At great personal expense, Congdon hired a mining engineer to develop a washing mill that could remove the sand. A portrait of Chester Congdon looks over visitors to the Glensheen Mansion's library on Wednesday. Then at the age of thirteen she did something that wouldve been a warning sign to any criminal psychologist, had there been such a thing in 1945. Norman Bates, as depicted in the film, was a psychotic. A tour guide shares historical facts and interesting details about the mansion and Congdon family. Whether or not he had taken the pills of his own volition was never determined. Caldwell served only five years in prison; in 1983, he was released after confessing to the murders. 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. 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. Paul Airport, were found in the Caldwells hotel rooms, authorities arrested Roger and charged him with the murders. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. Relations between Marjorie and her family members were highly strained, and the Congdon estate closely monitored all communication between Marjorie and her mother. Psychopaths are without a conscience. What is the water level on Cherokee Lake? I had to wonder: Do you fear for your personal safety? From 1952 to 1954, the LeRoys lived at 2744 Salem Ave., a bungalow built in 1941. In fact, the Congdon family was one of the most accomplished, distinguished and generous in Minnesota. The Creepiest Town in America: Danvers, MA. He befriended the US District Attorney in St. Paul and got a job as his assistant. But when she fully enters their lives, they become entwined in a series of bizarre crimes. Marjorie did not attend a single day of his trial. Product details Publisher : Zenith City Press; 4th edition (May 1, 2009) Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. A garden hose was found running from the gas stove in the kitchen to their bedroom. He passed the bar and took a job as a high school principal in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She always had a project going. "It really was like a house in a time capsule.". The court granted him a new trial. On January 13, 1984, Marjorie was given 21 months in the Shakopee Womens Prison for burning down her and Wallys home in Mound, Minnesota. But in the big picture a greater public service could be done by acknowledging the tragedy and handing out information on psychopathology. 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. She was sentenced two and a half years in prison and fined $10,000. Just before the fire, Marjorie was seen carrying valuables out of the house and loading them into her car. When Elisabeth was found murdered, it didnt take long for the investigation to zero in on the Caldwells. EARLY LIFE Jennifer was bubbly and outgoing, a treasure to all those who knew her, except perhaps to Marjorie whose behavioral problems got worse after her arrival. But in reality it was just the opposite. "People still won't talk to me on the record, because they're still afraid of retaliation," she said. (function(d, s, id) { What they inadvertently let loose on a summer day in 1932 destroyed many lives, and it all began with an act of generosity. When Marjorie was three, Elisabeth adopted a second daughter who she named Jennifer. MP: What do you consider to be her most important and lasting legacy to Minnesota? Has Ruxandra Porojnicu left Coronation Street? We sold it.. Later, I became interested in infectious disease and HIV. She had him cremated before police could determine a cause of death. I thought that was kind of brilliant., Although hes best known for his work with The Suburbs, Poling is no stranger to the stage. Also that year, she pleaded no contest in connection with arson fires at an Ajo storage yard believed set for a fraudulent insurance claim. Then he graduated as class valedictorian from seminary school before taking a law degree at Syracuse University. He now operates a consulting service doing organizational and facility assessments. Marjorie and Caldwell were reportedly in heavy debt shortly after marrying in Colorado in 1976. Elisabeth Mannering Congdons legacy is long, yet her individual accomplishments have largely been forgotten. The murders at Glensheen mansion were sloppy. On March 24, 1992, she was arrested for burning down her neighbors house. Your email address will not be published. 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. Elisabeth Congdon's funeral was to be held at Glensheen on Thursday June, 30. Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the June 25, 2017, edition of the News Tribune. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. 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 is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. But it didnt stop there. Her children were always dressed like out of a magazine ad. Spirits Close-Up: The Ultimate Hot Toddy Matrix. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. 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. "People have seen her as recently as the last couple weeks, walking her dog without a walker," Feichtinger said at the time. An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. The Congdons are notable for many things, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior. When authorities called Marjorie to tell her what had happened, she said nonchalantly, It isnt our house. Details could be released next week. Marjories problem wasnt caused by others. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. Sociopaths are rarely so engaging. Congdon's son-in-law, Roger Caldwell, was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in 1978. Her trustees earlier had cut Marjorie off from the Congdon millions, after the. And I whispered to the guide, 'You know she was brutally murdered, right?'". The public needs to be educated. 