All Rights Reserved. The killings were carried out by Roger Caldwell, allegedly at the urging of his wife, Congdons adopted daughter Marjorie, though she was later acquitted of conspiracy to murder at a trial. The case went to trial in the searing summer of 1978. It has been lightly edited for today's readers. This is especially , Clear ice isnt just for looks. Avoid being drawn in. Police said they believed he was exposed to natural gas from the kitchen stove through a garden hose. Im not going to sell the book at Glensheen. If they want something from you, they will stop at nothing to get it. [She served time for arson.] Shes had many aliases. The mystery became a media sensation. Marjorie and Caldwell were reportedly in heavy debt shortly after marrying in Colorado in 1976. From 1952 to 1954, the LeRoys lived at 2744 Salem Ave., a bungalow built in 1941. Marjorie Caldwell and her attorney, Ron Meshbesher, walked to the Dakota County Courthouse in Hastings on April 3, 1979. And I loved nursing; I was very privileged to work in Minnesota, nationally, and internationally as a nurse. 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. Marjorie kept on spending, writing bad checks and driving her new husband deeper and deeper into debt. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. "We always believed, and the whole theory of the case was, that she was the woman behind the man," DeSanto said. SCL: I visited archives all over the country. ", "I went on one of the early tours," he said, "and one of the first things the guide said, was, 'when Ms. Congdon passed away, she willed the estate to the university.' Twenty months later she was released for good behavior. The terms are not interchangeable. It appears someone can be born a psychopath, and it also appears that psychopathology can run in families. Whether or not he had taken the pills of his own volition was never determined. MinnPost thanks these generous donors: INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATI0NS Blandin FoundationOtto Bremer FoundationBush FoundationSage & John CowlesDavid . She was introverted and spent most of her time reading alone or playing by herself in the nooks and crannies of the vast mansion. You want to raise your hand and draw attention to it, even if it might be considered a bit crass. Hagen was arrested in 1977 in connection with the deaths of her mother, mining heiress Elisabeth Congdon, and her mother's nurse, Velma Pietila. Two years later, the town experienced a rash of forty-three fires, at least fifteen of which were attributed to arson. But she's not able to get around town like in the old days. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. But Marjorie had something going for her that Roger didnt. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. Before the contract came due, she sold the house but didnt immediately vacate. Eastern Promises: Shochu and baijiu are entering the Minnesota marketgetting them right in a cocktail takes a delicate touch. It was a very modest family, and even though she was a part of so many important projects, she never broadcasted her involvement, says her granddaughter, Suzanne Congdon LeRoy. They care nothing about anyone else, although they are often good at making it seem as if they do. Details could be released next week. January 26,1985 Her appeal is turned down, so Marjorie begins serving her time for the arson and fraud conviction. Its a significant part of the mansions history, even if it is a bit unsettling, especially in light of the fact that the likely murderer is still alive and not in prison. But even today, guides don't discuss the murder during tours, although they will answer questions after, explained Glensheen Director Dan Hartman. There are a million little convoluted rivers that flow from that, he says. 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. Glensheen Mansion is a five-story structure with several staircases. And I have taken all the necessary precautions to keep myself safe. But at the Congdon Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota they want to avoid discussing Marjorie. The combination of Antabuse and alcohol can produce seizures, congestive heart failure and even death. She won. Her nurse is also killed, bludgeoned with a candlestick. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. I had to wonder: Do you fear for your personal safety? She added that she hasnt had contact with her for 40 years. Later it came to light that her friend had thought the world of her. The mansion itself is located in Duluth Minnesota, 2 1/2 hours from my home in Brainerd Minnesota. Is she still living? They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. Additionally, two other men shes been close to have died in what some have regarded as suspicious circumstances. You are here: Home How What happened Marjorie Congdon? Chester Adgate Congdon was a go-getter. Marjorie used her inheritance to acquit her of the murder of the person who controlled her inheritance. Condgon was found smothered with a satin pillow. After other evidence was discovered at their home in Denver, Marjorie tried to poison Roger, but he was sent to Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park on July 5, and was ready to be handed over to Duluth police on July 7, 1977. In 1883 at the age of thirty he started his own practice and traveled to Duluth on the shores of Lake Superior where he became interested in mining. Accordingly, when Marjorie was thirteen, Elisabeth bought Marjorie a horse she had been demanding. No one had taken the time to write about what a remarkable woman my grandmother was. In 1986, he was elected St. Louis County Sheriff; he retired in 1999. 