Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-06-03
SEARCH FOR FACTS
DISCRIMINATING
RICH, WHO is HELD SUSPECTED
OF THE MURDER OF HIS
AGED GRANDMOTHER,
HAS A SPOTTED RECORD.
Looking Into the Young Mans Life
and Habits Brings Out Some Things
Against Him.

After a session of less than Is
minutes, late Saturday afternoon. the
Bay City coroners jury inquiring into
the cause of the death of Mrs. Chris
tine Coryeon, rendered the following
verdict:
THAT Christine Coryeon came to
her death from a blow, or blows in
fiicted by a person or persons I'M
known to this jury"
The police now have the first trace
of any suit of clothing bought by Ro-
land Rich, the young man charged
with the murder of his grandmother,
Mrs. Christine Coryeon. What has be-
come of his wedding suit was consid-
cred by the police to be one of the
main clues in the battling case.
On January 2S Rich purchased a
suit of black clothing on the install
ment plan, for $40, from Marine, AS
kin & Berman, of Water street.
He paid for it in four or five install
ments, the last one being on April 4.
He also made a deposit of So, but
what that was for has not yet been
made clear.
Rich's friends have practically ad-
mitted that the youth told an untruth
about buying the clothing at A. Muel-
ler's, because he did not wish to ac-
knowledge that he got his suit on the
installment plan. There is some won
derment that the young man should
have showed this little vanity in the
face of so great danger, when he must
have realized that so much depended
on the tracing of the missing clothes.
Di0h'C fri0ndc furthnp that
he had saved his suit for the wedding
since January 90.
But what has become of 1t, Ia still
as much of a mystery as at first.
Significance is placed on the testi-
mony given at the coroners jury by
Mrs. Harry Tierney. that Rich had
said when she first entered the house
and found her mother dead:
"My coat and vest are burned"
Not few people are wondering,
too, why the fire was between the mat
tresses of the slain woman's bed, in
stead of on top. as testified by Hack
man Refs, unless it had been purpose
ly set on fire for some sinister pur-
pose such as destroying the body or
burning up clothing.
The police assert that they have an
approximate description of the cloth
ing Rich wore when he went into the
kitchen from his grandmother's room
to change for his wedding suit" They
assert that the description Of the suit
purchased tailed with these clothes.
1t is also declared by the police to
be certain that Rich attempted to Dor
row 500 shortly before his wedding
They claim to have the name of the
man thus approached.
Not a little interest is taken in the
fact that one circumstance which
seemed TO lead the coroners jury TO
decide Mrs. Coryeon was murdered
was the fact that two fractures were
! found in her skull-One on each side.
The search for clues by the police
is reported to have been rewarded by
the ascertaining of other alleged
queer deals on the part OF the young
murder suspect, in addition 10 the
shady and as yet unanswered attempt
of Rich TO bamboozle two local banks
by means of "phoney" checks. It is
alleged that Rich was short in his &C
counts while employed by the late
John GARRISON, cigar dealer, several
years ago and for which Rich's father
is said to have settled. 1t is further
reported thai relatives of the young
man once had to make good an al
legged defalcation while he was en-
ployed by the Fl. G. Wendland Co.
II is also said that a jeweler has
been found who accepted check from
Rich drawn on a bank where he had
no funds. This is said to be the oc-
casion when Rich picked out SIS
present for his fiancee, who was with
him at the time. Rich is said to have
asked for "a blank check on any
bank" and when one was given to
him, made it out. This was on Satur-
day and the following Monday Rich
made good with the money.