Evening star., 1924-09-22
KILLED TWO TO END
PAIN, PASTOR SAYS
Rev. Mr.. Hight, in Confessing
to Staying Wife, Claims
Insanity at Time.

BY the Associated Press.
MOUNT VERNON, Ill, September
22.-Rev. Lawrence NJ. Hight, Ina
pastor. confessed early this morning
to poisoning his wife and Wilford
Sweetin.
In his statement to the authorities
Hight declared that the murder of
his wife was prompted to relieve
her of her sufferings."
According to the statement he
placed poison in her coffee on the
morning Of September 10.
Hight was questioned from o'clock
last night until o'clock this morn
ing before confession of the poison
ing of his wife was obtained. the au-
thorities said. adding that few min
utes later he confessed also to the
poisoning of Sweetin.
He claimed to be temporarily out of
his mind at the time.
Rev. Mr.. Hight said he had put
poison in Sweetin's water to put him
out of pain. This was on the morning
of Sunday, July %. at the Sweetin
home, where Sweetin lay i'll.
Hight declared in his confession
that there had never been anything
between himself and Mrs. Sweetin
and absolved her of any completely
in the double crime.
Text of ConfesSions
The text of the two confessions fol-
lows:
IT, Lawrence NJ Hight, of my own
free will. voluntarily. without threat
or promises and having been fully in
formed of my right, that what l say
may be used against me- make the fol-
lowing statement:
That while temporarily beside my
self with grief at my wife, Anna
Hight's. condition, who was suffering
intensely and was sure to die, and
wishing to save her pain, / put poison
in some coffee and gave it to her in
the early morning of Wednesday. Sep
tember 10, 1924, while Mrs. Lucy Laur.
my daughters, Mary and Mildred
home at Ina, Ill, Jefferson County,
and my son, Robert Hight, was in
bed at home
That my sole thought was TO ease
her pain in her dying moments
(Signed) Il. NJ. HIGHT"
The second confession follows:
II, Lawrence NJ. Hight. of my own
free will, voluntarily. without threat
or promises and having been fully in
formed of my. right, that what l say
may be used against me- make the fol-
lowing statement: That on Sunday
morning, July 81, 1924, at the home of
Wilford Sweetin. at Ina, Jefferson
County, Ill, L placed some poison in a
glass of water and gave it to Wilford
Sweetin, who drank it. l did 1t to ease
his pain. Elsie Sweetin knew nothing
of this, and there was never anything
between her and myself in any way.
(Signed) LAWRENCE NJ. HIGHT"
Exonerates Mrs. Sweetin
The confession exonerated Mrs Sweet
in. and declared there was no basis for
the village gossip linking Hight's name
with hers.
Hight went frequently to the Sweetin
home in his official capacity to minister
to the sick during the illness of Sweet
in, and was with him the night before
he died.
Yesterday Coroner Jesse Reece re-
ceived the chemists report saying that
Sweetin's death had been caused by
poison The body had been disinterred,
following the arrest of Hight upon the
discovery of poison in his wife's stom-
ach.
At one time during the questioning
of Hight the States attorney said he
read steadily from the Bible for half an
hour, but it was not until he began
asking a line of hypothetical questions,
the States attorney said, that the man
showed signs of weakening
Calls Prosecutor "Brother."
At one point the clergyman asked
to be alone with the states attorney
whom he addressed throughout the
night as brother" For two hours
more the two men struggled with
their problem.
Then the attorney appeared, his
face white and drawn with fatigue,
holding the written confession of the
minister that he had poisoned his
wife.
After acknowledging this confess
sion, Hight expressed desire to
Sheriff Holcomb also to confess that
he poisoned Sweetin and asked that
brother Thompson" be called to the
room.