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. In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. I'm never surprised to find Hagen's name in the news; I've been covering her since 1977, when she was Marjorie Caldwell and a suspect in the Congdon murders in Duluth. She took her pulse. Investigators focused almost immediately on one of Elizabeth's adopted daughters, Marjorie Caldwell, and her husband Roger. Find this article and more great music content atthecurrent.org. When I began my research, I discovered so many amazing things. It might help visitors better understand Marjories behavior, and raise awareness about these dangerous people among us. While Roger Caldwell was recovering in the hospital, police searched the couple's Bloomington. At the time of the slayings, the Caldwells were deep in debt. ", "Because the family didn't want to go back to a murder scene," he explained. We were invited for dinner several times. Glensheen director Dan Hartman talks about a Congdon family portrait. Her children were always dressed like out of a magazine ad. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. Required fields are marked *. It was then that he decided to build his dream home on the shores of Lake Superior. Because psychopaths are unable to experience genuine human emotions like love and empathy, their emotions are impersonations informed by observation, essentially a performance perfected by years of practice and study. She professed her innocence in the Ajo fire at trial. The couple was desperate for money, and Marjorie was in line to inherit $8 million when her mother died, said John DeSanto, the chief prosecutor at the time. Marjories problem wasnt caused by others. So they made a deal. The first time she invited me over I was met at the door by the Doberman pinscher peering out through the little window on the door. Would hydrogen chloride be a gas at room temperature? This was now two years after the murders and, as Kimball recalled, two new developments hurt the prosecution. SCL: She is remembered primarily as a victim of homicide, which of course bothers me. In a city that bears the Congdon name at nearly every turn (this week, when a fire damaged Duluths historic Traphagen House, it was even noted that the Congden family had lived there while their Glensheen mansion was being constructed), her legacy is long, yet her individual accomplishments have largely been forgotten. They cannot believe the things people say about her. A neighbor remembered Marjorie as being very industrious. MinnPost | P.O. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. On Jan. 6, 2004, Hagen left prison in Perryville, Ariz., after serving 10 years of the 15-year sentence for arson. How do I setup my iPhone 13 for the first time? The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. She bought her things. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. On June 27, 1977 at 3:00am, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila (born April 26, 1911) were found murdered. In 2010, her attorney's court motion to remove her from intensive probation so she could get into an assisted living complex was denied. When jewelry matching that taken from Glensheen, and a convenience store receipt from the morning of the crime printed in the MinneapolisSt. She knew they were unlikely to front her the cash, so she sent Roger to make the plea. The mansion was constructed as the family home of Chester Adgate Congdon. From 1993 to 2004, Marjorie Caldwell served 11 years of a 15-year prison sentence for arson. The evidence pointed toward Marjorie. Is that your grandmothers influence? Eighty-nine-year-old Marjorie Congdon has been called both a sociopath and a psychopath. There she became a suspect in a rash of fires. When did Irene Curie win the Nobel Prize? But psychopaths are different. But it didnt stop there. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. In late 1992, before sentencing for arson, she was allowed 24 hours to transport her ailing husband from Tucson, Ariz., to their home in Ajo. Candleholders on Elisabeth Congdons bedside table in Glensheen Mansion. Your email address will not be published. After the murders, someone stole Velma Pietilas car and left it at the airport, suggesting the killer had fled the city. Ricky LeRoy was only 17 at the time of the murders and is now a well-known attorney and advocate for poor defendants. Then in 1951 Marjorie became someone elses problem. On the morning of June 27th, 1977 the day nurse arrived at Glensheen to take over for the night staff. The grotesque story is nonetheless a true one that unfolded almost 40 years ago now: Duluths Glensheen murders, an atrocity that riveted the region for years. No one is born a sociopath. Then he graduated as class valedictorian from seminary school before taking a law degree at Syracuse University. said Kimball. 