It looked like justice was finally catching up with her. He passed the bar and took a job as a high school principal in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. In a 2009 plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to attempted forgery and was sentenced to three years of intensive probation. Marjorie Caldwell Hagen is convicted of arson and insurance fraud in connection with a 1982 fire at a house in Mound, MN. 40 years later, Hartman said the murders are still fresh and raw for members of the Congdon family, some of whom sit on the museum's board. In 1935 Elizabeth adopted another daughter and named her Jennifer. How much does the Glensheen Mansion cost? said Kimball. She was a product of her upbringing, in that she liked a genteel life. 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 . 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. In an act brazen for the time, Elisabeth traveled to New York City on a summer day in 1932 and adopted a child. His was the classic American rags to riches story, and he was just getting started. She recently moved to a house. The combination of Antabuse and alcohol can produce seizures, congestive heart failure and even death. They agreed. Born in 1853, the son of a Methodist minister, Chester showed ambition and drive at an early age. MP: You have a hard time calling Marjorie Caldwell your mother. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. It was a very modest family, and even though she was a part of so many important projects, she never broadcasted her involvement, says her granddaughter, Suzanne Congdon LeRoy. The next day, DeSanto charged Marjorie with conspiring to kill her mother. In March 1991 Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house with him inside of it. Authorities said she began serving her sentence in 1993. She had a strong interest in infectious diseases, and worked with programs to help improve the health of factory workers. In 2005, the museum reversed course. 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. Make a gift of any amount today to support this resource for everyone. In 2010, her attorney's court motion to remove her from intensive probation so she could get into an assisted living complex was denied. In 1990, the Hagens moved to Ajo,. "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. She was short, wide at the hips and bookish looking. January 26,1985 Her appeal is turned down, so Marjorie begins serving her time for the arson and fraud conviction. Roger had gray hair. The research was a wonderful process, and I felt privileged to discover so many things about her I didnt know. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; Intelligent and often charming, Marjorie married and had six children before the marriage ended amid stresses exacerbated by her exorbitant spending. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. She is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. An expert disputed a fingerprint that linked Roger to the crime. How can I tell how big my Cockapoo will be? 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. In addition, they are charming, charismatic and engaging. Suzanne Congdon LeRoy, one of Marjories daughters, recently published a biography of her late grandmother, highlighting Elisabeths philanthropic legacy. Your email address will not be published. Investigators focused almost immediately on one of Elizabeth's adopted daughters, Marjorie Caldwell, and her husband Roger. Despite prosecution having only circumstantial evidence to present, Roger was convicted and handed two consecutive life sentences. Hagen's children would later allege, in a 1994 St. Paul Pioneer Press article, that Marjorie was responsible for both their father's and mother's death. 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. Marjorie was released from prison on January 5, 2004, to much trepidation. It was as if she was determined to spend every last penny of Chester Congdons fortune. When Goetzman asked whether Suzanne fears for her safety, Suzanne answered that shes taken all the necessary precautions. Even so, she says, You never turn your back., At @HistoryTheatre, Chan Polings Glensheen is moving and macabre. Chester's youngest daughter, Elisabeth had never married. Marjorie's second marriage was to a man named Roger Sipe Caldwell. 2023 The Growler Magazine. Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom. He was treated for a possible heart attack but released after doctors couldnt determine the cause of his illness. Zenith City Press That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier.. Her ability to coerce him in this way hinted at deeper implications. (function(d, s, id) { She was Marjorie Congdon, one of the Duluth Congdons, granddaughter of Chester, the mining magnate who made a fortune in iron ore, served in the legislature and built the mansion on the lake at the turn of the 20th century. When she was alerted to the fire, she was nonchalant. Some call it Minnesotas Downton Abbey. 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. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. Nowadays, criminal psychologists recognize the allure of psychopaths as practiced behavior. In 1983 Roger Caldwell confessed to the Glensheen killings, pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. They didn't think they could prove the death was murder. Withdrawing further, Marjorie began to act strangely, pulling out her own hair and laugh in an odd manner. Winter is coming, so . A psychotic is someone who is out of touch with reality. Marjorie stood to inherit $8.2 million upon her mother's death. Nancy and her brother Tom were always curious about their mother's rich friend, Marjorie Congdon. She worked very hard to support her community and church, and wherever she saw a need, she worked to fill it. 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. I started in neonatal care, working with very sick babies, and that was a strong interest of hers as well. The primary victim, Elisabeth Congdon, was 83 years old. The grotesque story is nonetheless a true one that unfolded almost 40 years ago now: Duluths Glensheen murders, an atrocity that riveted the region for years. Its been 37 years since my grandmothers death, and its good to see the house is still a vital part of Duluth. As the nurse climbed the stairs, she stopped dead in her tracks. In spite of the evidence, prosecutors did not pursue a case against her. When he drank, he turned violent. Those who know her find her friendly and engaging. As before, she was not considered a flight risk, so she was permitted to visit her husband one last time before being escorted to prison. 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. The crime immediately attracted national attention. 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). Psychopaths are without a conscience. Stained glass window above the stairway landing at Glensheen mansion where Velma Pitiela was murdered. They are thinking about restoring the greenhouses, which were torn down in 1971, and bringing in bee hives and selling Glensheen honey. When I began my research, I discovered so many amazing things. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. Now she was free to do whatever she wanted. He was found guilty and given two life sentences. As a single woman, this bordered on the scandalous, but Elisabeths regrets would have little to do with the social opprobrium her action invited. She served 21 months. This post is riddled with false statements about both the mansion and the family. That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier. While Marjorie stood to inherit millions after her mother's death, she actually got a pittance in comparison. Elisabeth Mannering Congdon about the age she was when she adopted Marjorie. Charges against Marjorie were dropped in the first case and never filed in the second. For a woman whose motivation appeared to be greed, this might have come as a disappointment. Glensheen Mansion is a five-story structure with several staircases. 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. MP: What do you consider to be her most important and lasting legacy to Minnesota? 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. I had an appetite for travel and interest in other cultures, and worked with aborigines in Australia. She added that she hasnt had contact with her for 40 years. Now, the city might start buying garbage trucks, Let's talk about our racist and ugly state flag, Minnesota Democrats might spend big in bid to fix a struggling child care industry, The long, bitter fight over Minneapolis Roof Depot site, explained, Time to celebrate our Minnesota public schools, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license. 26,1985 her appeal is turned down, so Marjorie begins serving her time for the and... Fingerprint that linked Roger to the crime late grandmother, highlighting Elisabeths philanthropic...., this might have come as a high school principal in Chippewa,! Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom donations are crucial to the fire, she nonchalant! A possible heart attack but released after doctors couldnt determine the cause of his illness guilty to two of. York City on a summer day in 1932 and adopted a child and insurance in. 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