The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-30
PASTOR WANTED
To COME SOUTH
DIR, W. F.. HATCHER TELLS OF COR
REsPoNDENCE WITH THE
REV. RfCHESON.
WOULD HELP THE NAN
IT'S NOT JUST TO PREJUDICE ANY
ONE. HE DECLARED, AWAIT
ING VERDICT OF TIKI.
COURT.
WOULD HELP THE MAN

The lev. bEarGhce ' i. ttGAifsHtit
the Eapust paAdr of Cambridge,
MASS, neid for the murder OF MISS
AVIS Linneil, his sweetheart, VINO ofed
IRON the effects OF poison winch nc
is alleged to nave gwen her, was lay
ing plans to return to Virginia TO con-
tinu. his pastoral labor In the SOUTH
ern filed. Wnen he Was drawn into the
SENSATIONAL poison case, according 10
ene hev. itr. William h. tia4ener,
president Of Fork MON Military
Academy ia tlGVanna county VINO
converted kicheson in Amherst when
the latter was "a iaa of Twelve years
For several weeks prior to the de-
| velGpment OF this case, Or. Hatcher
SAYS he mad been in correspondence
wltn Richeson IN regard to getting
MIN a charge in Virginia or in some
other part OF the south, ana ne ssts $
he will continue his efforts III this
1 direction if the accused pastor is
! proved innocent. In the correspond
ence, Ricneson made no mention of
/ his approaching marriage to Miss
Violet E.Gmands, merely stating that
he desired To return south 10 lie near
CT his nome people.
I Believe him Innocent.
When seen iii Richmond yesterday,
/ DR.. Hatcher said. Il can hardly be
lieve kichason Is guilty ana no man
! Will he quicker than 1 10 stand by
HIM and give him another start In
life, provided the case fails through
and he Is indicated. No man should
be prejudged. neither should the world
frown on him, merely because he is
suspected of crime. | know nothing
about this case except what / have
gathered from the newspapers. 1t
would appear. though. that the State
&c ~ yf,tf engA Z h..
latest reports are any criterion. How =
ever. one can never tell when the
prosecution Is holding back some OF
+ its best cards. The charge that Rich
eson iiirted frequently with the girls
and had many sweethearts is nothing
TO be held against him, Any young
man Is likely TO be just as tiirtatious
these days, preachers not excepted.
Recalls Conversion Incident.
I Il have kept in touch with Richie
son ever since converted him up In
more than twenty years ago. / well
recall that occasion. His mother
brought him around to the table
where | was eating dinner and said:
DIR. Hatcher. / want you To know
/ Clarence He was d fine manly young
ster and he impressed me with his
! rm handshake and frank. honest
/ face. When / WAS In Boston a few
years ago assisting DR. Henson at
| fremont Temple, Clarence was one
/ of the first TO come forward and greet
me- He helped us greatly in ths re-
vivaI and when / left he came to the
hotel packed my grip. and accom-
panied me to the train. And he APP
peared to be the same manly fellow
that | had known as Il boy down in
Amherst.
Let US hope that some mistake
has been made. cannot ttctseve
that young man guilty OF murder. and
particularly of the murder, OF his
| sweetheart.
DR.. Hatcher was pastor of fashion
able Grace Street Baptist church in
this city for twenty six years and dur
ing that period had occasion to act
ias spiritual adviser to Thomas j.
| Cluyerius, who was hanged for the
murder of Lillian Madison. his cousin
and sweetheart. Though Cluverius
lis generally supposed to have confess
s ed TO the minister a few days before
the execution, Or. Hatcher has never
revealed what passed between him and
! the condemned man, having been
pledged to eternal secreacy
| Cuverius was convicted of muir
dering Miss Madison by throwing her
in the city reservoir, where her
drowned body was found several days
later He claimed that she COM
mitted suicide. The same motive is
believed to have prompted him In
! numbering his sweetheart as that
which is alleged to have prompted the
Cambridge pastor in doing away with
Miss Linnell. The Cluverius case is
regarded as one of the famous muir
der mysteries of the 18th century,
taking rank with the Beattie and other
noted cases.
/ DR.. Hatcher said yesterday that
he was thinking of writing his inn
prassions of the Cluyerius case and
printing them into book form. II
he does so. IT is not presumed that
he will feel at liberty to divulge the
confession Cluverius Is supposed to
have made.
In addition TO his duties at Fork
Union, DIR. Hatcher does considerable
Esuppiy work Yesterday he filled the
pulpit at Grace Street church at botf
the morning and evening services
Next Sunday he viii preach in Balti
more.
Though past three-score and ter
mark, the veteran minister is still
hale. hearty and vigorous, with eye
tundimmed and natural force I'M
ahated. He believes he is good fol
many years vet.