15091511 E. Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota. Despite prosecution having only circumstantial evidence to present, Roger was convicted and handed two consecutive life sentences. What do ice crystals on a frozen food item indicate? I thought that was kind of brilliant., Although hes best known for his work with The Suburbs, Poling is no stranger to the stage. What happened to them was a nightmare. When she returned home at age eighteen, she began stealing money again. It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout her life. Psychopaths are not shaped by their upbringing. The next owner of this house remembered Marjorie well. I started in neonatal care, working with very sick babies, and that was a strong interest of hers as well. Hagen's children would later allege, in a 1994 St. Paul Pioneer Press article, that Marjorie was responsible for both their father's and mother's death. In 1985, she was imprisoned. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. Her adopted daughter Marjorie LeRoys mother along with her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were accused of murdering Congdon in an attempt to inherit her fortune. She was accused of attempting to deposit his $11,181 inheritance into her account after he died. "So they said, 'Do what you gotta do.'". In 1979, she was acquitted in the smothering of her adoptive mother and the beating death of a night nurse. She served 21 months. 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. I found out that her classmate at Vassar was the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. In January 2004 Marjorie Congdon was released from prison after serving ten years of her fifteen year sentence for arson. Exasperated, Elisabeth arranged to sell the horse, but before the sale could be completed, Marjorie was caught trying to poison it. The Congdons are notable for many things, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior. No witnesses survive, and the cops in a small northern Minnesota city have to make their case based on purely circumstantial evidence. And they ended up acquitting her. Tags: Glensheen, Majorie Congdon, Summer 2017, Sign up for the Artful Note newsletter, our guide to the good life delivered right to your inbox. The source you used to learn about Majorie Caldwell is one of the more fault books out there about this story. Im doing work now with Youth Link, and some of the proceeds from this book will go to help young people at risk of sexual trafficking. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. Asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, he claimed he did not committed the murders. The lawyers tell you that you and your siblings would be set for life. Yet you became a nurse a very demanding, difficult profession. In November 2010 a judge in southern Arizona refused her request for a reduction in the terms of her probation so that she could move to a nursing home. 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. The bedroom where Elisabeth Congdon was murdered. But if anyone thought Marjorie was the victim in this relationship, they had another thing coming. They are not trying to get money to feed a desire for things. Yet she destroyed the lives of all those around her. Her regrets would be of a different, more vexing nature. MP: What do you consider to be her most important and lasting legacy to Minnesota? The research was a wonderful process, and I felt privileged to discover so many things about her I didnt know. The coin had been mailed the day after the murders in an envelope Caldwell had addressed to himself. The Classic and Full Mansion tours are self-paced with most visitors spending. He was found guilty and given two life sentences. Rogers conviction was overturned on August 6, 1982, and instead of retrying the case, Roger was freed on his five years time served after he confessed to two counts of second-degree murder. conniving.''. In his will Chester Congdon bequeathed his home and fortune to his wife and children, and by succession to his grandchildren. The police investigation quickly focused on Elisabeth's daughter by adoption, Marjorie Caldwell, 44, and Marjorie's husband, Roger, 43, in a murder-for-inheritance plot. 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. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen arrested in Arizona Review: New Glensheen book a riveting inside story Glensheen defense attorney dies at 85 Author's revisions offer inside stories to Congdon. Culture Food Home Home Property Gallery Style Travel Current Issue Best Of About About Contact Subscribe Advertise Artful Co. Shop They are consummate actors, and the role they play is of being human when, in fact, they are something less than human, and dangerous because of it. She was sentenced two and a half years in prison and fined $10,000. At family reunions, we talk about history, and people knew a little bit, but so much about her was forgotten. A short time later, Wally Hagen moved in with Marjorie. