The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-29
Richeson Undaunted by
M ass of Circumstan-
tial Evidence.
FIANCEE ACTIVE
IN HIS BEHAL F
Latest Move Said to Have Been
Made at Request of Cambridge
Heiress, Whom Minister Ex-
pected to Marry-Grand
Jury May Indict
Tuesday.
Especial to The Times-pispatch.

|
Boston. October 2S.-Clarence V. r.
Richeson, undaunted BY .se mass Of
circumstantial evidence that he caused
the death of pretty little Avis Linnon.
made n formal demand to-day on CHIEF
Justice Aiken. OF the Suffolk County
Superior Court, for an immediate trial
on the ground that he is innocent
This bold move :s said to have been
at the request of Miss Violet Edmands
! the Cambridge heiress Richeson ex-
pected to marry October 81. Miss I'D
! mands has kept i'll almost hourly COM
munication with Richeson in his coll
in the Charles Street Jail, and has In
sisted that all important conferen :es
between the lawyers be held at her
| fathers home in order that she could
| take part
| The appeal to Justice Aiken was
made by Congressman r. Q. Harris.
the new attorney in the case. He de-
clared the district attorney had not
| established case against Richeson
and demanded that the court force tho
prosecutor to an Immediate trial, whe-
Their or not an indictment is returned
! by the grand jury. He objected to
| the clergyman being held in Jail while
the authorities. he said took tire
| to bolster up case against Richcson.
prosecution Is Ready.
District Attorney Pelletier took part
in the conference. which resulted in
the announcement that the prosecution
would be ready to go to trial just as
soon as the defense desired.
1t was definitely stated that the
grand jury would complete It's work
not later than Tuesday at noon. and
that the report would be made the
same afternoon. The district attorney
ny I'D
have not been able to find any one
who saw Ilcheson and Avis LinnelI
together the day the girl is believed
to have taken the poison, believing IL
| to be medicine. There are still two
hours between noon and p NJ in
which neither the clergyman nor the
little choir singer can be accounted
for on October II. the fatal day. I'm
less the witness who saw the couple
together can be found or the means
by which Richeson delivered the
cyanide of potassium to his former
| sweetheart can be established the
! prosecutors case will depend on the
following evidence:
That Richeson was friendly with
Avis Linnell. the girl having said
| they N.'ere to be married.
That Richeson's engagement TO yioIet
Edmands, the rich Cambridge girl, had
been announced, making 1t possible
| that he desired to have Avis Linneu
out of the way.
That Richeson purchased cyanide of
| potassium from Druggist Hahn, of
Newton. October 10.
That Avis Linnell swallowed cyanide
OF potassium October Il, believing
1t TO be medicine. and died
| That an autopsy revealed q mottye
Druggist Hahn's testimony concern
| ing the sale OF the drug to Richcson
and the conversation which took place
| which has been corroborated by two
| witnesses.
The druggist denied that he bore
| grunge against the clergyman, and
said to-day that he always liked the
| young pastor.
The police say they have accounted
for Richeson's movements during the
| four hours of the afternoon OF Satur-
| day, October IA. They believe that
In these four hours he met the girl,
! had lunch with her and gave her the
poison which caused her death.
Searching the Drug Stores.
! While the police are thus busy, de-
| tectives acting for the DEFENSE are
trying to ascertain If Avis Linneli
| ever bought cyanide OF potassium
| They are going through the drug
| stores far and wide.
For a time at least 1t has been de-
cided by the members of the church
| of which Richeson is pastor to allow
his status in the church to remain
unchanged. To-day the young clergy
man received in his cell the letter
| which the trustees OF the Emmanuel
| Baptist Church. Cambridge. authorized
1t follows:
Dear Ministers Your communlca-
ton of the 24th instant received and
read before the church
I'VE unanimously voted to wait un-
I'll such time as the grand jury makes
its decision. praying that all things
may turn out for the best
Sincerely yours.
TN behalf OF the church,
&C. F. CUMMINGS,
CLERK OF the Emmanuel Baptist
Church. of Cambridge"
Schoolgirl friends of Avis Linnell
have supplied District Attorney Pelle-
tier with letters from the little Hyan-
mis- girl, in which direct references are
made to her engagement TO Richeson.
| Equally as interesting is the state
ment that W. C. Mclean. brother-in-
law of the dead GIRL has supplied tho
prosecution with letters found in the
| Linnell home, which were written to
| Avis by Richeson within the last six
months. At Last one of tho commu-
nications is said to contain a refer
| ence to Miss Violet Edmands.
Members OF the Linnell family have
positively refused to discuss this feat
ure of the case The evidence is the
chief support OF the contention made
by the relatives that Richeson had
renewed his engagement with Avis
Linnell. which had been broken OF
about the time he left Hyannis to take
charge of the Cambridge Church,