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. What happened Marjorie Congdon? She always seemed like a nice person. There she became a suspect in a rash of fires. Hagen was arrested in 1977 in connection with the deaths of her mother, mining heiress Elisabeth Congdon, and her mother's nurse, Velma Pietila. Will you help us keep it this way by supporting our nonprofit newsroom with a tax-deductible donation today? He was treated for a possible heart attack but released after doctors couldnt determine the cause of his illness. Marjorie Hagen was again arrested on a murder charge but it was dropped for lack of evidence. From an early age, Marjorie showed signs of devious behavior, and as a teenager she was diagnosed as a sociopath. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. Psychopaths are at their most dangerous when their manipulations are thwarted. But the charges were dropped after prosecutors failed to get a grand jury indictment. As a result, no autopsy was possible. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by her exorbitant spending. You are here: Home How What happened Marjorie Congdon? 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. 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. 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. She was so much more than the last day of her life. "Even though she's been acquitted, I think there's lots of questions about that.". She remains a free womanthough shes been twice convicted of arson or attempted arson, and served two sentences for those crimes. The stables at Glensheen Mansion where Marjorie was discovered trying to poison a horse. They care nothing about anyone else, although they are often good at making it seem as if they do. I had an appetite for travel and interest in other cultures, and worked with aborigines in Australia. Candance Renalls is a retired Duluth News Tribune reporter and freelance writer. Are any of Freddie and the Dreamers still alive? In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. Some call it Minnesotas Downton Abbey. Some psychopaths are highly successful, exercising wealth and power, but no less dangerous for all that. She instilled that in me, and the power of possibility. Is that your grandmothers influence? Three years later on March 2, 2007 she was caught trying to forge the signature of a recently deceased friend on an inheritance check. The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. From the outside, it may have looked like her spending was out of control. She was released on October 19, 1986, and she and Wally moved to Ajo, Arizona. Tour lengths vary depending on the type of tour and the desired experience. Marjorie had a penchant for arson. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. They married two months later. Police said they believed he was exposed to natural gas from the kitchen stove through a garden hose. While Marjorie stood to inherit millions after her mother's death, she actually got a pittance in comparison. Despite prosecution having only circumstantial evidence to present, Roger was convicted and handed two consecutive life sentences. Most Minnesotans know of Marjorie Congdon as the woman who was tried and acquitted of conspiring with her then husband, Roger Caldwell, to murder Marjorie's mother, heiress Elizabeth Congdon. Sadly, most people from her generation would not be able to square what they know about Marjorie with the diagnosis of a psychopath. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. St. Louis County Chief Prosecutor John DeSanto prosecuted the 1977 murders. The bedroom where Elisabeth Congdon was murdered. 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. In 1991, she was caught trying to set fire to a neighbor's house. Twenty months later she was released for good behavior. For a woman whose motivation appeared to be greed, this might have come as a disappointment. And I loved nursing; I was very privileged to work in Minnesota, nationally, and internationally as a nurse. Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house. No witnesses survive, and the cops in a small northern Minnesota city have to make their case based on purely circumstantial evidence. All Rights Reserved. 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 attempts for earlier release on parole met. During World War I, she worked with the Red Cross. They were set to inherit millions of dollars when Elisabeth died. Thats different from a psychopath. Only the quick action of Dick LeRoy prevented the fire from spreading and burning the neighborhood down. I started out with a Gothic feel, really influenced by Cabaret, Chicago, and Sweeney Todd, he says. For the Standard Tour which includes the main floor, second floor and lower level. She eventually paid her lawyer out of the income from her $750,000 trust fund. Eighty-nine-year-old Marjorie Congdon has been called both a sociopath and a psychopath. 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. The Gateway to Hell in Tagus, North Dakota. She was short, wide at the hips and bookish looking. Winter is coming, so . Curiously, he never said who did. Marjorie is a text book example. But even today, guides don't discuss the murder during tours, although they will answer questions after, explained Glensheen Director Dan Hartman. The child shed adopted was olive skinned with straight, black hair and was so nearsighted she had to wear thick glasses. Marrying in Colorado in 1976 witnesses survive, and served two sentences for those crimes she., either observed and verified from knowledgeable sources the June 25,,! Debt and liabilities marjorie congdon caldwell Marjorie Congdon has been called both a sociopath and State... 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marjorie congdon caldwell