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. Was it your intention, in writing this book, to correct that? But prosecutors didn't want to risk a not guilty verdict. Then in 1982, after Marjorie married her third husband, she purchased a house she didnt have the money to buy. Curiously, he never said who did. However, that didnt mean she didnt want children. When she left, they told her they were going to miss her. Elisabeths face was purple, her mouth hanging open. We don't really hide from it, but it's definitely not our number one marketing message to get out there.". Marjorie pleaded guilty to the crime of forgery and was given probation. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. She worked very hard to support her community and church, and wherever she saw a need, she worked to fill it. 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. We see that you have javascript disabled. That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier. All marjorie congdon caldwell hagen artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. What does that mean? The officers who dropped her off found her quirky and engaging, a charming old lady. Marjorie is now 84 years old and shes still out there. I went on to the U of M and worked in womens health and family medicine. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; In 1935 Elizabeth adopted another daughter and named her Jennifer. Suzanne is estranged from her mother, telling MinnPost interviewer Amy Goetzman in 2014 that the last shed heard, her mother was calling herself Marjorie Hagen and living in the Southwest. On March 24, 1992, she was arrested for burning down her neighbors house. And a witness from the first trial changed her story to say she saw Roger elsewhere the day of the murder. The Duluth newspaper archives included thousands of mentions of her activities. They win people over, before bending them to their will. Her nurse that night, 66-year-old Velma Pietila, had just retired and was looking forward to relaxing and traveling with her husband; shed been convinced to return to work for one more night because the regular nurse was on vacation. Will you help us keep it this way by supporting our nonprofit newsroom with a tax-deductible donation today? Marjorie had insisted she and Roger stay at Glensheen, but that request was refused since police still had to tie up loose ends. How long does sunscreen last once put on? Zenith City Press That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier.. They know exactly what theyre doing. A deposit of iron ore had been found sixty miles to the north in the Mesabi range, and Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie had shown an interest in it. Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the June 25, 2017, edition of the News Tribune. I do hope people see the house for its own virtues, instead of focusing on the homicides. 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. Sociopaths are rarely so engaging. The news, analysis and community conversation found here is funded by donations from individuals. In the early years of the twentieth century as the demand for iron ore increased, Chester Congdons wealth grew. I started out with a Gothic feel, really influenced by Cabaret, Chicago, and Sweeney Todd, he says. Its been 37 years since my grandmothers death, and its good to see the house is still a vital part of Duluth. It was perfect. The Associated Press and Arizona Daily Star contributed to this report. She was connected to numerous schools and organizations reaching as far away as China. They are thinking about restoring the greenhouses, which were torn down in 1971, and bringing in bee hives and selling Glensheen honey. Speech competition for high school girls in Minnesota welcomes applications through March, Duluth Polar Plunge makes a splash for Special Olympics. Although Marjorie was brought up in the familys opulent Glensheen Mansion and attended Dana Hall Prep School in Massachusetts, she was nevertheless troubled, and at age 16 she was actually given the label sociopath during a stay at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, in the summer of 1949. The mansion itself is beautiful. 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. He was treated for a possible heart attack but released after doctors couldnt determine the cause of his illness. Today, the University of Minnesota-Duluth operates the mansion, tours and events that take place inside and on the mansion's grounds. A traumatic childhood can turn a person into a sociopath. She made few friends. A stroke had left her mobility and speech seriously impaired, requiring full-time medical supervision. Even her attorney Ronald Meshbesher couldnt get her off. If she could not get it by lying, cheating and stealing, she would find some other way. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. It happened because she lacked a conscience. In the world Marjorie Congdon grew up in, wealth was everything. Marjorie Hagen was again arrested on a murder charge but it was dropped for lack of evidence. 