Imperial Valley press., 1928-12-31
WOMAN
ADMITS
Staying;
Mrs. NOrthcOtt Given
Life Term Following
Plea of Guilty. ~..i
ACTION is SURPRISE
CGnfesses To Brutal
Murder of Young Wal
ter Collins.
by tinted Press Leased Wire


RIVERSIDE, Calf, Dee. 81. -
Mrs. Sarah Louise Northcott, ac-
cuscd with her son of conducting a
murder farm in Riverside county,
today pleaded guilty to the Staying
Of nine year old Walter Collins.
She appeared in court with writ
ten confession to the killing and
was sentenced by Judge o. X Nor
ton to life Imprisonment in San
Quentin pcnitcntiary.
Her admission of guilt. read in
superior court said:
= hereby confess that | murdered
that certain boy named in an in
dlctmrnt against me as Walter
Collins at our ranch in Riverside
county. This confession is made of
my own free will and without coer-
cion or offers of immunity. I re-
quest that be permitted to 90 be-
fore the court Immediately to enter
plea Of guilty.
The document was dated Deccm-
Der 30, 1923 aud was witnessed by
Sheriff and Mrs. {. \. Sweeters.
Mrs. Northcott placed the date of
the murder Of the Collins boy as
March Is, 1927.
After receiving the written con
feSsion last night, Sheriff Sweeters
took Mrs. Northcott before the court
today. She confirmed the confession
and sentence was passed at once.
With her son, Gordon Stuart
Northcott, Mrs. Northcott was
charged in a grand jury Indictment
with hacking Young Collins to death
with an AK.
Trial of the pair on the count was
to be set after the trial of the son
on three other counts was concluded.
Northcott 5 trial is scheduled to
start Jan. >.
The Collins boy disappeared from
his Los Angeles home last March
Impcster Rejected
Once he was reported located in
De Kalh Illinois. The Illinois youth
was brought to Los Angeles and
posed as young Collins but was re-
lected by the mother, Mrs. Christine
Collins.
Mrs. Collins was ordered held in
psychopathic ward for her action
bat later when it was learned that
the Illinois boy WAS an impostcr,
she WAS released and the police OF,
flccr who ordered her detention was
suspended.
The next word of Walter Collins
came when Sanford Clark, nephew
OF Gordon Northcott, accused his
uncle and Mrs. NNrthcott of muir
dering four Southern California
youths, including Collins, on the
Northcott ranch near Corona.
In addition to Collins, the victims
were said to be Lewis and Nelson
WinSlow, and -, of Pomona, and
an unidentified Mexican youth.
Northcott and his mother were
arrested in Canada and brought
here after an cXtradtion fight.
Mrs. Northcott maintained the iu-
nocencc of both until last night.
Northcott, himself, confessed t.
nine SlayingS but in the next BREATH
denied any.
pOly htlIlONeu
Clark i'm his accusation said that
first Northcott and then North
colt 5 mother struck Collins with an
axe until he was dead. The body at
first was buried on the chicken
ranch but later was dug up and in
terrcd in place not known to him,
Clark said.
Northcott is to appear here Jan.
. to answer to tho purported slay-
mgs Of the Winslows and the un-
identified Mexican
Since he also was charged in Il
Los Angeles indictment with the
murder of the Mexican. he was to
be taken there late today to have
trial date postponed indefinitely.
The district attorney 5 office hal
no announcement t" make as 10
how if at all, Mrs Northcott 5 con-
feSSion would affect the eases
;IuaiuSt her son