The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-10-27
SECOND AUTOPSY
ON GIRLS BODY
POLICE NOW BELIEVE AVIS LIN.
NELL WAS GIVEN CYANIDE
OF POTASSIUM IN
CAPSULE.

| ''''H' duN'lIS9 OH the poug OF ANll
Linnell developed the fact that sh,
died Of cyanide Of potassium, presum.
ably taken in powder form.
The fact that it was powdered cy-
anide that caused death, the police de-
clare. bears out their theory that tn,
drug was given the girl in capsule
The police had hoped To find a via
or paper i'm the girls bathroSe. and
| To establish that such a bottle or pa
| per had been i'm the possession Of Rev
Richeson I'm this way the police
| hoped to establish positively that
Richeson was the girls murderer
In that, however. they were foiled
| The police are. therefore, advancing
new theory, and that is that the pol
son was given TO Miss Linnell in a
gelatine capsule. They say the per-
son who gave Miss Linnell the drug
could easily have emptied qui-
nine capsule re-flled it with pow
dered cyanide and given IL ia. the girl
This. they say, would explain the alb
sence of a bottle or paper and may
even account for the mysterious
length Of time it took the cyanide to
kill the girl.
Third Examination OF Body.
Cyanide is instantaneously fatal,
but the police say it may have taken
some time to dissolve after the swal-
lowed il.
The second autopsy was the third
time the girls body has been exam
ined. The first was performed after
the finding of her body i'm the bath
room in the Y. w. G. A. The sec
end examination was made at mid
night when the girls coffin. brought
back from the grave at Hyannis, was
opened and the bathrobe searched
The third examination was made
when the second autopsy was per-
formed, only after Police Captain
\ inslee Armstrong, asserted emphati-
cally he was not satisfied with ."the
haphazard manner" i'm which the first
autopsy had been made.
The defense has demanded permis-
sion 10 examine the body either here
or at Hyannis.
History of the Case
The history of the case so far as IL
is known at present. presents many
features Of uncommon interest The
Rev. Clarence Virgil Thompson Richie
son was born in Rose Hill, Va. about
35 years ago. He comes from family
Of devout Baptists, many Of whom are
engaged in church and missionary work
in various parts Of the world. Young
Richeson received a good academic
education and, having prepared him
self for the ministry at several insti-
tutions of learning, was ordained at St
Louis, in September 1902 After hav-
ing supplied a mission church at Kan
sas City for a while. young Richeson
entered the William Jewell College a
Liberty, Mo. A woman school teacher
in Liberty. who took great interest i'm
the bright and ambitious student. lent
him the funds which he needed To
complete his education at William Jew
ell College and later at the Newton
Seminary, where he COM
pleted his studies i'm the fall Of 1909.
Avis Sang In Choir.
About one year before he had been
called to the Hyannis Baptist church
and he remained i'm charge of that
church until he resigned in April, 1910. !
To take charge of the Emmanuel Bap-
tist church, Cambridge. When Richie |
son became pastor Of the Hyannis |
church Avis Linnell was a student at |
the Hyannis high school She had
fine voice and used to sing i'm Richie |
sons church. The young and hand |
some minister became acquainted with !
the beautiful and charming young
school girl and associated a great deal
with her. The attentions of the young
TO Avis Linnell, the daughter
Of fairly well-to-do carpenter at
Hyannis, We're so marked that nobody
was surprised when the girl displayed
a handsome diamond ring upon her en-
gagement finger and admitted To her |
friends that she was engaged to Richie |
son.
Had Confidence In Him.
When Rev. Richeson left Hyannis
and became pastor of the Emmanuel |
Church in Cambridge, Avis Linnell fol. |
lowed him to Boston. She entered the |
Conservatory as n voice student and |
lived at the Y. w. c. A. home on War |
renton street When she was informed |
hat Rev. Richeson's engagement to |
Miss Edmands the daughter Of a
wealthy family in Brookline. had been |
announced, Avis Linnell did !
not lose her confidence In her lover |
She said, IL must be a mistake and |
continued TO meet the tickle minister. |
She frequently visited him at his lodg- |
ngs and went out with him. ON the |
evening of oct. IL. she returned to her /
odgings and about an hour later she |
VAS found dead i'm the bathroom. Her |
ieath was caused by cyanide OF po- |
assium and the police claim To have |