Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen's son is a candidate for a state judge spot. 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. When jewelry matching that taken from Glensheen, and a convenience store receipt from the morning of the crime printed in the MinneapolisSt. If you can make a difference in even one life, its meaningful. 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. Marjorie Caldwell's reign of terror has resumed in St. Paul -- at least at the History Theatre, where she seems to have a beef with the cast of the musical comedy about her, "Glensheen," which. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell was one of two daughters adopted in the 1930s by Elisabeth, who never married. With her history of arson, she was immediately a suspect. She was a product of her upbringing, in that she liked a genteel life. In a 2009 plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to attempted forgery and was sentenced to three years of intensive probation. Whether or not he had taken the pills of his own volition was never determined. In 1990, the Hagens moved to Ajo,. Glensheens Daughter: The Marjorie Congdon Story. The bedroom where Elisabeth Congdon was murdered. Developed by Prime Marketing Exposition, @2022 - 2022 - All Right Reserved. On June 27, 1977 at 3:00am, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila (born April 26, 1911) were found murdered. I started in neonatal care, working with very sick babies, and that was a strong interest of hers as well. It might help visitors better understand Marjories behavior, and raise awareness about these dangerous people among us. Soon, Marjorie turns into the stepmother from hell. In 1951 Marjorie found herself in St. Louis, Missouri, and married Richard Dick Webster LeRoy, an insurance executive. She told the new buyers she wanted to do some work on the house before handing it over to them. She loved nature and history, and taught her children and grandchildren to protect them. She always had a project going. Speech competition for high school girls in Minnesota welcomes applications through March, Duluth Polar Plunge makes a splash for Special Olympics. Im not going to sell the book at Glensheen. Will Xbox Series X ever be in stock again? Will you help us keep it this way by supporting our nonprofit newsroom with a tax-deductible donation today? Review by @JayGabler: http://t.co/CcvqPvprgr pic.twitter.com/2ygWFh7Jj6, Local Current (@LocalCurrent) October 11, 2015. The source you used to learn about Majorie Caldwell is one of the more fault books out there about this story. Surprisingly, there are some rather significant connections between Marjorie and St. Louis Park. The mystery became a media sensation. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. From 1993 to 2004, Marjorie Caldwell served 11 years of a 15-year prison sentence for arson. 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. Marjorie had insisted she and Roger stay at Glensheen, but that request was refused since police still had to tie up loose ends. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Some call it Minnesotas Downton Abbey. Chester Adgate Congdon accrued a fortune, How long is the tour? What they did is public record.. In the world Marjorie Congdon grew up in, wealth was everything. She was sentenced to fifteen years in an Arizona prison. During World War I, she worked with the Red Cross. They married on August 7, 1981, in North Dakota; Marjorie had not bothered to divorce Roger and is still wanted for bigamy in North Dakota. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; Marjorie was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Those who know her find her friendly and engaging. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. At the time, it was not possible to separate ore from sand, so the ore was worthless. 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. Elisabeth Congdon's funeral was to be held at Glensheen on Thursday June, 30. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. Tags: Glensheen, Majorie Congdon, Summer 2017, Sign up for the Artful Note newsletter, our guide to the good life delivered right to your inbox. In 1992, Hagen pleaded no contest to a criminal damage charge in connection with a 1990 fire at an Ajo storage yard that was believed to have been set to support a fraudulent insurance claim. Sadly, Marjories mother neglected to mention Marjories psychological problems to her new husband before he married her. 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. Donations made by check can be made out to MinnPost and mailed to us at PO Box 18438, Minneapolis, MN 55418. SCL: She is remembered primarily as a victim of homicide, which of course bothers me. Choose your favorite marjorie congdon caldwell hagen designs and purchase them as wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, and more! In 1995 an Arizona judge decreed that Wally Hagens ashes must be divided between Hagens children and Marjorie. Caldwell served only five years in prison; in 1983, he was released after confessing to the murders. She got along swimmingly with the other inmates, and she sent a bouquet of flowers to the warden every week. 