The Washington herald., 1911-10-21

Boston, Oct. 2O-With Rev. Mr.. Richie
son under arrest and the purchasing OF
the poison put up to him to the satisfac-
ton of the police the detectives renewed
their efforts to identify the man with
whom Avis Linnell took dinner in the
later afternoon or evening of the day she
was killed.
Superintedent Watts said this morning
that he had fresh information along this
line which he could not disclose. He is
of the belief, as are the others working
on the case. that Avis Linnell received
the poison from male friend on that
Saturday afternoon. She is thought to
have accepted it in the belief that it
would Danish a trouble that mad caused
her a lot of worry.
Chief Dugan. of the bureau Of criminal
investigation, and Deputy Superintend-
ent Watts have all along had their
suspicious as to the person who gave the
young woman the poison which caused
her death, but they have been slow to
act until further circumstances war
ranted it. They were reticent as to the
evidence they held. but it was apparent
this morning that they were prepared to
move with more directne-s in a case that
has taken its place among the country 5
foremost poison mysteries.
Fact of Murder Established.
When it was established that Avis
Linneu was murdered and did not take
the poison with suicidal intent two prob
lens confronted the detectives working
on the mystery. One was the discovery
of the person to whom the deadly cy
aniGe was sold and the other was the
finding of the man with whom the girl
TOOK dinner on saturday evening. While
not saying anything definite, the police
are thought TO have solved both of
these difficult enigmas and with them
the mystery that has puzzled them so
long.
This mystery up to this morning was
as deep as that surrounding the poi
sOning of Mrs. Katherine J. Adams in
New York. In other cases of recent
years Of poison sent through the mails
there was something tangible to work
on-the mark showing from which point
the poison package was sent or the
handwriting which, though disguised.
generally furnished a Clew. In this case,
however, it was only known that Avis
Linneu had taken cyanide of potassium
that had been wrapped in d piece of
white paper Her death came SO sud
denly that she could not tell from whom
or how she received it, if indeed she
cared to tell
First Thought to Be Suicide.
When the news Of her death first
became public it was set down as case
Of suicide: but an investigation by Chief
Dugan quickly dispelled that opinion.
There was everything to show that the
girl wished to live. There was, evidence
that she had been in trouble and the
theory at once accepted by the police
was that she had taken the poison IN
- hi hot
would cure her Of a physical ailment.
When-She reached the home of the
Young Women's Christian Association
on Saturday evening she was buoyant
and appeared happier than she had been
for days. In her conversation there was
nothing to suggest that she thought of
killing herself.
Boston and New England generally,
ever since this tragedy was enacted,
have been hearing a lot about the three
persons who figure in it prominently.
The victim WAS one of the thousands
of girls of good family sent from neigh
boring towns to receive their finishing
at the Hub Rev. Mr.. RichesOn, who
was irrssistibly dragged into the case
because of his friendship for the girl,
has an important church in Cambridge.
The young woman whom he was about
to marry is a resident Of aristOcratic
Brookline daughter OF a well-to-do
father and heiress in her own right to
something over 100000. 1t was but a
natural sequence that Rev. Mr.. Richie
son and Miss Edmands should have been
brought into the case because of pre-
ViOUS associations.
Avis LinneII Was Popular.
Avis Linneu was the daughter of Edgar
LinneI. of Hyannis. a South Shore town
whose residents delight in hearing it'll
called The Paradise of the Massachu-
setts coast" The father is contractor,
Tho has a handsome home on the out
skirts, OF the town and Is reputed well-to-
do. The girl was unusually pretty and
was the pet of HyannIs because of her
sunny disposition and her good-na tured
ways. The town has taken her death to
heart, and those who attended her funer-