The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-01-08
RICHESON LIKELY
TO Be SENT TO
THE CHAIR
Confession and Evidence Show
Nothing In His Favor
HE HASN'T A FRIEND LEFT
Has Lied to His Counsel and to His
Supporters and his Confession Is
not Likely to Save Him


Boston, Jan. S.-Rev. Clarence V.
T. Richeson was arraigned before
Judge Sanderson this afternoon and
pleaded guilty to the murder of Avis
Linnell.: The judge accepted the
plea and it is probable that sentence
will be imposed tomorrow.
The sentence will be death in the
electric chair as the plea is guilty IN
the first degree which leaves no al
tentative. AS soon as sentence is
pronounced the effort will begin to
secure Communication of the sentence
II is said that Governor Foss is III
favor of life imprisonment instead Oh
electrocution and that he will recon-
mend to the council that the sen
tence be committed.
Boston, Jan. S.-Rev. Clarence v
IT. Richeson confessed his guilt OF
the wiifull murder of his former
sweetheart, Miss Avis Linnell OF ny
annis. in a document made public by
his counsel Saturday at Boston. Inc
confession declares that the accused
is guilty "of the offense of which he
is indicted" which is murder in the
first degree. Whether Richeson VIII
nay the extreme penalty, which un
der Massachusetts, law is death in the
electric chair, no court official has
yet cared to predict. The confession
was as follows:
Boston, January 3, 1912.
John l.. Lee, William A. Morse, Phil
ip K. Dunbar
Gentlemen Deeply penitent for
my sin and earnestly desiring as fal
as in my power lies, to make atone
ment. | hereby confess that | am gull
ty of the offense of which | stand in
dicted. am moved to this course
by no inducement Of settlement oil
lenlency. Heinous as is my crime
God has not wholly abandoned me
and my conscience and manhood
however depraved, and blighted, viii
not admit of my still further wrong
ing by public trial, her whose pure
young life / have destroyed.
Under the lashlngs of remorse
have suffered and am suffering thu
tortures of the damned. In this
find a measure of comfort In M
mental anguish recognize that ther'
is STILL by the mercy Of the Master
some remnant of the divine spark o
goodness still lingering with me.
could wish to live only because with
in some prisons walls ! might, IL
some small measure, redeem my sin
full past, help some other despairinl
soul, and at last, find favor with m.
God. You are instructed to deliye
this to the district attorney or to thu
Judge of the court. Sincerely yours
Clarence V. 7. Richeson
The indictment to which Riches
on's confession referred charged tina
he "feloniously, wilfully and of hi
malice aforethought" gave Miss Avi
Linnell a certain quantity OF cyanide
of potassium with deadly intent ant
that because of her death from 1t OF
October IL, he is guilty of murde
in the first degree.
District Attorney Joseph c. Pellet
Ter declared Saturday afternoon afte
the confession had been made publ
by Richesons lawyers that the tria
SET for the 18th would surely tax
place and that he would accept N
compromise in the way of plea to
lesser crime. The district attorne
did intimate, however, that the OF
portunity lay with Richeson's law
yers. to bring their client into cour
before that time and II was current
ly reported last night that the accu'
ed clergyman might learn his TAT
early next week.
II was pointed out Saturday that
the district attorney maintained hi
attitude and demanded the death ser
tence. only an insanity commission
or Communication by the executiy
council and the governor would stan
between Richeson and the electri
chair. II lies, however, with tn
court aud the district attorney to az
cept a plea OF murder In the secon
degree OF manslaughter, such moo
ificatlon usually coming throug
some weak link in the government
case.
Saturdays development in one
the most interesting murder cases !
the history of the state was not a
together unexpected by some Of thos
i'm close touch with the sensations
events since the death OF Miss Lii
nell. From the very beginning
the case II was asserted by the pro
ecutlng authorities that the eyidenc
was strong, though when II came
the actual delivery OF the poison
the little conservatory girl there a.
peared to the pubic to be a missin
link In the chain. Then came an az
of seeming frenzy In the little ce
in the Charles street Jail where
the early hours OF the morning
December 20, Rlcheson so horrlbl
mutilated himself that his life hun
In the balance for some hours an
was saved only by the operate
which surgeons speedily performed
II Is said to have been at that tin
that Richeson first insisted upon co
Tossing his crime. Even while blee
ing from his wounds he Is said
have chung to his counsel, form'
Senator William A. Morse. and plea
ed to be allowed TO tell him the who
story. Feeling that his client mig
be laboring under a loss OF ment
as we'll as physlcal strength. n