The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-05-24
RICHESON PAYS
Death PENALTY
Murderer ofSWeetheartDi Dies
in Electric Chair.
End Of Tragedy That Has Given
Shock to Whole Civilized
World.

u
this morning Clarence v. T. Ricleson
unfrocked pastor and slayer of Avis Lin
nell was executed in the prison in
Charlestown.
Three times the current was turned
on. and when 1t was switched off the
last time the limbs of the laws victim
had ceased to tremble, and he was Off
cially pronounced dead by the prison ply
stefan.
Richeson went to his death calmly.
True to his promise he made no scene
and walked with firm step to the exc
cution chamber.
The current was turned on at l2:io:02,
and the prisoner was declared totally dea.
at 1911.
The former Baptist clergyman, confess
ed poisoning Avis Linnell of Hyannis.
his sweetheart, was outwnrdly calm
when he entered the death chamber, and
he maintained his compromise wliiie tho
straps and electrodes were being adjuste
as he sat in the electric chair.
The execution of the Reverend Rich
eson draws the curtain on a tragedy un-
surpassed for cunning. cruelty and no
toriety in the criminal annals Of the
United States. The minister, with his
wedding announcement already in the
hands of friends, and a discarded
sweetheart imp6rtuning him to relieve
her from position that would cloud
her life with shame. calmly conceived a
plan that would release him from his
unwelcome liaison and leave him free
to marry the woman of his olroice.
With, hypocritical cunning he soothed
the fears of the little choir singer. pledg-
ing himself to right the wrong he had
done and then deliberately purchased a
quantity Of cyanide of potassium. a
deadly poison. from Druggist Hahn. of
Boston. and set about compounding the
pills that spelled death to the girl and
freedom to himself His next step was
to make an appointment with his I'M
tsuspecting sweetheart and present her
with the drug. counselhg its early use
with kindly words and assurances of it,
efficacy.
| The preacher then journeyed to the
home of his fiance, where he awaited
the death that would set him free and
forever dispel the change of discovery.
He had not long to wait. Or October
IA. scarcely twenty-four hours after he
had given the girl the cyanide capsuls.
her body was found in the bathroom Of
the Young woman's Christian Assoc
citation.
II was at FIRST believed that she had
committed suicide in fit of dependency
upon learning the news Of Rtcheson's
approaching marriage to Miss Edmands.
The inquest. however. revealed the fact
that had she lived she would have
become a mother. and the autopsy
showed that her death had been caused
by cyanide Of potassium.
4 The events that followed raised the
girls death from the status OF a little
mentioned suicide to the estate Of one
of the most atrocious mad widely adver-
} tised murders on the annals of American
crime Link by link the evidence against
the minister was forged. The police.
acting on the theory of that someone
had given the girl poison and had told
her that it would bring about change
In her physical condition. began a
= systematic canvass Of the various drug
stores In an effort to locate the pur'
chaser.
William Hahn. a druggist OF Newton
Centre. a Boston suburb. recalled selling
the Rev. Mr.. Richeson a quantity of
cyanide shortly before the gtr's deaAf
was reported. He saw no connection
between the sale and the death. but fell
, 1t his duty to communicate with thu
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