The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-24
WORDS OF LOVE
 FORCE CONFESSION IN POISON PLOT
Mrs. Sweetin's Will BrO- ken By Meeting With
 Pastor
BOTH ARE HURRIED
 TO SEPARATE JAILS
States Attorney Denies Death Penalty Will
 Be FOregOne.
iRY Associated Pressl


 MOUNT VERNON, H., Sept. 23.-With confessions of their poison plot romance in the hands of States Attorney Thompson, Reverend Law renee M. flight and Mrs. Elsie were taken from Mount Vernon jail tonight and placed in Jail at Nashville and Salem, respectively.
 Not so much the fears of Sheriff Holcomb that a threat ening crowd might assemble, prompted the move, the sher- if said, but because there are no quarters here for women prisoners. The principals in this striking love story of a mining town circuit rider were separated after a brief but fervid farewell, each un- der charges of murder.
 Almost three hours the two were permitted to remain together thls morning and this meeting furnished the missing link in the double murder, namely Mrs. Sweetin's ? Tt in the con- fessed poison plot. Their meeting was one filled with affection, as was their separation when she was led away to Salem, and he was taken to jail in Nashville.
 Few Silent Witnesses Only Sheriff Hoicombe and a few of his deputies were silent witnesses of the short, but impassioned farewell of the two. Looking down into her eyes, the clergyman, with dragging step. approached the woman for whom he had confessed his love, grasped her hand and keeping the tears from his eyes, murmured in a depressed tone Good bye, my dear, l hope, somehow we meet again"
 No response came from Mrs. Sweet in.
 Pressing back all outbursts of his stirred emotions, the clergyman turned away and was taken from her.
 She, too, was silent as she followed the two deputies who were to take her to Salem.
 This was the big event for the towns folk in the morning but they seemed to have forgotten about the love their thoughts to drift away from the topic of the day to merry -laking at the Jefferson County fair.
 Tonight State Attorney Thompson was sleeping deeply, having spent two sleepless nights in obtaining the con fessions. Never before, he said, had he met two prisoners so willing to have the crime investigated for which they had been arrested as were the poison plot" couple, who insisted steadfastly that they were not guilty. Yet without threats of harsh words, but with kind ness and strategy, the prosecutor sue ceeded in getting from both com plete confession of their part of the double killing.
 Up to the time Mrs. Sweetin, at day break today, leaned forward and bent over the typewriter used by the states attorney to sob out her confession, she had been considered the strongest -willed woman ever brought to the jail. It was the meeting with the clergyman. his caresses as seen from the outside ut the cell, that moved the woman to ad init she had been implicated in the plot, and that she had given her hus- band the fatal dozen of poison.
 Heart SOftened
 You loved me before, are you going back on mel" was one of the first question with which the clergyman softened her heart, after the two had exchanged short words of greeting, the first since his arrest last week.
 This appeal, the states attorney said, did more in his opinion to move the woman to confess than did the many hours of questioning. Then after being left alone to her thoughts and man, she weakened and told in detail how she had administered poison to her husband on three occasions until he finally succumbed. And each time, she said, she had received a note of encouragement from the minister who called regularly at her home while her husband lay there dying.
 During the time Mrs. Sweetin was telling the states attorney what part she had played in the alleged poison plot, the clergyman sat in the court room of the jail building recOunting de- tails of his life, beginning from his boyhood days. His body quivered as he leaned his head on his knees and sobbed loudly:
 Loves Everything
 What has God intended in letting this come upon me? love her, I cant help it although I struggled hard. But what have done? I lose her in trying to win her. l lose her and my children to whose training my whole life had been devoted until she came. Now they are alone"
 It is considered probable that the two will be kept in their different places of confinement until the trial is called. The grand jury sits October 13. Both have waived preliminary hearing and their cases have been turned over to the grand jury.
 States Attorney Thompson today took exception to the report that he would not ask the death penalty in these cases, The punishment, he said. is matter within the Jurisdiction of the court, not the states attorney, he explained.