All Rights Reserved. Two days after Roger Caldwell was sentenced, Marjorie was arrested and charged with conspiracy. A wealthy woman is murdered in her bed, smothered with a pillow in the landmark lakeside mansion built by her parents. Marjorie remains estranged from all but one of her seven children from her first marriage and has had no contact with the Congdon family since the murder case, Feichtinger said. "People do see her out and about. Donations made by check can be made out to MinnPost and mailed to us at PO Box 18438, Minneapolis, MN 55418. Elisabeth Mannering Congdon about the age she was when she adopted Marjorie. But she's not able to get around town like in the old days. Feichtinger wouldn't go that far, noting that Marjorie is no longer on probation and being supervised. Elisabeth Congdon's funeral was to be held at Glensheen on Thursday June, 30. 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. 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. 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. That has always bothered me. Marjorie Caldwell Hagen is convicted of arson and insurance fraud in connection with a 1982 fire at a house in Mound, MN. He befriended the US District Attorney in St. Paul and got a job as his assistant. Marjorie is a text book example. Her ability to coerce him in this way hinted at deeper implications. An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. Developed by. 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. TUCSON, Ariz. -- Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen, the 74-year-old woman acquitted in connection with the June 1977 deaths of her mother and her mother's nurse at Duluth's Glensheen mansion, was. MP: You have a hard time calling Marjorie Caldwell your mother. 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. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; But Congdon was betting on the come. Her attempts for earlier release on parole met. While Marjorie stood to inherit millions after her mother's death, she actually got a pittance in comparison. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. The Congdon story is one that is quite close to me literally. In 1979, she was acquitted in the smothering of her adoptive mother and the beating death of a night nurse. 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. 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). I have had no contact with her for 40 years. From an early age, Marjorie showed signs of devious behavior, and as a teenager she was diagnosed as a sociopath. Review by @JayGabler: http://t.co/CcvqPvprgr pic.twitter.com/2ygWFh7Jj6, Local Current (@LocalCurrent) October 11, 2015. Roger. People are drawn to psychopaths like moths to a flame. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. In March 1991 Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house with him inside of it. The Hagen family planned a memorial service in January 1996 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. The terms are not interchangeable. The investigators werent buying it. Authorities said she began serving her sentence in 1993. "She got no bulk sum after the murders - she basically lost it all . An autopsy subsequently revealed Walter Hagen had died of a drug overdose. Stained glass window above the stairway landing at Glensheen mansion where Velma Pitiela was murdered. I went on to the U of M and worked in womens health and family medicine. 2023 The Growler Magazine. Tour lengths vary depending on the type of tour and the desired experience. They consider the legacy of Chester Congdon and his family too important to be tainted by the troubling story of her atrocious behavior. She delivered hospital meals. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. From 1952 to 1954, the LeRoys lived at 2744 Salem Ave., a bungalow built in 1941. But too many people remember only that she was killed at home at Glensheen mansion, along with her nurse, Velma Pietila, in 1977. Marjorie admitted as much, saying she and Walter had made a suicide pact, but that she had lost her nerve at the last minute and couldnt go through with it. Twenty months later she was released for good behavior. After his wife mysteriously died after a visit from Marjorie, Wally Hagen became Marjories next husband. Rather, they seek money as a means of control. He would call it Glensheen after the ancestral home of the Congdon family in Sheen, England. During World War I, she worked with the Red Cross. The first time she invited me over I was met at the door by the Doberman pinscher peering out through the little window on the door. She left an extensive record of philanthropic activities, with the Red Cross, the Duluth Art Institute, the Kings Daughters, numerous museums, hospitals, historical societies. She was sentenced two and a half years in prison and fined $10,000. "I don't have any comments about the facts of the new crime," DeSanto said Saturday. In addition, they are charming, charismatic and engaging. In 1935 Elizabeth adopted another daughter and named her Jennifer. But psychopaths are different. Psychopaths live in a world of their own, a world that is all about their wants and needs. Thats when Marjorie got an idea. The man who actually committed the murder was Roger Caldwell, the second husband of Elisabeth Congdon's adopted daughter, Marjorie, according to MinnPost. They married two months later. Eighty-nine-year-old Marjorie Congdon has been called both a sociopath and a psychopath. Police alleged it was a crime of greed, saying Marjorie Caldwell and her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were desperate for money and wanted to speed up their $8 million inheritance. In a city that bears the Congdon name at nearly every turn (this week, when a fire damaged Duluths historic Traphagen House, it was even noted that the Congden family had lived there while their Glensheen mansion was being constructed), her legacy is long, yet her individual accomplishments have largely been forgotten. Withdrawing further, Marjorie began to act strangely, pulling out her own hair and laugh in an odd manner. I found her yacht, the Hesperia, in Lloyds Register of Ships. The evidence pointed toward Marjorie. 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. As a single woman, this bordered on the scandalous, but Elisabeths regrets would have little to do with the social opprobrium her action invited. Roger confessed to the murders, but was freed after serving just over five years in jail. Sociopaths are shaped by their environment. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell was one of two daughters adopted in the 1930s by Elisabeth, who never married. At the age of nineteen she emerged as an engaging, charismatic young woman. SCL: Very much so. Elisabeth, fearing publicity, did nothing. Her adopted daughter Marjorie LeRoy's mother along with her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were accused of murdering Congdon in an attempt to inherit her fortune. Though one of the suspects was convicted, and later signed a confession, some elements of the crime remain mysterious, and it has persisted as a source of continued fascination. The killings were carried out by Roger Caldwell, allegedly at the urging of his wife, Congdons adopted daughter Marjorie, though she was later acquitted of conspiracy to murder at a trial. How do I setup my iPhone 13 for the first time? They were soon up to their ears in debt and desperate for money. 