Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-05-19
Story of the Crime.

story Ol tIIe FlHle.
 The execution of ,he Reverend Richeson will draw the curtain on tragedy unsurpassed for cum ng, cruelty and nctoriesy in the criminal annals of ohe United States. The minister, with his wedding announce ment already in the hands of friends, and 3 discarded sweetheart impor un- ing him to relieve her from a' pos ton that would cloud her life with shame calmly conceived plan that would release him from his unwelcome liai- son and leave him free to marry the woman of his choice
 Arranged His Release.
 With hypocr.tical cunning he soothed the fears of the little choir singer pledging himself 10 right the wrong he had done. and then de- liberately purchased quantity of cyanide of potassium, deadly poison, from a druggist Hahn of Pos5on and set about compounding the pills that spelled death to the girl and freedom j.o himself His next step was 70 make an appointment with his unsus- pecting sweetheart ard present her with the drug, counselling it's earl: use with kindly words and assurances of its efficacy.
 The preacher then journeyed to the home of his fiance, where he await- ed the death that would set him free and fsrever dispel the chance of s covery. He had not long 10 wait. On October IA, scarcely "A hteurs after he had given the girl the cyanide cap suls, her body was found fin the bath room of the Young Womens Christi,n Association.
 First Thought Suicide.
 It was at first believed that she had committed suicide in & fit of dese pondency upon learning the news of Richs scEls approaching marriage to Miss Edmands. The inquest, how ever, revealed the fact that had she lived she would have become mother and the autopsy showed That ,lsr death had been caused by cyanJie of potas- Sium. .---
 The events that followed raised the l girls death from the status of a lit tie mentioned suicide to. the estate of one of rth most atrocious and widely advertised murders in the annals of American crime. Link by link the ev- idence against the minister was forg- ed. The police, acting on the theory that someone had given the girl poison and had told her that it would bring about a change in her physical condition, began a systematic can vass of the various drug stores in an effort to locate the purchaser.
 William Hahn, druggist of New ton Center, Boston suburb, recalled selling the Reverend MT. Richeson a quantity of cyanide shortly before the girls death was reported. He saw no connection between the sale and the death but felt it his duty to com municate with the police.
 Arrest Was Dramatic.
 Richeson's arrest, which followed took place under the most dramatic circumstances.
 The minister, who was spending a week at the home of his fiance, ex- nressed little interest when informed of the death of Avis Linnell, and de- nied himself to all callers. His friends immediately set about making an effort to explain away any con- noction of his name with the death of the girl.
 On the night of Friday, October 20, Deputy Superintendent of Police Watts, accompanied by squad Of twenty policemen went to the home of Miss Edmands and found the place in darkness, every door and every window barred Repeated knocking brought no response and the officers surrounded the house to prevent any possible attempt at escape waited all night, not hayine the, pow or to enter the house by force with out warrant.
 Fiansce wept Hystsficaily \ Early the next morniBs the: dcoi \ was opened by q servant, who usher ed Deputy Watts into the presence ol