It was the stuff of an Agatha Christie novel. The day after she was convicted, Wally Hagen was found dead of a drug overdose. Is there a movie about the Glensheen Mansion? So is she no longer a threat? But if anyone thought Marjorie was the victim in this relationship, they had another thing coming. At the age of twelve Marjorie began spending her mothers money with a vengeance, running up her charge accounts at local merchants. In 2010, her attorney's court motion to remove her from intensive probation so she could get into an assisted living complex was denied. SCL: I visited archives all over the country. A short time later, Wally Hagen moved in with Marjorie. He now operates a consulting service doing organizational and facility assessments. While darkly comic elements pepper the musical, Poling emphasizes that he and Hatcher have been respectful of the victims. Are any of Freddie and the Dreamers still alive? Roger confessed to the murders, but was freed after serving just over five years in jail. 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. The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. She had a particular impact on quality of life issues for women and children. Roger Caldwell was identified by a Duluth cab driver who remembered taking him out to Glensheen on the night of the murders. 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. [She served time for arson.] During World War I, she worked with the Red Cross. The next owner of this house remembered Marjorie well. In 1990, the Hagens moved to Ajo, Ariz. Marjorie did not call the fire department. Its wonderful to see their reactions. She and her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were living in Colorado and were flat broke.. Tags: Glensheen, Majorie Congdon, Summer 2017, Sign up for the Artful Note newsletter, our guide to the good life delivered right to your inbox. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Marjorie Congdon was born Jacqueline Barnes on July 14, 1932, to an unwed mother in Tarboro, North Carolina. Psychopaths live in a world of their own, a world that is all about their wants and needs. 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. The lawyers tell you that you and your siblings would be set for life. Yet you became a nurse a very demanding, difficult profession. The Caldwells were broke, living in Colorado, and had been asking Miss Congdon for money to buy a ranch. After the murders, someone stole Velma Pietilas car and left it at the airport, suggesting the killer had fled the city. '', DeSanto, who helped author "Will to Murder," a book on the Glensheen murders, said: "My thought is that it is inevitable. I found out that her classmate at Vassar was the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. All marjorie congdon caldwell hagen artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. What is the water level on Cherokee Lake? Before the contract came due, she sold the house but didnt immediately vacate. The crime immediately attracted national attention. Congdon Caldwell married Wally Hagen in 1982. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. That has always bothered me. In this light, Marjories difficulty in making friends at school can be seen as trial and error, a long learning curve that resulted in her emerging as an engaging, charismatic young woman at the age of nineteen, enough to snare a man like Dick LeRoy. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. Marjorie was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. These days few Americans find it cynical to observe that our justice system is vulnerable to the influences of wealth and celebrity. The murders were truly reprehensible: attacks of deadly violence committed on two vulnerable, unsuspecting victims. Glensheen director Dan Hartman talks about a Congdon family portrait. Im so grateful to have had her in my life as a force of love and stability, but her work beyond the family was truly impressive. Marjorie was a compulsive spender and liar, and eventually Dick LeRoy had enough and divorced her on April 29, 1971. 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. I had an appetite for travel and interest in other cultures, and worked with aborigines in Australia. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell with her attorney Ronald Meshbesher. Death Becomes Her: With Lianne Appelt, Scott Bruffey, Tom Cutler, Erin DeCaprio. Chester Adgate Congdon accrued a fortune, How long is the tour? We sold it.. Surprisingly, there are some rather significant connections between Marjorie and St. Louis Park. Their manipulation of others is symptomatic of that need. Candance Renalls is a retired Duluth News Tribune reporter and freelance writer. She appealed, was let free on bond and, after a year of setbacks and delays, she was finally remanded to Shakopee Womens Prison in Shakopee, Minnesota. Then he graduated as class valedictorian from seminary school before taking a law degree at Syracuse University. "It was clear she was then on a path to wanting to speed up her inheritance," said DeSanto, who's a judge now and co-author of a book on the case, "Will to Murder.". Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. But in the big picture a greater public service could be done by acknowledging the tragedy and handing out information on psychopathology. Im interested in at-risk youth, and drawn to help people in difficult situations. In fact, the Congdon family was one of the most accomplished, distinguished and generous in Minnesota. said Kimball. Only the quick action of Dick LeRoy prevented the fire from spreading and burning the neighborhood down. Marjorie's second marriage was to a man named Roger Sipe Caldwell. 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. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. She went up to the prone figure. It sounds like fictionlike a murder mystery in a worn paperback novel. No witnesses survive, and the cops in a small northern Minnesota city have to make their case based on purely circumstantial evidence. The cause was arson, but her presence there could not be connected to the crime, and she was not arrested. But at the Congdon Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota they want to avoid discussing Marjorie. In 1979, she was acquitted in the smothering of her adoptive mother and the beating death of a night nurse. But Congdon was betting on the come. Tour lengths vary depending on the type of tour and the desired experience. The landing where Velma Pietila was bludgeoned to death with a candle holder. How did Chester Congdon make his fortune? She was connected to numerous schools and organizations reaching as far away as China. You find yourself not knowing what play youre in, Poling continues. Shes had many aliases. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. 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. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. in Minneapolis in 1957, but took good care of the new, pregnant owner of the Huntington house, giving her all of her maternity clothes and sending up strawberries to the hospital. From 1993 to 2004, Marjorie Caldwell served 11 years of a 15-year prison sentence for arson. What happened Marjorie Congdon? Marjorie Congdon Hagen admitted she endorsed and deposited an $11,000 check into a bank account she shared with Roger Sammis four days after Sammis died, said defense attorney Brick Storts.. In 1991, she was caught trying to set fire to a neighbor's house. There are a million little convoluted rivers that flow from that, he says. Avoid being drawn in. It really is part of a bygone era. A neighbor remembered Marjorie as being very industrious. The combination of Antabuse and alcohol can produce seizures, congestive heart failure and even death. Marjorie used her inheritance to acquit her of the murder of the person who controlled her inheritance. Sign up for The Growler's mailing list to receive the latest news in food, drink, and culture, and special events you won't want to miss. She had a strong interest in infectious diseases, and worked with programs to help improve the health of factory workers. She served 21 months. Marjorie Congdon has been diagnosed a psychopath. Today, the University of Minnesota-Duluth operates the mansion, tours and events that take place inside and on the mansion's grounds. She always seemed like a nice person. She worked very hard to support her community and church, and wherever she saw a need, she worked to fill it. I have had no contact with her for 40 years. He and his wife, Mary, live near Kettle River, Minnesota, enjoying time with their seven grandchildren. They married two months later. 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. Genres True Crime History Nonfiction Biography Biography Memoir 332 pages, Paperback First published November 23, 1998 Book details & editions We see that you have javascript disabled. I started out with a Gothic feel, really influenced by Cabaret, Chicago, and Sweeney Todd, he says. But psychopaths are not greedy in the same way sociopaths are. The night nurse, one Velma Pietila had been called in at the last minute when the scheduled nurse couldnt make it. Exasperated, Elisabeth arranged to sell the horse, but before the sale could be completed, Marjorie was caught trying to poison it. In 1984, Marjorie was convicted of arson in the burning of the Mound, Minn., home she had just sold but remained an insurance beneficiary. The investigators werent buying it. Saturday, Aug. 23, 12 p.m., Village Bookstore, Grand Rapids, Minn. MinnPost's in-depth, independent news is free for all to access no paywall or subscriptions. Her children were always dressed like out of a magazine ad. But it didnt stop there. But her mother, who was murdered in 1977, was not. That heiress was Elizabeth Congdon, the last living child of Chester Congdon, who'd earned his fortune developing the Mesabi Iron Range. In 2007, Marjorie was charged with fraud, theft, forgery and computer tampering after befriending a man in his 70s and becoming his power of attorney. When did Irene Curie win the Nobel Prize? If Marjorie couldnt have it, nobody would. How long does sunscreen last once put on? Then in 1951 Marjorie became someone elses problem. Starched and pressed, plus she loved to entertain. She wanted the money, and she was not content to wait for her inheritance. It is famous for. She served 21 months. From the outside, it may have looked like her spending was out of control. The officers who dropped her off found her quirky and engaging, a charming old lady. Marjorie pleaded guilty to the crime of forgery and was given probation. Yet she destroyed the lives of all those around her. As early as 1966 when she was married to Dick LeRoy, the family garage mysteriously burned to the ground. