The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-20
Especial from United Press. )

Boston, Dec. 2O.-Rev Clarence Virgil Thompson Richesori, former pastor of the ultra-fashionable Im- manuel Baptist Church, of Cam bridge, held in the Charles street jail Avis Linnell, attempted to commit suicide at 2:30 o'clock. this morning. He maysrecover.
 Richeson stabbed h.mself in the groin with a piece of tin, just as his guards were. changing. He was. rush- ed to the prison hospital in critical condition.
 The mutilation which the clergyman inflicted upon himself is of such a nature as to raise physical barriers against any repetition of the offense which it is charged he accomplished against Avis Linnell, should he not die and be freed from the charge of 
 There is no escape from comics sion but suicide once declared Daniel Webster, in famous New England murder trial, .'and suicide is confession"
 Though Richeson is not known to have confessed. many believe his at tempted suicide, today, to have been impened because his conscience would give him no rest
 Efforts were made by the prison authorities to prevent the news of the attempted suicide of the famous prisoner from becoming known. When Richeson was found in his cell, lying in a pool of blood and writhing Tn pain, he was carried into the hos pital ward and all the guards and at tendants sworn to secrecy.
 The story leaked out in the morn ing when a short term prisoner, who had seen the wounded man on his way out, went to a morning paper and sold his story. Even as the prison officials were denying it there came a ringing cry through the pris- on corridors, in Richeson's wild voice:
 My God, I'm dying" he shrieked again and again. My God, I'm dy- ing'
 It was only then that the officials sensational attempt to kill himself.
 Medical examiners for the county and a number of physicians were hurried to the jail to- attend Riche- sons injury. They declared the wounds could not have been inflicted by a normal minded being.
 At 10:30 o'clock, Assistant District Attorney Lavelle, who was hastily summoned to the jail, declared the physicians believed the wounded pas tor might live but that his condition at that hour was very critical, the nature of his self-inflicted wounds being of such character that blood poisoning may result.
 Richeson timed his attempted sui eide well and carried out all his plans with a fiendish ingenuity. How he secured the piece of Jagged tin with which he tore himself, may never be known although it is thought he pick ed it up while being permitted to exercise in the "bull pen."
 When the warden saw the prisoner on the floor of his cell he asked: What have you done?"
 ''I have cut myself and am bleeding to death,'' moaned Richeson. Physi- cians were hastily summoned. They found Richeson suffering tortures. He was immediately placed under m anesthetic and his wounds examined.
 It was decided, after a hasty con- sultation, that an operation was neces- sary.
 At noon, District Attorney Pelletier made the following statement:
 About 4 o'clock. this morning, while in his cell, Richeson inflicted a severe lacerated wound upon himself with what is apparently a piece of tin can. Medical and surgical assist ance was at once summoned and an operation was performed.
 "I am advised by the doctors that his condition is not dangerous and that it has not been necessary to re- move him from his cell.
 "gThe trial will be held on the regu- lar date, Jan. 15."
 It became known after the opera ton on Richeson that it had been at first thought the pastor cut himself with a jagged piece of glass from a jar of marmalade sent by friends. From the nature of the cuts in his
 l. lished beyond much doubt that the cut was made with piece of tin torn from the spout of the regulation pris- on tin cup in which the jail prisoners are given drinking water through the bars of their cells.
 Jail employees notified Philip R. Dunbar and William A. Morse, attor- neys for the defense, of their client s attempt and they, in turn, ina telegraphed to John L. Lee, the Lynchburg, Va, lawyer, in charge of Richeson's case, who has