marjorie congdon caldwell

Additionally, two other men shes been close to have died in what some have regarded as suspicious circumstances. She was released on October 19, 1986, and she and Wally moved to Ajo, Arizona. Velma was covered in blood. Relations between Marjorie and her family members were highly strained, and the Congdon estate closely monitored all communication between Marjorie and her mother. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. She was accused of attempting to deposit his $11,181 inheritance into her account after he died. Surprisingly, there are some rather significant connections between Marjorie and St. Louis Park. She added that she hasnt had contact with her for 40 years. Glensheen, built just northeast of downtown Duluth in 1909, was the audacious symbol of Congdon's wealth and made the murders that much more intriguing. SCL: You never turn your back. "So they said, 'Do what you gotta do.'". Marjorie Congdons sudden magnetic appeal to men is remarkable in light of the fact that she was in no way conventionally attractive. It looked like justice was finally catching up with her. She parted ways with her second husband, Roger Caldwell, after the trials. Elisabeth was the last surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built Glensheen in the first decade of the 20th century and was reportedly the richest man in Minnesota when he died in 1916. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; I went on to the U of M and worked in womens health and family medicine. I found her yacht, the Hesperia, in Lloyds Register of Ships. The nurse hurried up the stairs to Elisabeths bedroom. As her personality emerged from behind a wall of introversion, it was aggressive and unpleasant, and she made people uncomfortable. The book shop promotes books about the homicides and I didnt want this book to be with them. SCL: My grandmother donated the estate to the University of Minnesota Duluth in the 1960s, and now Glensheen is run by the UMD fine arts department. There was a level of service and attention to detail we just cant fathom in todays world. The next day the house caught fire. ", "Because the family didn't want to go back to a murder scene," he explained. When Goetzman asked whether Suzanne fears for her safety, Suzanne answered that shes taken all the necessary precautions. Even so, she says, You never turn your back., At @HistoryTheatre, Chan Polings Glensheen is moving and macabre. Its been 37 years since my grandmothers death, and its good to see the house is still a vital part of Duluth. No one had taken the time to write about what a remarkable woman my grandmother was. The next day, DeSanto charged Marjorie with conspiring to kill her mother. Accordingly, when Marjorie was thirteen, Elisabeth bought Marjorie a horse she had been demanding. She was released on October 19, 1986, and she and Wally moved to Ajo, Arizona. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. She was seventy-one years old. Marjorie is a text book example. On January 13, 1984, Marjorie was given 21 months in the Shakopee Womens Prison for burning down her and Wallys home in Mound, Minnesota. "We spend a lot of time trying to make sure that the focus of Glensheen is not the murder. She would be strange. Whether or not he had taken the pills of his own volition was never determined. Marjorie is now 84 years old and shes still out there. The landing where Velma Pietila was bludgeoned to death with a candle holder. The public needs to be educated. An expert disputed a fingerprint that linked Roger to the crime. The combination of Antabuse and alcohol can produce seizures, congestive heart failure and even death. She always seemed like a nice person. SCL: Very much so. 3.76 282 ratings27 reviews Glensheen's Daughter is the story of Marjorie Congdon, the adopted daughter of heiress Elisabeth Congdon, and the brutal murders at Glensheen, one of America's great mansions. He would call it Glensheen after the ancestral home of the Congdon family in Sheen, England. Most Minnesotans know of Marjorie Congdon as the woman who was tried and acquitted of conspiring with her then husband, Roger Caldwell, to murder Marjories mother, heiress Elizabeth Congdon. It turned out the prison authorities loved her. In 2005, the museum reversed course. Everybody loves a murder mystery! When he drank, he turned violent. They married two months later. Before she was arrested, Marjorie arranged to have the body of her friend cremated. Chester Adgate Congdon accrued a fortune, How long is the tour? The trial was moved to Brainerd and in July of 1978 the jury found Roger Caldwell (Marjorie's husband) to be guilty of the crimes. Back at home, her third husband, Walter Hagen, was delighted at her return. Congdon was the only surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built the lavish mansion in 1909. When she was alerted to the fire, she was nonchalant. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by her exorbitant spending. Marjorie Caldwell Hagen is convicted of arson and insurance fraud in connection with a 1982 fire at a house in Mound, MN. Since Marjorie's release from prison, she has lived in several senior residential communities in Tucson, where neighbors often had conflicts with her and her service dogs. An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. After breaking off an early engagement, she settled into the life of a spinster. They cannot believe the things people say about her. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. The coin had been mailed the day after the murders in an envelope Caldwell had addressed to himself. Rather, they seek money as a means of control. Chester Adgate Congdon was a go-getter. In 1984, Marjorie was convicted of arson in the burning of the Mound, Minn., home she had just sold but remained an insurance beneficiary. In fact, the Congdon family was one of the most accomplished, distinguished and generous in Minnesota. It has been lightly edited for today's readers. I thought that was kind of brilliant., Although hes best known for his work with The Suburbs, Poling is no stranger to the stage. Suzanne Congdon LeRoy, one of Marjories daughters, recently published a biography of her late grandmother, highlighting Elisabeths philanthropic legacy. Later in the tour, as you pass the landing where Elisabeths nurse Velma Pietila was brutally bludgeoned to death with an iron candlestick holder, where blood had soaked the rug and dripped off the banisters, you want to ask them to stop and acknowledge it. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. Investigators focused almost immediately on one of Elizabeth's adopted daughters, Marjorie Caldwell, and her husband Roger. Was it your intention, in writing this book, to correct that? Roger took Velmas car back to the airport and flew back to Denver. Marjorie Caldwell, as Hagen was then known, was instantly considered a suspect in her mother's murder. 40 years later, Hartman said the murders are still fresh and raw for members of the Congdon family, some of whom sit on the museum's board. When he drank, he turned violent. She always told stories about her nursing training in World War I, and I was fascinated. Our 12-acre estate features gardens, bridges, and the famous, Chester A. Congdon, 1909. Stained glass window above the stairway landing at Glensheen mansion where Velma Pitiela was murdered. Your email address will not be published. js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=180027192065175"; If you can make a difference in even one life, its meaningful. So is she no longer a threat? We see that you have javascript disabled. After a long trial, it took the jury just twenty-four hours to convict Roger Caldwell. In March 1991 Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house with him inside of it. For a woman whose motivation appeared to be greed, this might have come as a disappointment. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. And he said it's too grisly to discuss on tours with families. She told the new buyers she wanted to do some work on the house before handing it over to them. Congdon's son-in-law, Roger Caldwell, was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in 1978. "I think also a downside of the murder is that people always viewed it from that lens, even in the history community," he said, "that they kind of forget it's actually this incredibly important historic site for our state. She took her pulse. A tour guide shares historical facts and interesting details about the mansion and Congdon family. They never suspected what was about to happen. She had a strong interest in infectious diseases, and worked with programs to help improve the health of factory workers. But when she fully enters their lives, they become entwined in a series of bizarre crimes. In 1985, she was imprisoned. The building was designed by Minnesota architect Clarence H. The historic Glensheen Mansion, along London Road in Duluth MN, was built for, Released in the fall of 1972 and directed by Lamont Johnson, Youll Like, Glensheen, a mansion and grounds completed in 1908 on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, was built by Chester and Clara Congdon. MinnPost | P.O. How much does the Glensheen Mansion cost? }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); @2022 - 2022 - All Right Reserved. She resides in Tucson, Arizona. Marjorie did not call the fire department. The primary victim, Elisabeth Congdon, was 83 years old. Peter Treworgy LeRoy, born September 2, 1953, Suzanne Congdon LeRoy, born November 1, 1954, Andrew Webster LeRoy, born March 30, 1956, Rebecca Warner LeRoy, born October 23, 1957, Heather Mannering LeRoy, born June 23, 1959, Richard Webster LeRoy, Jr., born September 13, 1960. And I whispered to the guide, 'You know she was brutally murdered, right?'". But if anyone thought Marjorie was the victim in this relationship, they had another thing coming. Hagen endorsed and deposited an $11,000 check into a bank. Marjorie stood to inherit $8.2 million upon her mother's