The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-10-20
PROMINENT
Continued from Page ono.

entious in their work as she. Sh,
took all her meals at the Y. w. c. A.
unless she was Invited to dine else
! where by some of the girls she me
in the conservatory"
Trusting implicitly in the love sh,
| bore the handsome divine, the polio,
| assert, Miss Linnell, i'm her rooms in
the Young Women's Christian asso
citation, Saturday night swallowed
what she had been told was a harm.
less headache potion. In five min
utes she died: killed by cyanide of
potassium, the deadliest drug known
The warrant for the formal arrest
of the preacher was issued by Judge
Duff, of the criminal court, after Will
liam Hahn, druggist of Newton,
Massachusetts, had positively identi-
fed Richeson as the man to whom he
sold a quantity of cyanide of potas-
sium last week.
1t was in Newton that Richeson was
schooled i'm the teachings of the man
of Galilee. whose life he had gone
forth to preach: it was in Newton the
police assert, that he later purchased
the drug that ended the life and love
of the girl who fairly worshiped him
Two Possible Motives.
The police ascribe two positive mo-
tives for the crime, either one Of
which would make the case one al
most unparalleled in American Grim
inal annals
The first is that fearing Miss Lin
nell might interfere with his ap-
preaching marriage to Miss Edmands
a.. q.
rare cunning to Kill the girl; the 9th
er is that he purchased the drug for
Miss Linnell i'm order that she might
end her own life when she learned
the man she loved was to become the
husband of another
The police claim to have strong
case against the pastor. He has been
identified as the man who purchased
the cyanide. He Is known to have
met Miss Linnell in the South sta
tion i'm Boston Friday night. The po.
lice charge it was there he gave her
the drug, telling her IL was harm
less headache potion.
Saturday night the girl died of the
effects of the poison. The preacher
Immediately was notified over the
telephone for the young woman's|
knew her as DR.. Richie
sons hancee.
well. why do you tell me?" he
petulantly, and hung up
the telephone.
Richeson Preached Sunday.
Sunday Richeson faced his con-
in his pretty little church
and expodnded to them, with great
force, the teachings of the Christ.
Monday Avis Linnell was taken
back, dead, at Hyannis, the little Cape
Cod town where she was born and
from which she had gone to Boston
to study music, that she might bet
ter fit herself for her future life as the
wife of the pastor.
Monday gossip connected Richie
sou's name with what was at first be-
lieved to have been the suicide of the
girl. He answered nothing, but sought
I'm the palatial Brookline home
of Moses Grant Edmands whose
worth quarter of mil
lion, already, and the heiress to her
great fortune, was to have
become Richeson's bride in two
weeks. The wedding was to have
been solemniZed on October 81 In the
First Baptist church at Newton Cen
ter. More than 200 invitations to
friends of the popular divine and his
rich bride-to-be had been mailed,
They were recalled today.
1t was at the Edmands home that
Richeson was arrested. Detectives
and policemen had stood about the
house all night, demanding admit
tance that they might question him.
At 1880 he came to the door and ask
ed what was wanted.
Asserts Innocence.
1--WE want you to answer some ques-
tions regarding the source from which
Avis Llnnell secured the poison that
killed her and which she took as
medicine" the police told him.
IL will go with you" he said sim
ply and entered the taXicab. No for
NAL charge then was placed against
him.
At 1925, after Hahn had identified
him as the purchaser of the poison,
n warrant, charging him with muir
der in the first degree, was issued.
II am innocent; / know nothing of
1t ALL" he protested, as he was led
away to cell.
And just at noon, in the little Cape
Cod town church yard. a mournful
group stood about the open grave of
Avis Linnell and listened to the few
simple words of the country pastor
The body in the coffin was clad In
the gorgeous gown she was to have
worn as she stepped proudly to the
altar to become DR.. Richeson's wife.
Richeson Has Supporters.
DR.. Rcheson is not without his
supporters. Frank IL. Carter, who Is
a member of Emmanuel Baptist
church, Cambridge, of which Mr..
Richeson is pastor, is among the
staunchest defenders of the pastor.
lie feels that a great wrong has been
done in coupling the name of the
minister with the tragedy.
"rhe man who was responsible Tor
the death of that girl is walking the
streets, free from the breath of sus-
piclon," said Carter. II can prove
that. | will not divulge his name
now, as it might defeat the ends of
Justice. When / have my net per-
fected then l shall act and that man
will be brought to justice"
Richasonis Intended bride MsiS Ed