Find this article and more great music content atthecurrent.org. But she could also make up fibs faster than anyone could keep track of. In 1960 Dick was still working as an insurance agent in an office above Miracle Mile in St. Louis Park. Better you should stay away from them. In some ways, time stands still at Glensheen Mansion, owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD): almost everything in the home is an original possession of Clara and Chester Congdon, who built the house between. She loved nature and history, and taught her children and grandchildren to protect them. "Certainly, it isn't surprising she's back in the news today. The mansion itself is located in Duluth Minnesota, 2 1/2 hours from my home in Brainerd Minnesota. But nothing could be further from the truth. But in reality it was just the opposite. Who lived in the Glensheen Mansion? The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. These days few Americans find it cynical to observe that our justice system is vulnerable to the influences of wealth and celebrity. She was convicted of attempted arson, and the judge allowed her to go home before reporting to prison to make arrangements for her 84-year-old husband. From the beginning, the child was different. She is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. Today, Marjorie Congdon is eighty-nine years old. "She lives in very nice properties," Gail Feichtinger, co-author of "Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings," who continues to keep track of Marjorie's whereabouts and crimes told the News Tribune in 2017. Elisabeth named her Marjorie. She was charged with murder in his death, but the charges were dropped. Marjorie Congdon has been diagnosed a psychopath. Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the June 25, 2017, edition of the News Tribune. Her nurse is also killed, bludgeoned with a candlestick. I started in neonatal care, working with very sick babies, and that was a strong interest of hers as well. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. When the new buyers inspected the house just days before they were to move in, they noticed the floors had been varnished, and there was a strong chemical odor. If you can make a difference in even one life, its meaningful. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. "Then went upstairs and smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her bed with a satin pillow.". 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. She was charming and talkative. Curiously, he never said who did. A civil suit filed by five of her seven children in 1979 to disinherit their mother from her inheritance on the grounds she was involved in the murders was settled out of court in 1983. [She served time for arson.] "People do see her out and about. They consider the legacy of Chester Congdon and his family too important to be tainted by the troubling story of her atrocious behavior. Product details Publisher : Zenith City Press; 4th edition (May 1, 2009) If they want something from you, they will stop at nothing to get it. But her mother, who was murdered in 1977, was not. Your email address will not be published. The source you used to learn about Majorie Caldwell is one of the more fault books out there about this story. She added that she hasnt had contact with her for 40 years. The Hagen family planned a memorial service in January 1996 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. He and his wife, Mary, live near Kettle River, Minnesota, enjoying time with their seven grandchildren. 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. So they made a deal. Eastern Promises: Shochu and baijiu are entering the Minnesota marketgetting them right in a cocktail takes a delicate touch. Everyones life is important and has meaning, but she was so important to me. "She's still doing crafts.". MP: In the book, you implicate her in numerous murders across the country, although she never served time for any. Marjorie is a text book example. The next owner of this house remembered Marjorie well. When authorities called Marjorie to tell her what had happened, she said nonchalantly, It isnt our house. 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 Great Debate: Should A Craft Distillery Purchase Already-Made Spirits? Marjories problem wasnt caused by others. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. He worked in a lumber mill from the age of fifteen to support his family after his fathers death. [Its] a very rich Sondheim sound. When jewelry matching that taken from Glensheen, and a convenience store receipt from the morning of the crime printed in the MinneapolisSt. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. Chester Adgate Congdon accrued a fortune, How long is the tour? 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. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. She served 21 months. Marjorie Congdons sudden magnetic appeal to men is remarkable in light of the fact that she was in no way conventionally attractive. She eventually paid her lawyer out of the income from her $750,000 trust fund. "I don't have any comments about the facts of the new crime," DeSanto said Saturday. What does Louis Osbourne do for a living? Its wonderful to see their reactions. She wasnt there long. 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. The crime immediately attracted national attention. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. The next day the house caught fire. She was arrested in Tucson, Arizona, at her residence at an assisted living facility on March 23, 2007, on charges of computer fraud and several other counts. 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 Arizona Daily Star reported that Hagen was most recently in the news in 2006 after her lawyer was accused of bilking her and another client out of more than $100,000. 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. I found out that her classmate at Vassar was the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. And I have taken all the necessary precautions to keep myself safe. Eighty-one-year old Elisabeth Congdon refused to bail Marjorie out anymore. Marjorie pleaded guilty to the crime of forgery and was given probation. Our 12-acre estate features gardens, bridges, and the famous, Chester A. Congdon, 1909. 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. She left an extensive record of philanthropic activities, with the Red Cross, the Duluth Art Institute, the Kings Daughters, numerous museums, hospitals, historical societies. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by . 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. The day after she was convicted, Wally Hagen was found dead of a drug overdose. Marjorie stood to inherit $8.2 million upon her mother's death. Then in 1951 Marjorie became someone elses problem. Much of the following information came from the book Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes and Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings by Gail Feichtinger, John Desanto, Gary Waller, and John E. Desanto (2005:X-Communication). Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. When he drank, he turned violent. After a long trial, it took the jury just twenty-four hours to convict Roger Caldwell. Clarity means quality, and , We cant fight it any longer. Marjorie ended up with about $40,000 a year from a Congdon trust plus Wallace Hagen's pension, according to Feichtinger. 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. It was a three or four course meal, with fine china and polished silver. And he said it's too grisly to discuss on tours with families. What does that mean? EARLY LIFE Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Soon, Marjorie turns into the stepmother from hell. But psychopaths are not greedy in the same way sociopaths are. The murders were truly reprehensible: attacks of deadly violence committed on two vulnerable, unsuspecting victims. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. Marjorie used her inheritance to acquit her of the murder of the person who controlled her inheritance. 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. The Catch: Exploring New Opportunities to Fly at Red State Reckoning: Playing Paintball in Martinsville, IN, Getting off the Boat at Ellis Island: Examining the Question of Immigration in New York City, Uncovering the Crime of the Century: The Hall-Mills Murders in New Brunswick, NJ, The Five Most Scenic Interstate Rest Areas in the US, Deadly Charm: The Murders at the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, The Greatest American You Never Heard of: George C. Marshall and Dodona Manor, 6 Ways Mid-Range Hotels Give You More than Upscale Hotels. They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. MP: In your memoirs, your grandmother seems to be a much greater influence on you than your own parents were. The LeRoys moved to an eight bedroom house at 4705 Fremont Ave. No. The evidence pointed toward Marjorie. A stroke had left her mobility and speech seriously impaired, requiring full-time medical supervision. 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