Evening star., 1924-12-24
Jury Out All Night in Case of
Murder of Woman's HuS-
band by Poison.
TWO MEMBERS WANTED
DEATH FOR EX-PASTOR
Divided Over Penalty for Mrs.
Sweetin-Defense Will Ap-
peal Verdict.
BY the Associated Press.


Hight, deposed pastor of Ina. ILL.,. and
Mrs. Elsie Sweetin for the murder by
poison of her husband. Wilfrod Sweet
in, early today returned verdict of
guilty" High was given life impris-
the penitentiary.
After celebrating all night, the jury
reported at $50 o'clock this morning
that it had reached an agreement.
Divide ON Penalty.
The jury retired at 10 o'clock last
night. 1t considered the case almost
continuously during the night and this
morning, except for short time for
breakfast. The Jurors stated after the
verdict that the jury had been unani-
nous for finding both defendants guilty
from the first ballot. but that there had
been wide difference as to the punish
ment to be inflicted upon Mrs. Sweetin.
The decision as to her. the jurors said,
represented a compromise.
Only two of the Jurors had favored
tnfliction of the death penalty upon
Hight None voted for the hanging of
Mrs. Sweetin.
The two defendants received the
verdict in silence and with no outward
display of emotion.
Notice OF Appeal Filed.
Attorneys gave notice that they
would ask for new trial.
The case went to the jury after
seven hours of argument, during
which the State demanded the death
penalty for both defendants.
Judge ]. c. Kern instructed the
jury on six possible verdicts:
Guilty of murder, with death as the
punishment; guilty of murder. with
life imprisonment; guilty of murder,
with not less than IA years iinprison-
uent: guilty Of manslaughter: not
guilty, and not guilty by reason of in
sanity.
Hight and Mrs. Sweetin retained their
composure ~under a bitter arraignment
in the final argument of Frank c.
Thompson, prosecutor.
They stand there two murderers
equally guilty under the law" he said to
the jury. Under your oaths do your
duty"
Hight and Mrs. Sweetin are under
indictment also for the poisoning of
Mrs. Hight.
Death Is Demanded.
Hight said that they wanted mercy.
not justice" said Thompson, ''but in
Illinois We still have the old Mosaic
law of an eye for an eye. A life has
been taken in Jefferson County and
death should be imposed
In spite of the strong probability Of
Christmas eve verdict the spirit of
Christmas played only minor role in
the arguments. Referring to an appeal
by Attorney Nelson Laymen in his ad-
dress in behalf Of Hight. Thompson
said: "They talk to you about Christ
mas, and I ask you to think Of last
Christmas and remember who was here
then and is absent now. But for this
crime Wilford Sweetin would now be
playing Santa Claus for his boys"
Thompson called Nights plea an
"artful dodge"
Nothing was ever heard of this
man being insane until after he was
arrested and charged with this
crime" he said.
This insanity dodge is a man of
straw. The fact that a man is sub
normal does not excuse the commits
sion Of a crime"
Layman, defense counsel, in his ar
gument described Hight as "a poor
little country preacher, who has al
ways had the worst of life, and has
not had square deal in this case"
Calls Confession Prompted.
Robert e. Smith. attorney for Mrs
Sweetin. emphasized that the testi-
mony showed Hight had been with
Wilford Sweetin frequently before
his death and had opportunity to
administer poison to him. Mrs
Sweetin's alleged confessions, he said,
were simply what Hight had told her
to tell.
"I am not prosecuting Lawrence NJ.
Hight, neither am defending Hight"
said Attorney Smith in opening his
argument,
IF Sweetin did die from poison,
there is no testimony that Elsie had
anything to do with it.
AS to those confessions Elsie
Sweetin was supposed to have made
at Salem, I'll say to you that the
testimony of Mrs. Sweetin herself
tells you that she was trying to tell
what Hight told her to tell and not
what she did"
The attorney then went into
Nights confessions and statements
and reminded the jury that they were
under instructions of the court that
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