The Washington times., 1924-09-23
.ONFESSE5.
POISONING
HUSBAND
CONTINUED from First Page.)


Q true and faithful wife and
mother, so help me God"
All night long the States at
tornay, Sheriff Holcomb and Deputy
Joseph Holcomp, his son, had taken
turns in questioning the woman.
And all through the night her re-
peated answer to all questions, to
all accusations, was:
II did not give him any poison.
Hight must have done 1t"
Then without any warning, the
minister was led from his cell into
the State's attorneys office where
the woman sat. The sheriff and
prosecutor left them, seemingly
alone for Conference" but at a
rear door. left slightly ajar, they
listened.
But they heard enough and after
an hour they invaded the dull,
n1urky chambers and led the min
lister away He broke down as he
reached the door, turned back once
TO gaze at the woman for whom
he had done murder and said:
Ready For. GaIIows.
81 love that woman. I think
she reciprocates the love-" Then:
isn't it funny how a man will
live q good. clean life for fourteen
years and then will meet woman
who proves to be the apple Of his
eye-%And sin.
Tn satisfied now to go to the
gallows. / sinned. That's ALL"
Then he was taken away and the
questioning Of Mrs. Sweetin was
renewed.
''FIow have you been?" the min.
lister first asked solicitously.
Very well, Lawrence" the WON
an answered.
Talk In whispers.
There was a pause while those
at the door strained their ears to
catch the conversation, which was
continued in half whispers.
you know that you are guilty."
was Nights next comment to the
woman for whom he had forsaken
the wife Of twenty years and their
three children. II don't think !
should take all the blame"
The next few minutes only a low
;murmur came to the listeners at
sthe door The two were talking in
tones so low that even in the still.
ness Of the early dawn, they did
not carry.
Once the listeners heard him
pledge:
":lN take care Of your children"
Thompson, Holcomb and his son
took turns in questioning her, &C.
cusing her, confronting her with bits
Of the conversation they had over
heard, with damaging bits of circum-
stantial evidence--the fact that the
minister was known to have pur-
chased poison at Benton before her
: husbands death, his confession i'm
plicating her; the death of her huS-
band under circumstances which IN.
dicated she alone had had an OPP
portunity to administer the drug
al these were recalled.
Breaks Under Strain.
At o'clock, the weary States ct.
torney, who with the sheriff and his
son, have spent three sleepless
nights extracting confessions from
Hight, walked out OF his office for
q moments relief.
"She is breaking" he announced.
IT think-shell have something to
say shortly"
Half an hour later the woman
broke under the strain. She poured
out her story In a torrent Of
words and then, calm and apparent
~ unmindful OF what fate might
await her, penned the confession
with the same pen which only q
few hours before Hight had written
his third confession in which he
named her as Wilford Sweetins
murderer.
Immediately, Thompson made ar
rangements to file formal charges
OF murder against the women. The
pastor already is under two charges
of murder, one made by q coroner 5
Jury which charged him with hav.
Ing poisoned his wife and the other
returned yesterday by q coroner's
jury charging him with numbering
Sweetin.
Denies Love Pact.
Mrs. Sweetin at first denied all
knowledge Of the love pack which
Hight charged was back Of the muir.
ders OF his wife and Sweetin.
I'VE fell In love about six
months ago." Hight had told the
Reverend c. c. Hall, district super.
tntendent Of the Mount Carmel diJ-