Arizona republican., 1912-01-07
I.1SSOCiafcd Press Dispatch l

i.ISSOCfutcd Press DiSpdtCH
 BOSTON. Jan. 6.-Rev. Clarance V.
 T Richeson. confessed 10 the murder
 Of his former sweetheart. Avis Linnell.
 uf Hyannis. in a document made pub
 liC by his counsel today.
 The confession declares he k guilty
 of the ''offense of which he was in
 dicted", which is murder in the first
 degree. Whether Richeson will pay
 the extreme penalty which. under the
 Massachusetts law is death in the cleo
 tric chair. no court official cared to
 predict today
 The full text of the confession is as
 follows:
 'I am deeply penitent for my sins and earnestly desiring as far as in my power lies to make atonement. l here by confess I am guilty of the offenSe of which I stand indicted I am moved r. this course by nJ consideration of self benefit or leniency. Heinous as is my crime. God has not wholly aban- doned me. and my conscience and man hood. however depraved and blighted will not almit of my still further wronging, b- public trial. her whose pure life I've destroyed Under the lashirgs Of remorse I've suffered. and am suffering. the tortures of the damned. In this I find a measure of comfort Tn my mental anguish I recognize there's still mercy Of the Master, some remnant of the Divine spark of goodness in me I could wish to live only because within some pris- ons wall I might. in some small meas uro. redeem my sinful past and help some other despairing soul at last finl favor with my God"
 The confession was made to the att torneys for the defense who have been instructed by Richeson to send the confession to the district attorney OF the court.
 The indictment against Richeson charged with the ~feloniously. wilfully | and of malice aforethought." gave Miss i Linnell cyanide of potassium with | deadly intent and that because of her !! death he is guilty of murder in the ! first degree.
 District Attorney Pelletier declared 1. today. after the confession had been 1 made public, that the trial set for January l.. will be called and that he | will accept no compromise in the way of a plea to d lesser crime It is point ed out that if the district attorney maintained this attitude. only an in Sarity commission. ar a communication by the executive council and the gov ernor could save Richeson from the electric chair. It lies. however. with the court anu district attorney to ac- cept a minor plea. such modification usually coming through some link in the governments case.
 Today's developments in one of the most interesting murder cases in the history of the state. were not altogeth- e unexpected by some of those in touch with the situation From the beginning. the prosecution authorities asserted that their evidence was strong although when it came to tn, actual delivery of the poison to the girl there appeared to be a missing link. Riche- son himself provided probably inc gT Tcatest sensation in the case. when in the early hours of the morning Of De cember 20 he so horribly mutilated himself that his life hung in the bal ance for some hours and was saved only by an operation. It is said to have been at that time Richeson first insisted upon confession. Even while bleeding from his wounds. he is said to have chung to his counsel with a plea that he be allowed to tell him the whole story. Feeling his client might be laboring from loss of mental as well as physical strength. Morse. his attorney. refused to hear him anu dur ing his convalescence. Richeson re- mained quiet, in fact. almost speech loss.
 When his attorneys visited their cli- ent early this week Richeson cried out that he is guilty and declared his i'm . tention to make d clean breast of his crime. He was plainly under great mertal stress. his condition being such! that counsel would not accept his sug- sestion. They urged him to think the matter over more carefully anl left him. On Wednesday. his attorneys again visited his cell and his confession made public today. was written then by the prisoner despite efforts of coun- sel to dissuade him. as they feared the mental strain had weakened his men, tai powers. Richeson insisted. how