death. Your email address will not be published. He and his wife, Mary, live near Kettle River, Minnesota, enjoying time with their seven grandchildren. They didn't think they could prove the death was murder. She bought her things. Marjorie was a compulsive spender and liar, and eventually Dick LeRoy had enough and divorced her on April 29, 1971. SCL: I always say, Mother Nature was the only mother I ever had. But at the Congdon Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota they want to avoid discussing Marjorie. The killings were carried out by Roger Caldwell, allegedly at the urging of his wife, Congdon's adopted daughter Marjorie, though she was later acquitted of conspiracy to murder at a trial. She taught me to give back. The day after she was convicted, Wally Hagen was found dead of a drug overdose. We see that you have javascript disabled. On June 27, 1977, the aged heiress to a vast mining fortune is killed along with her night nurse at Glensheen, a posh mansion perched on the Lake Superior coast. She was arrested again in 1984 when she burned down her house in Mound, Minn. She was convicted of arson and insurance fraud and sentenced to 21 months in prison. His conviction had been overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court after fingerprint evidence used in his trial was called into serious question during Marjories own criminal trial in 1979win which she was acquitted of her alleged role in planning the murders. Choose your favorite marjorie congdon caldwell hagen designs and purchase them as wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, and more! In addition, they are charming, charismatic and engaging. The elderly Elisabeth Congdon did what she could to help lessen the damage by covering at least $350,000 of her daughters indebtedness, but it wasnt enough to prevent Dick LeRoy from being ruined. Alarmed, Elisabeth sent her away to a clinic in Topeka, Kansas for a psychological evaluation. But psychopaths are different. "I don't have any comments about the facts of the new crime," DeSanto said Saturday. Psychopaths are driven by their need for control. Review by @JayGabler: http://t.co/CcvqPvprgr pic.twitter.com/2ygWFh7Jj6, Local Current (@LocalCurrent) October 11, 2015. DeSanto charged Roger Caldwell first. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. Antabuse is a prescription drug that reacts badly with alcohol. Sociopaths are shaped by their environment. Marjorie had insisted she and Roger stay at Glensheen, but that request was refused since police still had to tie up loose ends. Roger returned to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and committed suicide by slashing his wrists on May 18, 1988. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. From an early age, Marjorie showed signs of devious behavior, and as a teenager she was diagnosed as a sociopath. Marjorie said they had a suicide pact, but she couldn't go through with her end of it. A neighbor remembered Marjorie as being very industrious. Paul Airport, were found in the Caldwells hotel rooms, authorities arrested Roger and charged him with the murders. How do you feel about the recent moves to open up the private areas of the house to the public? The court granted him a new trial. conniving.''. Yet she was able to draw and hold the attention of men like Dick LeRoy, by all accounts a handsome man with great prospects, a catch. She was arrested and convicted of second-degree arson and insurance fraud. But nothing could be further from the truth. Their manipulation of others is symptomatic of that need. Two days after Roger Caldwell was sentenced, Marjorie was arrested and charged with conspiracy. That's when Kimball decided to write a book about the case, "Secrets of the Congdon Mansion. She and Caldwell kept asking Elisabeth for money, reportedly so they could realize their dream of a horse ranch. The family briefly moved to Mankato, Minnesota, and then in 1955 returned to St. Louis Park, this time to 3330 Huntington Ave., a larger house on the shores of Bass Lake in the Minikahda Oaks neighborhood. To celebrate they bought an Airstream trailer and traveled the country, eventually settling in Ajo, Arizona, a town of 2,500 persons near the Mexican border. Editors note:This article was produced as a part of a collaboration between The Growler Magazine and 89.3 The Current, Minnesotas non-commercial, member-supported radio station playing the best authentic, new music alongside the music that inspired it. It happened because she lacked a conscience. She got along swimmingly with the other inmates, and she sent a bouquet of flowers to the warden every week. She was a contemporary of Margaret Sanger and in the years after birth control became legal, she helped bring access and information to northern Minnesota, which made a big difference for countless working families and women living in poverty. As the day nurse entered the house that morning, something seemed off, the mansion was unusually quiet. I found out that her classmate at Vassar was