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. Shop for marjorie congdon caldwell hagen wall art from the world's greatest living artists. And I have taken all the necessary precautions to keep myself safe. But she's not able to get around town like in the old days. Roger took Velmas car back to the airport and flew back to Denver. The Hagen family planned a memorial service in January 1996 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. Eighty-one-year old Elisabeth Congdon refused to bail Marjorie out anymore. She wasnt there long. Psychopaths are in complete control of reality. Glensheens Daughter: The Marjorie Congdon Story. This is especially , Clear ice isnt just for looks. Three years later on March 2, 2007 she was caught trying to forge the signature of a recently deceased friend on an inheritance check. So they made a deal. 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. The book shop promotes books about the homicides and I didnt want this book to be with them. She decided to ask the trustees of her estate to lend her $750,000 to buy a horse ranch in Colorado. But prosecutors didn't want to risk a not guilty verdict. Amy Goetzman writes about books, authors, libraries and the Twin Cities literary scene. He was treated for a possible heart attack but released after doctors couldnt determine the cause of his illness. They are not trying to get money to feed a desire for things. Elisabeth Congdon, heiress to a taconite fortune in Duluth, never married and could not have children so she adopted Jacqueline and changed her name to Marjorie. Two years later, the town experienced a rash of forty-three fires, at least fifteen of which were attributed to arson. Marjorie kept on spending, writing bad checks and driving her new husband deeper and deeper into debt. It was an honor and a privilege to find out more about her. Marjorie Caldwell and her defense attorney Ron Meshbesher walk into the Dakota County Courthouse. Marjorie did not attend a single day of his trial. Sadly, he was only able to enjoy his home for seven years. The reason why they dont talk about the murders on the tour isnt because they are trying to hide it, its because murder is a horrendous thing to happen and not everyone wants to hear about it. Marjorie ended up with about $40,000 a year from a Congdon trust plus Wallace Hagen's pension, according to Feichtinger. But when she fully enters their lives, they become entwined in a series of bizarre crimes. Caldwell served five. She was seventy-one years old. Your email address will not be published. Our reporters are only able to do their work thanks to support at all levels. Some psychopaths are highly successful, exercising wealth and power, but no less dangerous for all that. Withdrawing further, Marjorie began to act strangely, pulling out her own hair and laugh in an odd manner. It looked like justice was finally catching up with her. Dumbest of all, a rare Byzantine coin that had been taken from Elisabeths Congdons room on the night of the murders turned up in Roger Caldwells home in Golden, Colorado. She warned Roger if he wouldnt do something about his drinking, she would. 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. 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. Her ability to coerce him in this way hinted at deeper implications. How do you feel about the recent moves to open up the private areas of the house to the public? Marjorie had insisted she and Roger stay at Glensheen, but that request was refused since police still had to tie up loose ends. On the morning of June 27th, 1977 the day nurse arrived at Glensheen to take over for the night staff. Suddenly his ore was worth a fortune. On June 26, 1977, Roger Caldwell got on a plane to Minneapolis, drove up to Duluth in a rental car, smothered Elizabeth Congdon with a satin pillow, and bludgeoned her nurse, Velma Pietila, to death with a brass candlestick. Her attempts for earlier release on parole met. Was it your intention, in writing this book, to correct that? SCL: Very much so. She made few friends. Who lived in the Glensheen Mansion? 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. Paul Airport, were found in the Caldwells hotel rooms, authorities arrested Roger and charged him with the murders. 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