The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-22
"Dld She Say Anythine?,

"Did She Say Anything?'
Under the terrific ordeal that he
has been called on to endure, Richeson
has shown extraordinary powers OF
self-control. When girl friend of
Avis Linnell called him on the phone
Friday night and informed him of
his sweetheart's death, he coldly in
quired: Why do you tell me?" Then
he added as If by an afterthought:
Did she say anything before she
died?" The next day he preached two
sermons and officiated at christen-
ing. In the evening he went for a
stroll with his fiancee. The police
here tell of his copper wire nerve
And of the two women; the little
music student, now lying in a dis
honored grave, and the heiress pros
trated in her fathers mansion: Avis
Linnell, reared in little New Eng
land fishing town, unsophisticated. ro-
mantle, dreaming of great career on
the operate stage until she met her
clergyman hero and changed her
dream to heroic life with him, a
missionary in China This latter was
her intention, after marriage. She
was slendar, little bite eyed girl
With a childish face and wealth OF
golden hair. Almost before she had
crossed the threshold of womanhood
she was caught in a whirlwind OF
mist and love and destroyed.
II, t.. ~ tt,~n
years, reared in the world of fashion
! and wealth, not especially beautiful,
or ignorant of life. She also fell un
der the spell of the magnetic young
minister. What her thoughts are to
night, no one can tell
These are the three figures in this
great story of passion, crime and suf
fering. In the background there move
mistily heartbroken parents, and trust
ing friends, among the former the
minister father of the minister pris
oner.
Claims to Be Innocent.
!! The Rev. Clarence v. T. Richeson
! does not alone deny that he killee
1 Avis Linnell. He Is not satisfied
merely to maintain that his guilt has
not been established. 1t became evident
tonight that he proposes to prove
| himself innocent
! Richeson will not be Handicapped
] by lack of means to fight for his life
Moses G. Edmands, whose daughter
Violet, he was to have married, Oct
81, stands steadfastly by him. He
has ample funds and is using then
freely in the clergymans behalf
James r. Dunbar, who has the de
fense in hand, is former Judge o.
the Massachusetts superior court, ant
/ one, of the ablest lawyers in Boston
! Six detectives are securing the city
and vicinity for every scrap of evi
dence likely to benefit the prisoner.
The Minister'S Side.
A 1t is reasonably certain that wha'
the defense hopes to prove is this:
That no engagement ever eXistec
between Richeson and Miss Linnell
That there was no necessity for Rlch
eson to remove Miss Linnell to render
his marriage to Miss Edmands posi-
BILE or even easy. That the poison
the police say he gave to Miss Lin
nell was purchased from William
Hahn. the Newton Center druggist, al
Richeson said, to poison a dog. ina
i the dog belonged to his landlady, Mrs
! F. HI. Carter. That Richeson had IONS
disliked the animal and told Mrs
Carter it must be killed Or he woult
change his boarding place, but tina
he preferred to stay where he was
That he urged Hahn to secrecy DE
cause he did not wish to incur Mrs
;. Carter's enmity
Il 1t is said too, that Richeson's per
sistent refusal to give out any state
ment Of his own side of the cas-
! since his arrest. is due to his anxiet.
to shield Miss Linnelfs memory from
any further reflections than have al
, ready been cast upon 1t.
This is the version given by Rich
eson's friends.
&; The Other Side.
j. The police believe in their case per
4 fectly They say they are prepared
to prove conclusivcly that the engage