The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-20

willis the minister was delive ring his
sermon, the young woman entered the
church with her mother and walked
10 the pew they usually occupied
The sermon Was suddenly inter-
rupted. Richeson hastily mumbl,ed Il
Few closing sentences. and then fell
TO the platform. rolled on, and struck
n man sitting In tho front pew
| Members OF the congregation gath
cred about him and dashed cold wnter
In his face. Tho widow Joined in the
m!nistrat;ons and followed the party
that borc the pastor to his boarding
place. For days no was confined to
his room. and during that time the
women and girls o, the congregation
called The widow was sol,cttoue. and
sent him flowers
During tho period Of convn1escenre
ta.cheson informed tho woman with
whom he lodged that all was over be-
tween the widow and him, and at tho
same TIM. the young woman was tell
Ing OF tho declarations Of love the
minister made on every occasion when
she called TO sec him
| Owing TO this difference in the two
stories OF the relations existing
R'cheson was ask cd to seek another
boarding place. and did SO. Very soon
after that the yaung widow left Kan
cas- City. and 1t was intimated to Rich
cson that the church would prefer
some other Of the William Jewell Col
lege students
| IHcheson delivered farewell SER
mon. In which he ascribcd the request
| that he leave to the cnmity OF q jeal-
Gus woman
| II would sooner face a row az CAT
ling guns than face lying and jeal-
| 6n roIa
~ in tho last sermon.
The words OF the pastor were passed
around In the gossip of the members
of the congregation and twa brothers
of the widow heard OF his statement
and accepted It as an intended insult
to their sister. They started after the
minister to demand retra ction. He
escaped them by departing hastily
through tho rear door of his boarding
house.
On January 10. 1906, Clarence Richie
son was expelled from William Jewell
Callege for assisting other students
In their Greek examination At this
time he was In debt 10 Miss Fclts
Late In 1901 he had borrowed 800
| and he increased the debt up TO the
time he left college.
| Meets Avis LinnclI.
| Next Richeson entered the Southern
Baptist Seminary at Louisville, Ky.
| Then he came East and qualified at
| the Newtan Theological Seminary
| There he concluded his three years
course and was graduated two and
| half years ago. IN 1909. His work as a
student was erratic and poor.
He got the pastorate OF Calvary
Baptist Church at FL Paso. Tex. In
the spring OF 1907. but retained it only
4 cIA f,,a
year and again at Easter in 1905 he
obtained loans from Miss Patsey Felts.
In all she advanced him 500. This he
repaid her in instruments. After he
| poisoned Avis Linncll he still owed her
| 1876 Sho received a check for this
amount from Rlchesons attorney after
, his arrest, with request that she re-
| turn all OF Rcheson's letters In her
| possession With this request she did
not comply.
In tho spring OF 1905 Richeson took
charge of the Baptist church at Hy-
annis. Mass. There he met Avis Lin
nell. She was born In 1891. the daugh-
ter OF carpenter IN Hyannisport
The one adventure of Avis LinnelPs
life up to the time she met Richeson,
so far as recorded. was her rescue OF
| a baby brother who had fallen into a
pond. She went TO the village school
and then to tho Normal School in Uy-
ann's. n mile and n half from her home
| at the port"
She discovered. and others dscov-
cred, that she had A good voice Ev-
! erybody In Hyannis knew that the girl
herself was unusually beautiful. Like
thousands af girls n modest circun-
stances. she was ntting herself to earn
her own living by teaching IL need be
a. Ita n,,tt to-
church. and she went to church hut
had never been baptized. When the
new minister preached his first ser
mon Avis Linnell was in the congre-
cation, unobtruSivc. unnoticed
Richeson was at that time occupied
with just one thought-to win his
standing with his people. Yet he had
already. while student at Newton,
laid tho foundation Of an affair with n
girl. lie had been invited to the Brook
line home OF Moses @. Edmands a
trustee of the theological seminary.
What could he do but be polite to
She would be rich girl some
day and she was attractive. The ac-
quaintance had been very pleasant and
was by no means broken off simply
because tho miles interviewed between
Brookline and Iynnnis.
either hrfdwy- etaoin taoi taoln aim
lie had not told Miss Edmands
either of earlier adventures He had
| never mentioned the story of the
, meeting In n church where he preached
In the West of three women. who
faced him through the service and
then at It's close demanded. each of
them, that he marry her as he had
promised to do.
Dnptised His Victim.
Late In 1910. while Miss Patsey Felts
was in Colorado Springs under treat
ment, she wrote of her condition to
Richeson. She was doing very poorly,
she said. did not seem to gain strength
and was very thin. III answer he eN-