The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-05-24
RICHEsON PAYS
DEATH PENALTY.
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crash of falling lever and Richie
son was no more.
The 1.-THE form of the pastor surged
forward in the great leather throngs,
but no sound came from the throat
of the victim.
Brother Was, Cold.
When Richeson yesterday afternoon
reflected that he probably had less
than IL hours to live he expressed
desire to see his brother, Douglas
Richeson of Chicago, who is in the
city. Douglas Richeson decided yes
terday afternoon that he would not go
to his brother.
The condemned man slept soundly
for four hours yesterday morning,
after being awake nearly all night.
He was calm and even cheerful at
times during the night, occasionally
Singing hymn or repeating his ia
vorite scriptural passages.
Richeson spent much of his time
yesterday in prayer and in reading
his Bible.
Seemed Calm.
Richeson had no supper, saying that
he desired none. After eating a lit
tie fruit, he lighted cigar and he
was sitting on the edge o fhis cot,
apparently enjoying his smoke, when
Deputy Warden Allen entered his cell
with the black suit of clothes to be
worn during the execution. Richeson
nodded calmly to the deputy, but said
nothing.
Sunday and during the afternoon
yesterday the prisoner lay on his cot
but yesterday afternoon and last
evening he sat up most of the time
Attorney Morse, who visited Richeson
during the afternoon, found his client
calm and anxious to have the SEN
tence of the law carried out during
the night.
Mr.. Morse in an interview later,
said: "Richeson has made up his
mind to die and he does not want de-
lay. This has been long story and
the last chapter is being written to-
day.
"Richeson is going to die without
holding grudge against any one.
He had scarcely uttered harsh word
and to me personally and to those
who come in contact with him, he
has again and again expressed his
gratitude"
Richeson's Crime.
The crime for which Richeson, at
the time of his arrest, pastor of the
Emmanuel church of Cambridge, was
sentenced to die in the electric chair,
was the confessed murder of his for
mer sweetheart, 19-yar-old Avis Lin
nell, Of Hyannis, a pupil in the New
England Conservatory of Music in
Boston.
The girl stood in the way of the
minister's marriage to Miss Violet
Edmands, society girl and heiress of
Brooklyn, both through an engage
ment which still existed between the
two and because of q cndition in
which Miss Linnell found herself. The
girl was deceived into taking a poison
two and because of a condition in
lieved would remedy that condition
and died in her rooms at the Young
Woman's Christian association on the
evening Of October ID, 1911. On that
day invitations had been issued for
the wedding ceremony which was to
unite Richeson and Miss Edmonds.
AS pastor of small church in the
Cape Cod town of Hyannis two years
before, the handsome and eloquent
minister, then 33 years old, had been
attracted to Avis Linnell, who was an
exceptionally pretty girl of II years.
She lived with her parents, her father,
Edgar Linnell, being contractor and
builder. 1t was her ambition to be-
come teacher and she was attend
ing the State normal school at Hyan-
mis-.
Miss Linnell joined Richeson's
church, was baptized by him and be-
came member of the church choir.
In short time, early in 1909, Miss
Linnell was displaying a diamond