An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. Congdon Caldwell married Wally Hagen in 1982. Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the June 25, 2017, edition of the News Tribune. During World War I, she worked with the Red Cross. His was the classic American rags to riches story, and he was just getting started. The day after she was convicted, Wally Hagen was found dead of a drug overdose. The bottle in question was some type of clear spirit, , Bartenders everywhere know that people hate vermouth. 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. You think youre in a Gothic murder mystery, and then humorous elements come in and you end up popping into different worlds.. Sure, there've been times over 40 years when I wished the whole thing. SCL: I visited archives all over the country. Make a gift of any amount today to support this resource for everyone. Roger Caldwell, when he was arrested for the murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, in St. Louis County, on July 8, 1977. In an act brazen for the time, Elisabeth traveled to New York City on a summer day in 1932 and adopted a child. SCL: I always say, Mother Nature was the only mother I ever had. Female psychopaths are rare, occurring at half the rate of men. 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. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. He befriended the US District Attorney in St. Paul and got a job as his assistant. 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. Velma was covered in blood. Stained glass window above the stairway landing at Glensheen mansion where Velma Pitiela was murdered. Is she still living? She and her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were living in Colorado and were flat broke.. The case went to trial in the searing summer of 1978. Without divorcing Caldwell, she married Wallace Hagen in 1982 in North Dakota and was charged with bigamy a few months later. This tiny house, built by Mrs. Alice Tisdale in 1927, housed Marjorie, Dick, and their seven children. We hope Marjorie doesnt show up at the theater with a box of matches, Poling says. I started in neonatal care, working with very sick babies, and that was a strong interest of hers as well. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. Is there a movie about the Glensheen Mansion? Poling was recruited by Hatcher, who had been asked by History Theatre to write a play based on the Glensheen case; Hatcher told Poling he only wanted to do the play if it could be a musical. As early as 1966 when she was married to Dick LeRoy, the family garage mysteriously burned to the ground. You find yourself not knowing what play youre in, Poling continues. She knew they were unlikely to front her the cash, so she sent Roger to make the plea. Does the Glensheen mansion have an elevator? They dazzle and captivate. Poling is channeling these past experiences for Glensheen.. A neighbor remembered Marjorie as being very industrious. She delivered hospital meals. May 17, 1988 Marjorie Caldwell Hagen, seen in a photo from when she was in Arizona prisons from late 1992 to early 2004, serving time for arsons in Ajo, Ariz. 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. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Marjorie was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. 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. 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. Condgon was found smothered with a satin pillow. Marjorie did not attend a single day of his trial. The bedroom where Elisabeth Congdon was murdered. 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. In 1990, the Hagens moved to Ajo, Ariz. The cause was arson, but her presence there could not be connected to the crime, and she was not arrested. But Marjorie had something going for her that Roger didnt. The Congdons are notable for many things, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior. I burst out laughing, says Poling. She wasnt there long. It was a three or four course meal, with fine china and polished silver. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen's son is a candidate for a state judge spot. A traumatic childhood can turn a person into a sociopath. If you can make a difference in even one life, its meaningful. At the age of twelve Marjorie began spending her mothers money with a vengeance, running up her charge accounts at local merchants. She instilled that in me, and the power of possibility. They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. Im interested in at-risk youth, and drawn to help people in difficult situations. But it didnt stop there. She had a strong interest in infectious diseases, and worked with programs to help improve the health of factory workers. It is famous for. Interesting. Eight years later in 1974 after arranging for the remodeling of a house shed purchased, Marjorie was slow to pay the contractor, so the contractor placed a lien on her property. After his wife mysteriously died after a visit from Marjorie, Wally Hagen became Marjories next husband. The Associated Press and Arizona Daily Star contributed to this report. Developed by Prime Marketing Exposition, @2022 - 2022 - All Right Reserved. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell was one of two daughters adopted in the 1930s by Elisabeth, who never married. It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout her life. From an early age, Marjorie showed signs of devious behavior, and as a teenager she was diagnosed as a sociopath. My GM made all the difference for me. And new things are happening. In 1935 Elizabeth adopted another daughter and named her Jennifer. Sociopaths are shaped by their environment. 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. 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. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier. They are not creepy. 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. They never suspected what was about to happen. Her regrets would be of a different, more vexing nature. The Congdon story is one that is quite close to me literally. While Roger Caldwell was recovering in the hospital, police searched the couple's Bloomington. "We always believed, and the whole theory of the case was, that she was the woman behind the man," DeSanto said. She wanted the money, and she was not content to wait for her inheritance. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by . Sadly, Marjories mother neglected to mention Marjories psychological problems to her new husband before he married her. A stroke had left her mobility and speech seriously impaired, requiring full-time medical supervision. SCL: You never turn your back. Marjorie was charged with murder but charges were dropped. SCL: Very much so. "It really was like a house in a time capsule.". He worked in a lumber mill from the age of fifteen to support his family after his fathers death. 