The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-21


/ stalled In the fashionable Cambridge
church Here his work was crowned
with success and he became favor
\ tie with many members OF the con-
/ gregation who protested to be charm
ed with his plain talks from the pull
pit. One night at church reception
the young pastor was introduced to-
Miss Viola Edmands. She was the
daughter of Moses Grant Ddmands,
one OF the wealthiest residents OF
Brookline and reputed to be in posses
sion in her own right OF half million
] dollars received from the estate of
her grandfather.
/ Miss Edmands was q different type
| from the little country village maid
who had done so much for the preach
er down On Cape Cod. Proud and Inn
perious In manner she WAS attracted
toward the young minister and soon
he was paying devoted attention tol
her. In short time he was her slave
and soon she told her intimates that
she and the minister we're to wed
soon.
Whether Avis Linnell knew of the
other woman at this time Is not
known. 1t is certain, however, that
/ early In the summer she took the dia-
mond ring from her finger and wore
nouncement to the home people that
/ the engagement had been broken and
there were only few people who
knew that another woman had come
between the preacher and his little
country sweetheart.
Patched Up.
4 Miss Linnell went home In August
and shortly afterward Richeson also
came to Hyannis to spend his vaca-
ton. Prior to that time the minister
had been noticed dining In Boston
restaurants with Miss Linnell and in
1 Hyannis, and In the old town the
couple were much together and the
rumor was soon afloat that they had
/ patched up their differences and would
eventually be married
! In September Richeson returned to
his pulpit and Miss Linnell went back
4 to her music studies. At times, her
friends say, she seemed must dis.
/ traught and troubled. Finally on Satur-
day. October IA, the young music stu
dent told her girl friends at the
Young Womans Christian Association
where she boarded, that she was go
ling to take dinner with her gentle
man friend" Although she did not call
Richeson by name she was understood
to mean him by her friends.
No one saw the couple at their
meal The last time they are known
i to have been seen on the street to-
gether was the day before Miss Lin
! nell's mother, who had been visiting
in Boston, returned home. Her daugh-
ter accompanied her to the railway
i station and after her train left, ac-
, cording to the story Of George Baker,
y of Hyannis, who was there, Richeson
Z Joined Miss Linnell. They left the
!, depot together.
/ Following her visit to her gentle
} man friend" for dinner, Miss Linnell
, returned to the Y w. c. A. In high
spirits. She told her friends that she
had been given some medicine and
I that she was sure now that her
headaches would be cured.
Died In Bath Room.
That night young women occupy.
/ ing adjoining rooms heard groans in
| the bathroom adjoining Miss Linneli'e
: bedroom. They broke down the door
{ but the girl became unconscious and
J died before physician arrived. For a
, short time it was believed that she
/ had killed herself 1t was suggested
! that Richeson had told her that he
; was to wed the other woman and
, that this fact had caused her to end
| her life An autopsy, however, reveal
, ed that she was about to become a
mother and that cyanide of potassium
had been the cause of death
, The fact that the girl was In deli
cate condition aroused suspicion and
!, the police began to shadow Richeson
!. It developed that, when the little
, country girl was found DYING her near
!. est chum telephoned to Richeson VINO
demanded to know whether she had
said anything about him. When told
she had not, it is alleged that he de
+ manded why he had been recalled and
/ notified the girl to tell Miss Mnnell's
d people and the police.
n Richeson Immediately deserted his
/ lodging and went to the Brookline
T mansion of Moses Grant Edmands
/ where he stayed in strict seclusion
l. The next day he went down town ant
l. engaged an attorney to represent his
g interests.
On October 10, William Hahn, {
L druggist in Newton Center, where
B~