Evening journal., 1912-05-21
IRICHESON GOES TO DEATH
FOR AVIS LINNELL MURDER
WITH PRAYER ON HIS LIPS
Sings Hymn of Boyhood Days; Expresses Willingness
TO Die and Shows Other Evidence of Fontude
in Terrible Hour That Amazes Witnesses of
His Awful End---Aids Execufioners in
Their Work Before Shock Kills
Him Instantly

BOSTON. Mass, May 21-Facing
death with fortitude that amazed
his spiritual advisers and the tea
who were States witnesses, Clarence
Virgil Thompson Ricbeson, former
lpastor of Immanuel Baptist Church,
cambridge, died IN the electric chair
at Charlestown prison at 12:1O.02 a.
m today with an exhibition of man
hood he had never before shown dur
ling his life A current of / 900 volts
was hurled through Richeson's body
AT 12;10:02. Three physicians pro-
'nounced his death instantaneous.
Twice the voltage was lowered and
twice shocked into the body of, the
man who murdered Avis Linnell tho
little Hyannisport choir singer. The
last time the current was turned on
II was kept coursing its deadly way
through the murdereds body for fif-
teen seconds. Richeson was Officially
pronounced dead at 1917 o'clock, af-
ter the doctors had spent five minutes
ih a stethoscope examination. The
REV. Herbert Stebbins, prison chap
llain. who has ofiiciated on many such
'hideous occasions, broke down COM
.pletely after he had left the death
chamber.
tt Mdr H1i dANVEttUtl lMf misery OF
horror OF the whole thing" said Mr..
7tebhins today, that has shaken me
n was more than that II was the
mans heroism displayed in his man
ner Of dying penitent and secure in
the belief of salvation tt was a revel-
alton and a miracle that only God
could have wrought Until he was pro-
nounced dead ] could not believe this
poor sinner who has confessed to so
lmuch weakness and cowardicc
throughout his whole life would Al
last he able to see the light and die
4 icourageously through sincere trust in
iGod I repeat II was surely a revela-
n ltion Of Gods power which was grant
n led because Richeson died a far better
! man than he has lived
Richeson's counsel and every jail
& 'ofhcial who had the last keeping oi
1he man echoed Chaplain Stebbins
s. words There was no one who haC
I'm thrown in contact with him whC
b .dopbted for an instant that they would
lhave a craven. bringing thing to lifi
bodily into the death
Instead Of this. Richeson died witt
n PRAYER on his lips No man in the
death cell before the summons came
lnor in that chamner whe~- he died
was more cool and courageous thar
the man all we're waiting to see die
like a coward.
Sings As Summos Comes.
He was singing as the summon
came 70 him Warden Bridges per
mitted the two ministers and the con
demned to finish the last verse of TIL
hymn Then walking more steadil
than his two guards or the ministers
Richeson paced the last twelve step
10 the chair where he seated him
Felf and looked curiously down. a
his split trouser leg was drown 4
the knee and the electrode fixed
Again he glanced downward as hi
arms were tightly strapped to tn
chair arms and the heavy blac
leather belt huckled across his ah
domen. These glances downward
however. did not destract his attention
from his confessions Of Christ draw
bv the questions of Dr. Johnson Whe
The rubber mask made of two broa
ttrins, one TO cover his eyes and III
other with a small aperture in it t
better hold the chin, was first put o
upside down; quickly removed an
more quickly put in place, Richeso
smiled II was but an instant tha
rubber fipped into place and slight
distorted the nose and lips.
But the smile was seen and II wa
plainly not Of a kind that had eve
before Illuminated that dark hand
Home face And It was seen too tina
his pallor was changed by the slight
est touch of color in each cheek a
" though he we're thankful for the extr
glimpse of this world which the mis-
take in adjusting the mask had give
him.
AS the little leather helmet, cor
tanning the head electrode was ad
justed covering the dsiguring NV
Inch strip Of bare scalp where Richie
+ sons head had been shaved on hot
before. there came in answer to d
Johnson's question, his last words
For Jesus sake I am ready to liy
8 or to die"
Richeson wore a plain black chevit
suit His frock coat barely hid hi
IS white vest which seemed strangely ol
Of place. He wore a soft white shir
a slightly higher collar than usual u
edges drawn closely together with
s. small black bow tie His low shoe
were brightly shined
Shortly before 1130 o'clock, the te
men who we're to witness for n
M State Richeson's last great paymen
(; gathered in'the parlor Of the warden
SIS residence. They we're Surgeon MajC
~ J H. Butler. Ninth Regiment, NJ
b NJ, who took the place cf Generl
E Charles Foster: Prison Physician j
seph l. Mclaughlin. Medical Examil
81 or George B. Magrath; First Depui
Y Sheriff Edmund P. Kelley. repyesen
- - ing Sheriff John Quinn. Of Charl'
~ street jail; Warden BENJAMIN
Bridges. of Charlestown prison; d
putty Warden Nathan D. Allen; Il
Rev. Father Murphy. Catholic cha
lain at Charlestown: William G. Hi
Q and j. Goeiz. and j. P. Yoder. sta
representative Of the United Press
Waiting For the End.
For thirty minutes these men s
waiting for the summons 10 the dea
chamber in the extreme right wing
the prison Then Warden Bridge
a accom-. anied by William A. Mors
Richeson's attorney. entered the ROOF
In his brief manner the warden to
~ his recent NJ envelopes containii