The Washington herald., 1911-10-23

Continued from Page One.
believes in the innocence of the accused
preacher.
Avis LinneIl is silent beyond the tomb
forever, for a search of her effects to-
day and the effects of Rev. Mr.. Richeson
failed to reveal one scrap Of correspond
ence that passed between them-a sig
niicant fact in itself-nor could the
police find a trace Of the receptacle con-
tanning the poison which they allege she
was induced to take with murderous
cunning on the representation that it was
an innocent nostrum which would spare
her shame.
Police Spend Busy Day.
But while the three figures in this
triangle. which proved fatal figure for
the choir girl and Conservatory OF Music
student who believed herself to be the
intended wife OF the eloquent and hand
some young preacher. were lay figures in
a moving tragedy. the police spent day
of activity. discarding the weak material
and working steadily at the loom of fate
of the preacher who pledged himself to
follow in the footsteps OF the Nazarene.
Chief Dugan. of the Boston bureau
OF criminal investigation, who may
prove the Nemesis of Richeson, told
q Herald reporter to-day that all their
efforts thus far to clearly fix the fact
that RlCheson and Miss Linnell were
together on Saturday, a few hours be-
fore her death. had failed of success
Deputy Chief Watts said he had dis
covered a young woman, who told him
she met Avis Linnell on fremont street
last Saturday week, and that Miss Lin
nell said TO her:
Il am sorry that f-cannOt stop and
talk to you longer. as I must hurry
home. I have been suffering terribly
from headaches of late. but l have just
been to luncheon with an old friend
and he has given me some medicine
that I am going to take Immediately"
No Name Mentioned.
The first report of this conversation
had it that this young woman said Miss
Linnell had told her that she had been
to luncheon with Mr.. RichesOn. The
police now deny that Richeson's name
was metioned. but whether this is
ruse to nurse the accused into fanCied
security. or whether Miss LInnell did
not use Mr.. Richeson's name, is not
clear. The name Of the young woman
who met Miss LinneH on fremont
street, is still withheld. but she will
be an important witness at the hearing
on October 81.
Here is a statement made by Chief
Dugan for The Herald tonight:
The Circumstantial evidence in this
case seems to indicate that Rev Mr..
Richeson is guilty But to any trained
investigator it must be admitted tIat
the chain OF evidence IS not yet "om-
pleted. We have shown that the young
minister's life was not above reproach.
He tOyed with the affections Of nearly
every young woman who fascinated him
without regard for results. He was the
acknowledged sweetheart and hetrOtued
husband OF this innocent girl. I say inno-
cent girl because there is nothing in her
whole life for which she could be re-
preached except an undyinE faith in the
man who betrayed her life.
Courted Two Mt Once.
1T established also that Richeson,
while still enjoying the affection and
confidence of the Linnell girl. was divid-
ing his time with the Cambridge heiress
whom he had planned to marry. The
medical investigator has said that Avis
Linnell, had she lived, would have be-
come a mother in five and One-half
months.
"A chart OF the young mans move
ments shows that he was a guest at the
last The perfidy of the man, II he is
guilty, is shown by the fact that when
he left the Linnell home in July he went
to Dublin, n H, where the girl he
really intended TO marry was spending
the summer on the magnificent estate.
This. I say seems convincing guilt.
Still we have not yet been able to show
that the cyanide of potassium purchased
by the Rev Mr.. RiCheson, in Newton, was
b1- m IN girl Seither have
we been able to show that they met on
Saturday, the day Miss LInnell is alleged
to have obtained the drug.
often mt Restaurant.
THE employees in the Sea Gull restau-
rant in Dartmouth street. admit that
Avis Linnell often came there with a
Young man. They go so far as to say
that the pictures now being published
Of Mr.. Richeson bear a striking resem
bIance to the man who accompanied her
on the occasion of those visits, but no
positive Identification has been made. |
NO one connected with the restaurant
is willing to say the girl was there on
Saturday. I am trying TO show by this
statement exactly where the Boston po-
lice stand with the case. l attribute the
success we have had largely to the pub
licity that was given to the circum-
stances OF the girl Qedtn. "lINOuI Ine
newspapers l doubt If we would ever
have discovered the druggist, Hahn, in
Newton, who sold the poison.
The police believe that they have To-
Gated another drug store where Pastor
Richeson purchased medicine recently. 1t
is admitted at headquarters that this
medicine is used for illegal purposes.
The police are now investigating this
clew and refused tonight to divulge the
details of what they have found.
Gave Her Medicine.
1T is very likely" said Chief Dugan,
that the accused gave Miss Linnell
medicine of a certain nature before he
became desperate and purchased cyanide
OF potassium of Mr.. Hahn in Newton to
kill a dog 1 don't care to say what
the police are doing along this line. 1
suppose you know that one of Miss Lin
nelTs friends, her roommate, in fact, |
that the girl had been taking
some sort of medicine lately. She de-
scribed it as brown liquid in a plain !
square bottle Evidence of this nature
might do as much harm to the case as
IT helps. But the object is to obtain all |
the facts and present them for the
courts Judgment"
The possibility is discussed at police
headquarters of the arrest of another