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. The next morning Walter Hagen was found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. 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. Psychopaths are born without consciences, the way some people are born without sight or sound. Tags: Glensheen, Majorie Congdon, Summer 2017, Sign up for the Artful Note newsletter, our guide to the good life delivered right to your inbox. Soon, Marjorie turns into the stepmother from hell. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; The staff rarely saw her. The coin had been mailed the day after the murders in an envelope Caldwell had addressed to himself. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. Poling says he and Hatcher are acutely aware that audience members for Glensheen will include members of the victims families, investigators who worked on the caseand possibly even Marjorie Congdon Caldwell. So is she no longer a threat? Better you should stay away from them. If todays Duluth is an unusually lively and progressive city for its size, that is in part due to Congdons passions. I have had no contact with her for 40 years. That's when Kimball decided to write a book about the case, "Secrets of the Congdon Mansion. It was an honor and a privilege to find out more about her. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. 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. When she was alerted to the fire, she was nonchalant. It happened because she lacked a conscience. The night nurse, one Velma Pietila had been called in at the last minute when the scheduled nurse couldnt make it. She resides in Tucson, Arizona. But if anyone thought Marjorie was the victim in this relationship, they had another thing coming. She won. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. Marjorie Hagen, then known as Marjorie Caldwell, was accused of conspiring with her then-husband, Roger Caldwell, to kill Elisabeth Congdon, 83, and hernight nurse in the Congdon mansion in Duluth . Starched and pressed, plus she loved to entertain. They care nothing about anyone else, although they are often good at making it seem as if they do. The blood type turned out to be type O; the same blood type of Velma Pietila and Roger Caldwell. Suzanne Congdon LeRoy, one of Marjories daughters, recently published a biography of her late grandmother, highlighting Elisabeths philanthropic legacy. It has been lightly edited for today's readers. With Roger out of prison under supervision and a retrial looming, authorities decided to strike a deal rather than risk an acquittal. Its one of Americas great houses. She parted ways with her second husband, Roger Caldwell, after the trials. However, that didnt mean she didnt want children. The Guilford Press, 1999, Hendry, Sharon Darby. She put her foot down. In the world Marjorie Congdon grew up in, wealth was everything. js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=180027192065175"; The public needs to be educated. Partnering with a friend, Congdon obtained leases for iron ore properties that contained ore mixed with sand. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We are largest Know-How Listing website, total [total_posts] questions already asked and get answers instantly! Elisabeth Mannering Congdons legacy is long, yet her individual accomplishments have largely been forgotten. Roger took Velmas car back to the airport and flew back to Denver. Caldwell served only five years in prison; in 1983, he was released after confessing to the murders. But too many people remember only that she was killed at home at Glensheen mansion, along with her nurse, Velma Pietila, in 1977. Required fields are marked *. If she could not get it by lying, cheating and stealing, she would find some other way. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. 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. Suspicions about Marjorie were already heightened by a 1974 incident in which Elisabeth became dangerously ill after eating a sandwich made by her daughter. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. What do ice crystals on a frozen food item indicate? From 1993 to 2004, Marjorie served 11 years of a 15-year prison sentence for the arson fires in Ajo. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Authorities said she began serving her sentence in 1993. EARLY LIFE 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. The next owner of this house remembered Marjorie well. She was still in jail Saturday on $250,000 bond. The landing where Velma Pietila was bludgeoned to death with a candle holder. There are a million little convoluted rivers that flow from that, he says. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. Before she was arrested, Marjorie arranged to have the body of her friend cremated. Part of the reason is the woman who would drive her died a year ago.". I thought that was kind of brilliant., Although hes best known for his work with The Suburbs, Poling is no stranger to the stage. 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. Meanwhile, during all this legal back and forth, the Glensheen mansion had opened to the public. As her personality emerged from behind a wall of introversion, it was aggressive and unpleasant, and she made people uncomfortable. Marjorie Congdon has been diagnosed a psychopath. If youve heard of the play or visited the Glensheen mansion in Duluthoperated by the University of Minnesota as a museum and event spaceyou may have wondered to yourself: What exactly happened on that summer night in 1977? The research was a wonderful process, and I felt privileged to discover so many things about her I didnt know. He now operates a consulting service doing organizational and facility assessments. Charges against Marjorie were dropped in the first case and never filed in the second. An expert disputed a fingerprint that linked Roger to the crime. She had a particular impact on quality of life issues for women and children. Elisabeth Congdons way of dealing with Marjorie was to appease her. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. Hagen endorsed and deposited an $11,000 check into a bank. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. This is especially , Clear ice isnt just for looks. They consider the legacy of Chester Congdon and his family too important to be tainted by the troubling story of her atrocious behavior. They are not trying to get money to feed a desire for things. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. They cannot believe the things people say about her. Marjorie had a penchant for arson. DeSanto charged Roger Caldwell first. 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