The Washington times., 1912-01-06
R|CHESDN ADMITS
He GAVE POISON
/ TO AVIS L|NNELL
Boston Pastor, in Letter to
Lawyers, Makes Clean
Breast.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

CONTINUED from First Page)
Church in Hyannis, Mass, the little
Gape Cod town where Avis Linnell was
the reigning belle.
., E,ich hes. soon became engaged to the
s sntion put. after row with his congre.
torate OF the Emmanuel Baptist Church
of Brookline, fashionable Boston dis.
trict. There he met and became en-
gagged to Miss Violet Edmands, worth
half million dollars. and heir to great.
er part of the vast estate of her father
Moses Grant Edmands.
Kept Secret.
Although his engagement to Miss Ed
mands was known. Avis Linnell was
Kept In ignorance of It.. She went to
Boston to study music in the Conser-
vatory Of Music. She told friends she
was engaged to Richeson.
On the night Of Saturday, October IA,
I'LL, Miss Linnell was found dying in
the bathroom of her rooms in the Young
Momen's Christian Association building.
For time 1t was though she had COM
United suicide and an examination of
her body showed she had been killed
by cyanide of potassium. It also
showed that she soon was to have be-
come mother. 1t was then that
Rtcheson was suspected.
Richeson disappeared Immediately, but
WAS arrested a few days later in the
nome Of Edmands. where he was In
hiding. He denied his guilt, but the
state wove about him a strong circum-
stantiai case.
It was proven that he had bought
the cyanide from Druggist William Han,
OF Newton Center Mass. The State
contended that Richeson, responsible for
the girls condition had given her the
poison under the guise of medicine, and
that she had swallowed 1t voluntarily,
believing II was the medicine he claimed
1t to be-.
Only a few days before Christmas.
with a piece Of Jagged tin and for time
was thought to be In dying condition.
Wedding Day Fixed.
Rioheson. who was to have been mar
ried to Miss Edmands on October 81.
was arrested by the Boston and Brook
Nne police in Brookline, and taken to
the Boston police headquarters. where
he was formally charged with the muir
der Of Miss Linnell.
Avis Linnell, the girl betrayed and
poisoned by Richeson. was a native of
the little town Of Hyannisport, Mass.
1t was the general belief of the resi-
and the girl were engaged to be mar
fied and the girl told number Of her
young friends, and even selected the
girl companions OF her childhood days
IT was not until she had gone to Bos-
ton that the residents of Hyannisport
heard the report that Richeson was to
marry an heiress living In Brookline.
aminer were aroused by the peculiar
circumstances surrounding Miss Lin
nelfs death. the finding Of the body
and the statements of the friends of
the girl. The story that she was en-
gagged to Richeson and expected to be
made his wife turned attention to
the young minister. but there was no
evidence conneeting him with the
Follow Clues.
All clues were followed out. and his
movements during the days and
nights Immediately preceding the
death. looked up by the police.
refuge from the reporters in the home
Of Moses Grant Edmands.
The first positive thing connecting
Richeson with the death of the girl
William Hahn. druggist of Newton.
asked the police to visit him and told
Chief Watts that he had sold a large
amount of cyanide to Richeson.
lister had called, had told about his
approa ching marriage to the Brookline
girl, had invited the druggist to attend
the wedding, and then had asked for
Hahn had suggested cyanide and had
given the druggist an amount of the
poison large enough to kill dozen
dogs.
with this information the police of
Boston imp. ediatcly went to Brookline,
the police there were called in and the
Edmands house was surrounded. In the
early morning hours they gained
admission to the house, and RichesOn
was placed under arrest.
He was taken to police headquarters,
and, after being formally charged with
the murder. was taken to the Tombs
&c await arraignment.
Richeson was indicted by the grand
Jury, and his trial date was set for
January 10. A number of residents of
Hyannisport, a score of the girl friends
who lived at the Y. w. c. A. with the
Linnell girl: witnesses who had seen the
girl and Richeson together and the
Newton druggist gave the evidence that
resulted in the Indictment.
On December 20 Richeson made q sem
sational attempt to commit suicide By
siashing himself with tin cover. tho
edge Of which he had whetted to razor
like sharpness on the floor of his cell.
He was removed to the prison hospital
and for a time 1t was thought he would
die.
When he recovered sufficiently to be
returned to his cell he began to act in
a strange manner, and 1t was thought
by some that his mind was giving way
under the strain.