The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1912-01-12
ACCUSED MINISTER ADMITS MUIR.
DER OF GIRL WHO WAS TO
HAVE BEEN HIS WIFE.
IN LETTER TO ATTORNEYS
States That His Motive Was to be
Free to Marry the Heiress, Violet
Edmands-Prosecutor De-
mands Death Penalty.

Boston, Jan. 8.-That he was re-
sponsible for the death of Avis Lin
nell, was the confession made by Rev.
Clarence V. T. Richeson, in order
that he would be free to marry Violet
Edmands, a Brookline heiress. The
confession is in the form of a letter
written by the minister to his attor-
ney, in which he recites the story Of
his crime. The complete text of the
confession follows:
Boston, Jan. 8, 1912. - John l..
Lee. Esq. w. A. Morse. Esq, Philip
r. Dunbar, Esq.
"Gentlemen-Deeply penitent for
my sin and earnestly desiring, as far
as in my power lies. to make atone
ment, l hereby confess that l am guilty
of the offense of which l stand in
dicted.
II am moved to this course by no
inducement Of self-benefit or lenience.
Heinous as is my crime, God has not
wholly abandoned me and my con
science and manhood, however de-
PRAYED and blighted, will not admit
of my still further wronging by a
public trial her, whose pure young
life l have destroyed. Under the lash
ings of remorse l have suffered and
am suffering the tortures Of the
damned.
I'm this / find a measu of comfort.
In my mental anguish recognize that
there is still, by the mercy Of the
Master, some remnant Of the divine
spark Of goodness still lingering with
in me. l could wish to live only be-
cause within some PRISONS walls I
might in some small measure, redeem
my sinful past. help some other de-
spairing soul and at last, find favor
with my God.
you are instructed to deliver this
to the district attorney or to the Judge
of the court.
Sincerely yours,
Clarence v. T. Richeson."
After receiving the letter, his law
yers went hurriedly to the Office of
District Attorney Pelletier, in charge
of the prosecution, and pleaded with
him for leniency for the murderer.
Pelletier refused. Nothing, he said,
would be promised II Richeson wish
ed to change his mind" about his
plea of mot guilty." he must do SO
in the full knowledge that at the end
of the story stood the chair of death.
Crime a Strange One.
Tho crin1o with tho norcou {rv01voA
and the setting, has become one of the
most famous in New England's crimi-
nal annals. Clarence Virgil. Thompson
Richeson, a handsome young Virgin
ian, was pastor OF a little Baptist
church in Hyannis. Mass. the little
Cape Cod town where Avis Linnell
was the reigning belle.
Richeson soon became engaged to
the girl, but, after q row with his con-
gregation, resigned and accepted the
pastorate of the Emmanuel Baptist
church Of Cambridge. q fashionable
Boston district. There he met and be-
came engaged to Miss Violet Ed
mands, herself worth half a million
dollars and heir to q greater part of
Iu0 Nd0I O0IdtO VI AO A0SACAs VAO0C0
Grant Edmands.
Although his engagement to Miss
Edmands was known, Avis Linnell
was kept in ignorance Of it. She went
to Boston to study music in the con-
~servatory of music. She told several
persons she was engaged to Richeson
Strong Case Against Him.
On the night Of Saturday. Oct. IA,
1911, Miss Linnell was found dying in
the bathroom in the Young Women's
Christian association building. For q
time 1t was thought she had commit
ted suicide, and an examination of her
body showed she had been killed by
cyanide of potassium.
Richeson disappeared Immediately
but was arrested a few days later in
the home of Edmands, where he was
in hiding. He denied his guilt. but the
state wove about him q strong circum-
stantial case.
It was proved that he had bought
the cyanide from a druggist, William
Hahn. OF Newton Center, Mass. The
state c~ontended that Richeson had
given the girl the poison under the
guise Of medicine, and that she had
swallowed 1t voluntarily, believing 1t
was the medicine he claimed it to be.
Only a few days before Christmas
Richeson stabbed himself in the groin
with a piece Of tin and for a time was
thought to be in q dying condition.