The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-11-02
RICRESON WILL
Offer AN ALlBI
Authorities Have Worked Hur-
r1edly and Seemingly have Ug-
ly Case Against Him-Thief
Describes It-Prisonerg
Father to Go to Boston.

lice that they will be able TO prove
that the Rev. Clarence Y. II. Richosor
Killed AVIS Linncll. his former sweet
heart, it has been learned that tho
| minister expects 10 secure his acquit-
| tai by Offering a complete abb and
Gaining that a rival poisoned the
! young woman.
Details OF the defense that is to be
I offered by RichesOn were learned to-
Gay from a close friend OF Moses Grant
Edmands, father of Miss Violet Ed
mands, the pastors hancee. There
follows:
First-A general denial of Richie
sons alleged relations with Avis Lin
nell.
second-An aHbi for the fatal sat
urday, TO be established by Miss VIC
let Edmands. his hancee. or other
witnesses.
Third-If William Hahn, the New
ton Center druggist, cannot be shaken
under cross examination in his story
that RichesOn purchased on Tuesday
october 10th, enough cyanide OF pot
assium to kill ten men," on the plea
That he wanted TO use il to poison a
dog, the defense will admit this act
and assert that the minister desired
the drug to kill dog at his boarding
house, which had been annoying him.
1t is known that his rooms were
searched before the police went there
Friday. A bottle will be produced
that Hahn must Identify as the same.
or similar to the same, he sold. and
in this bottle Will be the exact amount
OF cyanide Hahn testified he sold
Fourth-Evidence will be offered
to prove that a former sweetheart. /
who was frequently in Miss Linnelrs
company al Hyannis early in the sum
mer, was aware Of her troubles; that
he had the motive and a better op-
portunity than Pastor RicheSOn to
STAY her, or that, because Of his at
tentions, she knowingly drank the
fatal drug.
Father TO Leave With LAWYERS.
Despite the alibi that will be Of
fered. the police today said they had
new evidence that Richeson did meet !
Avis Linnell within two hours Of the |
time of her death.
They say they have a new witness |
whose story goes far to supply the |
one missing link in the great poison /
mystery.
Circumstantially the police say the |
case against the accused pastor is now |
Thomas Valentine Richeson. the |
aged father of the accused minister. |
who is "a highly respected farmer. will /
leave his home, near Amherst. Va. |
tonight TO come To Boston. where he. |
with other relatives. will take up the |
fight for the life of his son.
Case to BE Hard Fought.
II is apparent that the court fight |
in behalf of RicheSOn will be one of |
the most aggressive and. i'm certain /
particulars. the most picturesque that /
New England has ever seen.
Yesterday the parents of Miss Lin
nell. the victim OF the tragedy. walk
ed TO the cemetery where their daugh- |
ter lies buried and placed a wreath |
on her grave. The mother nearly coll !
lapSed and had TO be assisted back to
her home.
Medical Examiner Timothy D.
Leary is having the stomach of Avis
Linnell analysed by a chemist in
preparation Tor the coming trial
The young woman's body will prob
ably not be eNhumed. as Or. Leary
says there is only the remotest posi-
bility Of the bath robe, which was
buried with the girl. containing i'm its
pockets the glass or paper from which
Miss Linnell poured the poison into
the cup from which she drank it,
Or. LearN says his assistant looked
through the pockets for such a paper.
and more especially for a medicine
bottle, for Avis Linnell had been
known to use dark colored medi-
cine. probably a tonic. that She car
ried in a little bottle.
Chief Describes Case.
Chief Dugan, of the Bureau OF
Criminal Investigation, in discussing
the case today, said:
The story begins with the arrival
of the Baptist minister at Hyannis
about three years ago. Before the
nrSt year was gone RicheSOn gave
Miss Linnell a diamond ring. and il
was generally recognized that they
were engaged. In fact. we have
he publicly acknowledged her as his !
nancee. They were together almost
and because of their en-
gagement no one thought anything
wrong in their being together so Of
ten. Then Richeson got in trouble |
with his church at Hyannis and left /
getting the pastOrate of Emmanuel
Baptist Church in Cambridge. 1t was
then that. returning to Hyannis on
visit. he borrowed the ring from the
girl on the excuse that the diamond /
was loose in its setting and needed re- !
pairing That was the last she saw
OF the ring
Meanwhile. Richeson had met Miss
Violet EdmandS, one Of the three chill
dren Of Moses Grant Edmands. a mil |
liOnaire, and he commenced paying !
court TO Miss Edmands.
Even then Richeson was not will
ing to give up little Avis Linneu. whom |
he assured the announcement of his 1
engagement to Miss Edmands was un-
true. He went back to Hyannis early /
last July on visit and we have learn /
Ell that at least three times he was /
with the girl once. at least. dining at !
her home and making her family be ]
lieVe they were to be married even /
though the date for mis- marriage to !
Miss EdmaNds had been virtually set
The Motive Made Clear.
Remember that We have him def
nitelY located at HXanniS and spend /
ing much time with Avis. Then re-
member that Miss Linncll would have |
become mother in about six months ,
from the day of her death. There YOU
have the motive for his regarding her
IS stumbling block in the success of /
his plan to marry the neIress Miss Ed
mands.
How long ago he learned Of the
girls condition can never be known
Tor the girl did not take even her
mother into her confidence but we
10 know that when tn formal an
louncements of his engagement to
Mss Edmands were sent out, more
han 500 OF them, two weeks ago, Miss
4lnnells condition was desperate.
Then Came the Poison.
That was the situation. all of the
acts OF which are subject to legal
ROOF. and went to his old friend.
lain. the Newton Center druggist,
nd asked FOR the poison.
We have the druggists statement
hat when chlOroform was suggested .
- I'll & q