The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-09-22
PASTOR MAKES
CONFESSION OF
TWO MURDERS
Rev. Hight, in Illinois, Says
He Killed Wife to End
Her Suffering
GOSSIP REPORT DENIED
ExOnerates Wife of WilfOrd
Sweetin, Also One of His
Murder Victims

Mount Vernon, ILL.,, Sept % (By
the A. P)-The Rev. Lawrence NJ.
Hight Of Ina, Illinois, early today
confessed, according to the author
tiles, that he had killed his wife,
Anna, and Wilford Sweetin by plac-
ing poison in their drinks as he
ministered to them during illness.
Shortly before q o'clock, after
hours of questioning by States At
torney Frank Thompson, the minis
ter confessed that he put poison in
a cup Of coffee which he served to
his wife early on September 10.
Later he admitted he put poison in a
glass of water he served to Sweetin
at his home in Ina on July q.
Traces of poison had been found
by Chicago chemist in the viscera
OF both persons. The clergyman, al
though he admitted on Saturday that
he had purchased poison three times
in recent months in Benton and
Mount Vernon, had stoutly main
tained he had obtained it to kill
rats which infested the parsonage.
Exonerates Mrs. Sweetin
added Hight exonerated Mrs. Will
ford Sweetin Of all blame and de-
c!ared there was no basis for the
village gossip linking his name with
hers. He persistently denied there
lad been any but honorable relation
between himself and Mrs. Sweetin,
whom he told his wife he considered
"the most beautiful woman in Ina"
According to the states attorney,
Hight went frequently to the Sweet
in home in his official capacity to
minister to the sick during the ILL
ness of Sweetin. He "sat up" with
Sweetin the night before he died.
When the sick man called for water
it was the minister who filled his
glass and brought it to him; and
in that glass, according to his con-
fession as related by Mr.. Thompson,
the minister poured deadly poison.
The Confession
The text of the two confessions
follow:
81, Lawrence NJ. Hight, Of my own
free will, voluntarily, without threat
or promises and having been fully
informed of my rights, that what
say may be used against me, make
the following statement:
"That while temporarily beside
myself with grief at my wife's, Anna
Hight, condition, who was suffering
intensely and was to die, and wish
ing to save her pain, put arsenic
in some coffee and gave it to her
in the early morning of Wednesday,
September 10, 1924; while Mrs. Lucy
Laur, my daughters, Mary and Mil
dred Hight, were in the kitchen in
my home at Ina, Illinois, jefferson
county, Illinois, and my son Robert
Hight was in.bed at home. That my
sole thought was to ease her pain
in her dying moments"
The second confession follows:
81, Lawrence M. Hight, of MY own
free will, voluntarily, without
threats or promises, and having
been fully informed of my rights
that what l may say may be used
against me, make the following
statement:
"That on Sunday morning, July
27, 1924, at the home of Wilford
Sweetin, at Ina, Jefferson county,
Illinois, placed some arsenic in
glass of water and gave it to Will
ford Sweetin who drank it. I did
it to ease his pain. Elsie Sweetin
knew nothing of this and there was
never anything between US in
any way.