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. The cause was arson, but her presence there could not be connected to the crime, and she was not arrested. It is famous for. Marjorie's second marriage was to a man named Roger Sipe Caldwell. If Marjorie couldnt have it, nobody would. But in reality it was just the opposite. Amy Goetzman writes about books, authors, libraries and the Twin Cities literary scene. The investigators werent buying it. The Marjorie Congdon Story: A Timeline | Artful Living Magazine A timeline outlining the alleged crimes committed by infamous Minnesota criminal Marjorie Congdon, the suspected mastermind behind the Glensheen murders. On January 13, 1984, Marjorie was given 21 months in the Shakopee Womens Prison for burning down her and Wallys home in Mound, Minnesota. As a result, no autopsy was possible. "Even though she's been acquitted, I think there's lots of questions about that.". But psychopaths are not greedy in the same way sociopaths are. One way to understand the difference between the two is that sociopaths can be manipulated by psychopaths, but not the other way around. She delivered hospital meals. Marjorie is a text book example. He studied dance and theater as a student at CalArts in the 1970s, and wrote scores for the legendary (now defunct) local company Theatre de la Jeune Lune in the 1980s. Her adopted daughter Marjorie LeRoy's mother along with her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were accused of murdering Congdon in an attempt to inherit her fortune. The Creepiest Town in America: Danvers, MA. He said she needed assisted living because of her worsening health issues. Whatever the diagnosis revealed was something Elisabeth would never tell anyone. In 1988, Roger took his own life, leaving a suicide note that read in part, referring to the Glensheen victims, I didnt kill those girls., Theres a lot of ground to cover, says Poling, around why the trials of Roger and Marjorie ended so differently. His was the classic American rags to riches story, and he was just getting started. Gray Duck Media. The next morning Walter Hagen was found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. Psychopaths are without a conscience. Congdon's adopted daughter, Marjorie Congdon Caldwell, was acquitted in 1979 of charges that she helped plan the murders in what the prosecution called a scheme to get an early inheritance. 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. Only the quick action of Dick LeRoy prevented the fire from spreading and burning the neighborhood down. MP: Your book includes two riveting and fairly disturbing courtroom dramas the murder trial [starring a sneering Ron Meshbesher] and the settlement of your grandmothers estate. You find yourself not knowing what play youre in, Poling continues. How can I tell how big my Cockapoo will be? SCL: Very much so. Without divorcing Caldwell, she married Wallace Hagen in 1982 in North Dakota and was charged with bigamy a few months later. At the time, it was not possible to separate ore from sand, so the ore was worthless. They were soon up to their ears in debt and desperate for money. "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. Were happy to make this story available to republish for free under an, recent moves to open up the private areas, learn about all our free newsletter options, Augsburg author finds sweetness in light of Colbert Bump, Rebecca Rasmussen lives in the North Woods in her novels anyway, With carbon-free law in place, Minnesota Democrats now debating whether to mandate energy storage, An illustrated guide to the signs of Minnesota spring, State funds available to recruit diverse police officers, but not all departments are asking for the money, Addressing (and improving) life expectancies for Black Minnesotans, For years, St. Paul took a hands-off approach to trash collection. To them, a psychopath is a person like Norman Bates in the classic 1960 Hitchcock thriller Psycho, a deranged maniac with little control over his mental state, a twisted monster made that way by abuse and trauma. A portrait of Chester Congdon looks over visitors to the Glensheen Mansion's library on Wednesday. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen's son is a candidate for a state judge spot. An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. Most psychopaths are not violent, but all are treacherous. At great personal expense, Congdon hired a mining engineer to develop a washing mill that could remove the sand. '', DeSanto, who helped author "Will to Murder," a book on the Glensheen murders, said: "My thought is that it is inevitable. Everyones life is important and has meaning, but she was so important to me. This time Marjorie had overplayed her hand. As far as I know, she is still living. Illustration by Allegra Lockstadt; Photography provided by Dana Hall; Glensheen | University of Minnesota-Duluth; St. Paul Pioneer Press | Handwritten will courtesy of Zenith City Press as presented in Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding The Glensheen Killings, considered the Definitive Book about the murders. Reaching as far away as China story, and by succession to his wife and,... A strong interest of hers as well she knew they were going to miss her not greedy in world..., her mouth hanging open, 1992, she would find some other.. Regrets would be of a night nurse without Conscience: the Disturbing world her! With very sick babies, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie behavior! At room temperature for poor defendants 25, 2017, edition of the crime and! The ore was worthless not arrested those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior St. Park... 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