor and friend. For years the
lad had gone every day or two across
the fields to the home of the civil
war veteran to share his meal and do
any bits of work that might be
needed, and in return he would
always receive dime or quarter.
The dead mans body was dis
covered by Charles Wilcox, owner
of the farm on which Payne lived,
on the Sunday after the crime was
committed.
On Wednesday, November 1,
Trooper Gratcofsky drove his car
to the Brushville School and asked
the teacher, Miss Irene Banker, if
he might take Elmer for a ride.
Miss Banker excused him. He was
overjoyed as he climbed into the
car.
After they had driven along the
Maple Ridge road for awhile, Graf
cofsky questioned the boy about
the gun barrel with which he is al
legged to have beaten the old man
to death.
Shows Gun Barrel.
Gratcofsky took from under the
seat of the car the blood-stained
barrel and the stock, which had
been found in the Washburn attic.
Here is the stock and barrel,
Elmer" he said. You might as
well make clean abreast Of it. We
know all about it."
The boy broke down and began
to cry.
tell you all about it. i did it be-
cause I wanted all that money. He
showed it to me every day and l
kept thinking that it wasn't any
good just pinned up there in his
shirt. 1 wanted the money"
In his statement to. John Fergu-
son, district attorney, the. boy said:
Il had known Mr.. Payne for a
long time. I used to call him
grandpa. We We're good friends.
Last summer he took a lot Of
money out of the bank. There was
a $1,000 bill and lot of gold. He
used to show it to me and ask me
if 1 ever expected to have as much
money as that.
Welded Gun Barrel.
Last Friday / went to Mr..
Payne's. He was getting his break
fast, and SO 1 baked hot cakes for
him. While he was eating I hit
him on the head with the gun bar
rel. The old man fell on the floor
and / was scared, and hit him two
or three times more. I then took
the money. l locked the door and
got out of the window and the
window fell down and locked itself.
L threw the gun barrel down the
old well and then went up the hill
and hid the bag and the envelope
under a big stone. 1 didn't want
to kill the old man.
HE put his hands up when hit
him and he was groaning when /
got out of the window. l didn't
know he was dead for sure till they
found the body on Sunday"