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. Later it came to light that her friend had thought the world of her. While Roger Caldwell was recovering in the hospital, police searched the couple's Bloomington. She is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Now she was free to do whatever she wanted. SEE ALSO: Trail of clues, legal twists kept Glensheen murder case going for years, SEE ALSO: Glensheen murders still intrigue, Authorities ID man fatally shot by Duluth police, First Witness seeks state, local support for larger child advocacy center in Duluth, Court rejects challenge to Hibbing murder. In the late 1960s, the Congdon family decided to donate the estate to the University of Minnesota Duluth, although not until Elizabeth died. What they inadvertently let loose on a summer day in 1932 destroyed many lives, and it all began with an act of generosity. Choose your favorite marjorie congdon caldwell hagen designs and purchase them as wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, and more! [Elizabeth Congdon never fully recovered, and spent the last decade of her life unable to engage in many of her previous activities]. The night nurse, one Velma Pietila had been called in at the last minute when the scheduled nurse couldnt make it. In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. She had him cremated before police could determine a cause of death. What happened Marjorie Congdon? How much does the Glensheen Mansion cost? Our 12-acre estate features gardens, bridges, and the famous, Chester A. Congdon, 1909. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. This time Marjorie had overplayed her hand. They win people over, before bending them to their will. Without divorcing Caldwell, she married Wallace Hagen in 1982 in North Dakota and was charged with bigamy a few months later. But in the big picture a greater public service could be done by acknowledging the tragedy and handing out information on psychopathology. Congdon was the only surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built the lavish mansion in 1909. I loved her deeply. MP: What do you consider to be her most important and lasting legacy to Minnesota? What does that mean? They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. Although Marjorie was brought up in the familys opulent Glensheen Mansion and attended Dana Hall Prep School in Massachusetts, she was nevertheless troubled, and at age 16 she was actually given the label sociopath during a stay at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, in the summer of 1949. It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout her life. If she could not get it by lying, cheating and stealing, she would find some other way. The family has written some letters, and weve had discussions. Suddenly his ore was worth a fortune. Only the quick action of Dick LeRoy prevented the fire from spreading and burning the neighborhood down. Marjorie kept on spending, writing bad checks and driving her new husband deeper and deeper into debt. When she was alerted to the fire, she was nonchalant. The news, analysis and community conversation found here is funded by donations from individuals. She made few friends. But the charges were dropped after prosecutors failed to get a grand jury indictment. In 1984, Marjorie was convicted of arson in the burning of the Mound, Minn., home she had just sold but remained an insurance beneficiary. On March 4, 2009, she was sentenced to three years probation. Most psychopaths are not violent, but all are treacherous. The Creepiest Town in America: Danvers, MA. When she was alerted to the fire, she was nonchalant. How can I tell how big my Cockapoo will be? They care nothing about anyone else, although they are often good at making it seem as if they do. Were happy to make this story available to republish for free under an, recent moves to open up the private areas, learn about all our free newsletter options, Augsburg author finds sweetness in light of Colbert Bump, Rebecca Rasmussen lives in the North Woods in her novels anyway, With carbon-free law in place, Minnesota Democrats now debating whether to mandate energy storage, An illustrated guide to the signs of Minnesota spring, State funds available to recruit diverse police officers, but not all departments are asking for the money, Addressing (and improving) life expectancies for Black Minnesotans, For years, St. Paul took a hands-off approach to trash collection. Their mother Hagen's previous wife was in a nursing home in 1980 when she collapsed into a coma and died after Marjorie allegedly was seen feeding her something from a jar. Marjories problem wasnt caused by others. Your email address will not be published. I had an appetite for travel and interest in other cultures, and worked with aborigines in Australia. }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); @2022 - 2022 - All Right Reserved. No one is born a sociopath. Marjorie Hagen was again arrested on a murder charge but it was dropped for lack of evidence. He did a masterful job. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. 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. 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. No one had taken the time to write about what a remarkable woman my grandmother was. Today, Marjorie Congdon is eighty-nine years old. If todays Duluth is an unusually lively and progressive city for its size, that is in part due to Congdons passions. "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. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. She was arrested again in 1984 when she burned down her house in Mound, Minn. She was convicted of arson and insurance fraud and sentenced to 21 months in prison. Spirits Close-Up: The Ultimate Hot Toddy Matrix. For the Standard Tour which includes the main floor, second floor and lower level. She resides in Tucson, Arizona. He and his wife, Mary, live near Kettle River, Minnesota, enjoying time with their seven grandchildren. Guests are constantly , The term craft is ambiguous at best. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by her exorbitant spending. In November 2010 a judge in southern Arizona refused her request for a reduction in the terms of her probation so that she could move to a nursing home. Asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, he claimed he did not committed the murders. They agreed. Marjorie Congdon became Marjorie LeRoy on June 30th, 1951. Overnight, Congdon became a very wealthy man. Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by . 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. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. 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. Who wrote youll like my mother?Jo HeimsNaomi A. Hintze. 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. Her regrets would be of a different, more vexing nature. And I loved nursing; I was very privileged to work in Minnesota, nationally, and internationally as a nurse. They are thinking about restoring the greenhouses, which were torn down in 1971, and bringing in bee hives and selling Glensheen honey. Additionally, two other men shes been close to have died in what some have regarded as suspicious circumstances. The bottle in question was some type of clear spirit, , Bartenders everywhere know that people hate vermouth. Marjorie and Caldwell were reportedly in heavy debt shortly after marrying in Colorado in 1976. 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