Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-25
WOMAN CONFIRMS
PASTOR STORY Of
DOUBLE POISONING
Husband Rallied Twice, So
She Gave Him Third
and Fatal Dose
5 CENTS A COPY,
81 A YEAR.

MOONI VEflANOIN, ILL.,, Sepl. co.
After an all-night vigil, Mrs. Elsie
Sweetin confessed this morning that
she was implicated with the Rev.
Lawrence M. Hight, of Ina in plot
to poison her husband and Mrs.
Hight in order that she and the
minister could be married, thus cons
firming the confession made yes
terday by Hight.
Hight and Miss SWeetin were re-
moved from the county Jail here to-
day because of reported threats at
Mason, a small town near Ina. The
minister was taken to Salem and
Mrs. Sweetin to Belleville, Ill.
Arrested yesterday evening at her
home in Ina, twelve miles south of
| here, Mrs. Sweetin a>eadfastly de-
MED any part in the alleged poison
plot, as had been admitted by the
minister, but broke down this morn
ing after being closeted in the same
cell with the minister, with States
Attorney Thompson and newspaper
men listening at the door of the cell.
The text of the confession made
and signed by Mrs. Sweetin, follows:
The first time that 1 noticed that
Lawrence M. Hight had any feelings
OF affection for me was in April,
1924; my husband for some time had
| treated me without affection.
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 1 was to admins
lister poison to my husband, MILFORD
| SWeetin, and he was to administers
poison his wife, Anna Hight. And
when week or two later my hus-
band was hurt in the mine, Law
renee Hight gave me a paper pack
age which he told me contained
poison, and he told me to give gome
OF it to. MILFORD in anything
MILFORD was hurt in the mine on
the night of July 16, and the follows
ing day we went to Benton and
went to a drug store and got sons
ice cream and saltwater, and on
the\way home L gave MILFORD, nv
husband, some chocolate candy, In
which I had mixed some of the
poison. He became very ill, but
seemed later to grow better and on
Tuesday I gave him more poison nj
oatmeal, Mr.. Hight having given md
more poison in the meantime.
Had to Give Third Dose
with medical attention MILFORD
seemed to grow better again and
after DIR. S. A. Thompson had wait.
ed on him Friday, July 25, I adniul
istered the final dose of poison and
he grew worse and died July %, tha
final dose having been mixed in to-
mato soup.
Every time Mr. Hight came I'd
the house during Wilford's illness
he gave me a note of encouragement
to give MILFORD more poison. did
II ND he AL
when he poisoned his wife, but when
she became i'll and died I supposed
he had poisoned her. Until became
infatuated with Mr.. Hight 1 had led
a blameless life and had always beeli
a true wife and mother and it II
true, so help me God.
(Signed) ELSIE SWEETIN."
After signing the confession. Mrs,
SWeetin, accompanied by the state
attorney and the clergyman, went
to breakfast. Immediately af.Hf
breakfast she was taken before a
Justice OF the peace, waived a pre-
liminary hearing and the case was
turned over to the grand jury.
In telling Of his life this mornings
the preacher related how one night
he was praying to find the right way,
and suddenly a great light shons
upon him and he became converted
That was thirteen years ago, he said,
and since then he had converted o.
500 persons, 1873 during his stay I'M
Ina. He did not want to go to Ina,
he said, but when the members of
the congregation called on him and
urged him to accept the charge, he
did.
Tells of Meeting Woman
1t was one day in church, he said,
/ when he met Mrs. SWeetin. They
met in the aisle of the little country
church, and from then on he had
entertained a feeling of more than
friendship for her, he said. His af-
lection for his wife, he said. began
to wane, he had found his natural
mate he added.
The first indication that Mrs.
| Sweetin was weakening and ready to
admit the part in the poison plot tho
| minister had attributed to her in his
confession yesterday morning was
/ given when the two met in the cell
| together. Attendants Of the Jail and
the state attorney, spying on them
saw them caressing one another and
weeping, seated beside one another.
His original plan, Hight said, in his
confession, was to poison his wife
after leaving Ina, as he har: expect
ed to be transferred to large con-
gregation at the meeting Of the
! church conference in Carbonate to-
day. However, he said, when his
wife became i'll, he was inspired with
the thought that he could carry out
his plan sooner than anticipated.
Mrs. SWeetin has been described as
woman with attractive features.
She is the mother Of three small
boys who are still at the Sweetin
home in Ina. Hight also has three
children at home.
Both Blame Mates
Loveless married lives, both the
minister and Mrs. Sweetin told the
state attorney, drove them together
and led to the plot to poison their
mates so they might marry.
I'm a preacher, but I'm human, all
too human" the Rev. Mr.. Hight said
today.
He wept as he talked of his chill
d1en.
Il had lived for them" he cried,
before / met her. I had planned
not to poison my wife until I left
Ina, but she fell sick with ptonaine
poisoning and suffered such agony,
I thought 1 might relieve her pain
and free myself at tie same time.
How sorry [ am now / agonized
in prayer to God and He heard me.
[ am forgiven. There is lesson in
this" the pastor philosophical.
Marriages must have passionate
love as basis or there is no happi.
ness. Had 1 met and married Mrs.
Sweetin first, our lives would have
been unutterably happy. But she
married cold, Indifferent man. and