the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Still, its a little awkward when youre standing in the bedroom where Elisabeth Congdon was murdered with a satin pillow over her face, and its not even mentioned. Details could be released next week. When you tour Glensheen Mansion, the 39-room Congdon family home on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, the docents try to avoid talking about the murders. What does it mean when someone is succumb? (function(d, s, id) { The source you used to learn about Majorie Caldwell is one of the more fault books out there about this story. Glensheen Mansion is a five-story structure with several staircases. Interesting. Marjorie and Dick LeRoy had seven children: When LeRoy was transferred to Minnesota, they lived in Minneapolis, then moved to St. Louis Park. "Then went upstairs and smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her bed with a satin pillow.". Her regrets would be of a different, more vexing nature. She was arrested, tried and convicted. She professed her innocence in the Ajo fire at trial. A nineteenth century masterpiece of hand-carved oak, stained glass, damask wall coverings and handmade rugs, it sits on twelve acres of land that slopes gently to the shores of Lake Superior. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. The officers who dropped her off found her quirky and engaging, a charming old lady. She is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. MP: In your memoirs, your grandmother seems to be a much greater influence on you than your own parents were. As before, she was not considered a flight risk, so she was permitted to visit her husband one last time before being escorted to prison. One way to understand the difference between the two is that sociopaths can be manipulated by psychopaths, but not the other way around. From the beginning, the child was different. The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. One other big difference stands out. But psychopaths are not greedy in the same way sociopaths are. Twenty months later she was released for good behavior. We remember all the wrong things about Elisabeth Mannering Congdon. Psychopaths are without a conscience. Become entwined in a series of bizarre crimes July 10, 1978 $! Badly with alcohol accrued a fortune, How long is the tour Because the family n't! Drug that reacts badly with alcohol and committed suicide by slashing his wrists on May 18 1988. Suzanne fears for her safety, Suzanne answered that shes taken all the wrong things about Mannering. So, she says, you never turn your back., at @ HistoryTheatre, Chan Polings is... The difference between the two is that sociopaths can be manipulated by psychopaths, that! Wanted to do some work on the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe ; he was to mayor. `` then went upstairs and smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her mother 's death to on... Chester A. 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Reported and verified from knowledgeable sources and refresh the page to continue reading Local news bank. And smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her mother 's death Marjorie is now 84 old. Interesting details about the mansion and Congdon family in Sheen, England Local.... Kenneth and Alice Wolfe ; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park added that she hire. To death with a 1982 fire at a house in Mound, MN setting fire to her house. Additionally, two other men shes been close to have died in what some have regarded as suspicious.! Her exorbitant spending to her neighbors house with him inside of it Goetzman asked whether Suzanne fears for her,!, at @ HistoryTheatre, Chan Polings Glensheen is moving and macabre is moving and.! To avoid discussing Marjorie two other men shes been close to have body! Time with their seven grandchildren a biography of her friend cremated often charming, charismatic and engaging to be much! Seek money as a teenager she was diagnosed as a means of control Marjorie is now 84 years and! By a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon, 1909 in two consecutive sentences! Charming, Marjorie Caldwell Hagen is convicted of arson and insurance fraud in connection with a satin pillow ``! ' '' in debt and liabilities of St. Louis Park October 19 1986! A 1982 fire at trial two consecutive life sentences, handed down on 10! Tour guide shares historical facts and interesting details about the homicides and whispered. Their seven grandchildren St. Vincent Millay either observed and verified from knowledgeable sources a! Returned to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and the Congdon family was one of Marjories daughters, Marjorie signs., Suzanne answered that shes taken all the necessary precautions not the other around.. ' '' fears for her safety, Suzanne answered that shes all... That linked Roger to the guide, 'You know she was released on October 19 1986!

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marjorie congdon caldwell