Evening star., 1924-09-23
WOMAN C0NFESSES
PART WITH PASTOR
IN NDUAL POISONING
Mrs. Elsie SWeetin Says He
Told Her to Kill Husband
as He Slew His Wife.
GAVE DOSES IN OATMEAL
CANDY AND TOMATO SOUP
Officials Spy on Pair in Cell to Get
Clue to Her Relations With
Minister.
6y the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
MOUNT VERNON, Ill. Septembe r
eS.-After an all-night vigil Mrs FL
sic Sweetin confessed this mornin g
that she was implicated with Rev.
Lawrence NJ. Hight of Ina in a plot
to poison her husband and Mrs. Hight
in order that she and the minister
could be married, thus confirming the
confession made yesterday by Rev.
Sr. Hight.
Arrested yesterday at her home in
Ina, near here, Mrs. Sweetin denied
any part in the alleged poison plot,
as had been admitted by the minister,
but broke down this morning after
being closeted in the same cell with
the minister.
Rev. Mr.. Hight told newspapermen
Mrs. Sweetin promised him in the cell
she would confess she had poisoned
her husband. Mrs. Sweetin was
taken to the States attorneys office,
and a low trembling voice and the
clicking of a typewriter were heard.
Found She Liked Him.
The text of the confession signed by
Mrs. Sweetin follows:
The first time that I noticed that
Lawrence NJ. Hight had any feeling
of affection for me was in April, 1924;
my husband for some time had
treated me without affection.
Rev. Hight continued his advances 8
and | finally discovered that l re-
turned his affection. About three
months ago he suggested that he
give me some poison to give to my
husband. and he would do the same
to his wife.
AT first l was Mortified. but he
talked so plausibly and I had such
confidence in him that it seemed to
me to be right to do it. We then
finally agreed that ! was to admin
lister poison to my husband. Wilford
Sweetin, and he was to administer
poison to his wife, Anna Hight And
when n week or two later my hus-
hand was hurt in the mine Lawrence
Hight gave me a paper package
which he told me contained poison.
and he told me to give some of it
to Wilford in anything.
Put Poison in Candy.
"Wilford was hurt in the mine on
the night of July 16, and the follow
ing day he went to Benton and went
to drug store and got some ice
cream and soda water. and on the
way home ! gave Wilford, my hus-
hand. some chocolate candy, in which
had mixed some of the poison He
became very ILL., but seemed later to
grow better, and on Tuesday 1 gave
him more poison in oatmeal, Mr.
Hight having given me more poison
in the meantime.
with medical attention Wilford
Seemed to grow better again, and
after DR.. S. a. Thompson had waited
on him Friday, July %, | administer
ad hp n of Ho
i, grew worse and died July %. the final
dose having been mixed in tomato
soup.
Every time Mr.. Hight came to the
house during Wilfords illness he
gave me a note of encouragement to
give Wilford more poison. I did not
know and he did not tell me when
he poisoned his wife. but when she
became i'll and died / supposed he had
poisoned her. Until 1 became in
fatuated with Mr.. Hight l had led a
blameless life and had always been
true wife and mother and, it is true
SO help me God.
ELSIE SWEETIN."
Case Given to Jury.
Mrs. Sweetin waived a preliminary
hearing, and the case was given to
the grand jury.
Mrs. Sweetin appeared worn out
and haggard, due to the 12-hour grill
ing during which she was confronted
with the clergyman. After the hear
: ing before the justice of the peace.
she was taken to cell adjoining that
occupied by Hight.
In an interview Hight gave a brief
sketch of his life and told how a pre-
monition that something would hap
pen had warned him to stay away
from Ina, and how he had protested
after being assigned to the Ina
church. He said that during the thir-
teen years he has been a minister he
had converted $500 persons, 1913 dur
ing his stay in Ina.
First Met in Church.
1t was one day in church, he said,
When he met Mrs. Sweetin. They
met in the aisle and from then on he
had entertained a feeling of more
than friendship for her. he said. His
affection for his wife, he said, began
to wane.
The first indication that Mrs
Sweetin was weakening and ready to
admit the part in the poison plot the
minister had already attributed to her
in his confession yesterday was given
when the two met in the cell togeth-
err Attendants of the Jail and the
states attorney, spying on them, saw
them caresSing one another and weep
ing.
This, the states attorney said, con-
tradicted the contention of Mrs
Sweetin that there had been no love
affair, and from then on he was con-
Yinced that she was implicated.
Both Sit Down and Weep.
How do you feel today?" were the
first words spoken by the minister
when left alone with the woman.
Not so WELL" was the reply, and
then the two sat down and wept
| After returning from breakfast
with the two prisoners States Attor
ney Thompson refused to let any one
see Mrs. Sweetin.
Members of the Ina congregation,
where the clergyman had been more
than year, called at the Jail, shook
hands with the minister and ex-
pressed their confidence in him.
Rev. Hight spoke freely of his past
life, saying that he was a son of the
owner of the once famous Hight race
horse stable and farm, in Johnson
County, Illinois, but that he himself
had not been active in horse racing.
He was ordained to the ministry, he
said. after a short course of instruc-
tion, and had since had charge of
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