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. The day after she was convicted, Wally Hagen was found dead of a drug overdose. The Associated Press and Arizona Daily Star contributed to this report. She eventually paid her lawyer out of the income from her $750,000 trust fund. She wanted the money, and she was not content to wait for her inheritance. Velma was covered in blood. Tucson police wouldn't discuss what led to the charges, citing an ongoing investigation. You find yourself not knowing what play youre in, Poling continues. Amy Goetzman writes about books, authors, libraries and the Twin Cities literary scene. With Roger out of prison under supervision and a retrial looming, authorities decided to strike a deal rather than risk an acquittal. You are here: Home How What happened Marjorie Congdon? You think youre in a Gothic murder mystery, and then humorous elements come in and you end up popping into different worlds.. MP: What do you consider to be her most important and lasting legacy to Minnesota? 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. 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 big contingent are coming in opening nighttheyve got their tickets already.. When it opened two years after the murders, tour guides were instructed not to talk about them, because of the sensational nature of the crimes, and because it was still so raw and emotional for the families. Roger Caldwell, when he was arrested for the murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, in St. Louis County, on July 8, 1977. What happened Marjorie Congdon? As the nurse climbed the stairs, she stopped dead in her tracks. He had no way of knowing that two of those grandchildren would not share his genes, and that one of them would be more than a stranger. My interest in travel, education, nature and nursing all come from her. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. I was only 9 years old when she had a stroke. "Someone breaks into a 39-room mansion and killed the nurse on the grand stairway," with a candlestick, recalled Joe Kimball, a reporter with the Minneapolis Tribune who covered the murders. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Her children were always dressed like out of a magazine ad. At many times, her life was filled with loss, illness and hardship, and yet she was always optimistic. Clarity means quality, and , We cant fight it any longer. When Marjorie was three, Elisabeth adopted a second daughter who she named Jennifer. Nor was anyone else in the Congdon family. What does that mean? 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. ", "Because the family didn't want to go back to a murder scene," he explained. Glensheen, a new musical about the crime by acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and music by The Suburbs Chan Poling, opens October 3 at St. Pauls History Theatre. The research was a wonderful process, and I felt privileged to discover so many things about her I didnt know. At great personal expense, Congdon hired a mining engineer to develop a washing mill that could remove the sand. Hagen was arrested in 1977 in connection with the deaths of her mother, mining heiress Elisabeth Congdon, and her mother's nurse, Velma Pietila. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. People are drawn to psychopaths like moths to a flame. Part of the reason is the woman who would drive her died a year ago.". At the time of the slayings, the Caldwells were deep in debt. It really is part of a bygone era. In 1983 Roger Caldwell confessed to the Glensheen killings, pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. Marjorie was charged with murder but charges were dropped. MP: You write with such rich detail about visiting your grandmother at Glensheen, and the functions of the house the service, the secret call buttons. Is she still living? The Hagen family planned a memorial service in January 1996 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. Psychopaths are in complete control of reality. But nothing could be further from the truth. In 1990, Hagen and her husband moved to Ajo, Ariz. One year later, authorities said Marjorie Hagen used a kerosene-soaked rag to try to burn down a neighbor's home. Is there a movie about the Glensheen Mansion? DULUTH Trouble continued to follow Marjorie Caldwell after her 1979 trial and acquittal for murder conspiracy in the slayings of her mother and her mother's nurse at Glensheen. Two years later, after having moved to Englewood, Colorado, Marjorie was identified in the vicinity of the First National Bank Building shortly before it caught on fire. It took the authorities less than two weeks to arrest Roger Caldwell, but not before he wound up in the hospital after having collapsed at breakfast with seizures. If she could not get it by lying, cheating and stealing, she would find some other way. MP: In your memoirs, your grandmother seems to be a much greater influence on you than your own parents were. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. 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. She was introverted and spent most of her time reading alone or playing by herself in the nooks and crannies of the vast mansion. 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