The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-10-27
ARREST PASTOR
AS MURDERER
Rev. C. v. T. Richeson Charged
with Poisoning Avis LinneIl.
CAUGHT AT FlANCEE'S HONE
Prisoner Taken in Home Of Wealthy
Realty Man Whose Daughter He
Was to Marry-Drugg Story
Of Sale Of Cyanide Of Potassium.

Boston, Mass.-The Rev. Clarence
Virgil Thompson Richeson, 80 years
old, pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist
Church of Cambridge, was locked VI
in the County Jail here charged with
the murder of his former fiancee, Avis
Linnell, 10 years old, OF Hyannis
Mass, who died in the Young Wom-
ems Christian Association establish
ment in this city a week before. The
girl, who was a student in the New
England Conservatory of Music, was
poisoned with cyanide of potassium,
which the police believe Richeson
gave her on the pretense II would
remedy her physical condition. The
poison she took was wrapped in plain
white paper, SO she might have had
no knowledge of the nature of the
contents.
At the time of his arrest, following
the statement of a druggist in New
ton Centre, Mass, that he had sold to
the clergyman on October 10 last
enough cyanide of potassium to kill
ten men, the Rev. Mr.. Richeson was
stopping in the residence of Moses
rant Edmands, a wealthy real estate
operator, in the Chestnut Hill district
Of Brookline. The pastors engage
ment TO Violet Edmands, daughter Of
the realty man and an heiress, was
announced several months ago.
His intimacy with Miss Linnell,
whom he had courted when he was
pastor of the Hyannis Baptist church,
two years ago, however, continued up
TO the day of her death. On the
evening of her death he is believed
TO have dined with her, and she is
supposed TO nave received the poison
from him on that occasion. Richie
son and Miss Edmands were to have
been welded on October 81, cards of
invitation already having been issued.
Avis Linnells body was found in a
chair in the bathroom of her apart
ment in the Y. w. G. a. building just
before midnight. Medical examina-
ton led to the discovery that cyan.
ide of potassium was the cause of
death, and from various circumstances
connected with the tragedy the po-
lice deduced the girl had not taken
the drug with suicidal intent, but had
been murdered deliberately by one
who had led her TO believe the poison
was medicine.
From the nrst suspicion pointed TO
the Rev Mr.. Richeson, who until his
hnt
public was regarded as the fiance Of
the young music student. Not until
the detectives learned of the clergy.
mans visit to the drug store of Will
liam Hahn, whom he had known
when he was a student in the New
ton Theological Seminary three years
ago, was there sufficient evidence to
bring about Richeson's arrest on the
murder charge
Avis Linnell was the daughter OF
Edgar Linnell, a prosperous contrac-
tor of Hyannis. Besides her unusual
and vocal talents, the
young woman was a favorite among
her friends because of her unvarying
sweetness OF temper
Lynchburg, Va.-The Rev. c. V. r.
Richeson is a native of Amherst
county, twenty miles from this city.
His father, a prominent man in the
affairs of that county, had been mar.
ried three times and the preacher is
one OF eleven children. When Is years
old Richeson came here to work Then
he went to st. Louis, Mo, where he
was employed as street car man.
When thus engaged he completed his
education.
St. Louis-The Rev. c. V. T. Richie
son is we'll remembered in St Louis
as a silver-tongued leader in the IA.
nous street car strike Of 1900