He recalled an argument his wife had had with Elisabeth Congdon’s adopted daughter Marjorie. Evidence was also found in Caldwell's Duluth hotel room. Marjorie was found not guilty of murder. By then another police officer had arrived. For authorities, the case that would become the notorious Glensheen murders began on a warm, muggy summer morning. Meanwhile, during all this legal back and forth, the Glensheen mansion had opened to the public. With the death of Elisabeth, the Glensheen estate, which includes the 39-room mansion, carriage house, boathouse, and gardener’s cottage, was left to the University of Minnesota and has remained largely intact, down to the unopened house-canned jars of pickles in the basement. There were well over 100 people interviewed in connection with the Congdon case, but this number was easily thinned. He made note of the dresser in the room having all its drawers pulled out the same length. Around 5 p.m. Elisabeth awoke from her short nap and asked her nurse to play a game of cards. Also available from Amazon, With the purpose of writing about true crime in an authoritative, fact-based manner, veteran journalists J. J. Maloney and J. Patrick O’Connor launched Crime Magazine in November of 1998. Glensheen director Dan Hartman talks about a Congdon family portrait. Roger confessed to the murders, but was freed after serving just over five years in jail. This was presented as evidence as well. When asked if he knew of any enemies his wife may have had, he said he was not sure. He never saw her again. Murder at Glensheen Mansion. July 15, 1977. It was 4:30 p.m. The crime scene detectives processed the staircase and Congdon’s room before they finished in the nurse's room. Marjorie later was indicted on a variety of other strange but unrelated crimes in the southwestern United States. One last toot for Duluth, Minnesota's Glensheen murders. They were the same items taken from Elisabeth Congdon’s bedroom the night of the murders. At first she thought Pietila had fallen down the steps, but upon a closer look she could see things were much worse. It was the stuff of an Agatha Christie novel. Pietila arrived at Glensheen shortly before 11 p.m. and parked her car near the mansion's front door. One of the first people to be interviewed was Loren Pietila. Roger, still out of it when he was told, just rolled his eyes, shook his head and went back to sleep. When Nurse Mildred Garvue arrived shortly before 7 a.m., she went to the pantry’s refrigerator to get Elisabeth’s insulin. Nurse Klosowsky helped Elisabeth into bed, opened a window, then removed her hearing aid and unplugged the phone. To her horror, she saw the lifeless body of Velma Pietila laying on the bench seat beneath the landing window. Gail Feichtinger first researched the Glensheen murders as a crime reporter for the Duluth News-Tribune and Duluth Herald. Biography. The two women told the officer about the homicides and he went in to check for himself. In the mean time they stayed in the Twin Cities at a Holiday Inn. It was a clear case of arson, and five people from Marlborough were duly convicted of the crime. Learn More. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. Making note of the bloody brass candlestick, Waller, being careful where he stepped, walked up to Elisabeth Congdon’s bedroom. Today, the University of Minnesota-Duluth operates the mansion, tours and events that take place inside and on the mansion's grounds. That night she was asked to fill in for the night nurse, who needed the night off. She was not known to have ever been considered stuck up or treated anyone like they were beneath her. Police Officer Chris Kucera was the first to reach the Congdon estate at 7:03 a.m. The blood being wiped from the killer to Elisabeth Congdon as she fought her murderer. There was also blood on her uniform and a large pool of blood on the polished floor. I adore the Glensheen mansion as well as the Bed and Breakfast named, The Mansion. Marjorie was found not guilty of murder. Help ensure MPR remains a resource that brings Minnesotans together. There are certainly other tragic places in Minnesota, but few have captured the imagination as much as Glensheen. But even today, guides don't discuss the murder during tours, although they will answer questions after, explained Glensheen Director Dan Hartman. Thousands have toured it since it opened as a museum in 1979. Police in Golden, Colorado found a missing gold coin in an envelope in Caldwell's mailbox. Share your experience with us on Facebook “This is a must see for anyone visiting Duluth. Kucera left Elisabeth’s room and went back down the stairs. Roger Caldwell, when he was arrested for the murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, in St. Louis County, on July 8, 1977. Marjorie’s case began right after her husband's conviction. And I whispered to the guide, 'You know she was brutally murdered, right?'". On many nights she would fall asleep watching TV, but that night she “needed a good night’s rest.” She said her goodbyes to Klosowsky and fell asleep. Penniless, he was forced to move to his hometown in Pennsylvania, and collect welfare. A police German Shepard was brought in and upon searching the mansion, police discovered what they suspected to be the intruder's point of entry. And they ended up acquitting her. Description. A few feet away stood a bloodied brass candlestick. The murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse were far from perfect. Jul 7, 2016 - Explore Deanna's board "Glensheen Mansion", followed by 314 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about glensheen, glensheen mansion, mansions. Elisabeth Congdon was the youngest daughter of Chester Congdon, who was an attorney and made millions in the mining industry. See more ideas about glensheen, glensheen mansion, mansions. In a plea bargain, the remainder of Roger’s prison sentence was dismissed as authorities hoped his confession would implicate Marjorie—though that didn’t turn out to be the case. A tour guide shares historical facts and interesting details about the mansion and Congdon family. ... Glensheen University of Minnesota The next morning, just before 7 a.m. Hazel Conger began making her normal rounds. From Will to Murder: The True Story behind the Crimes and Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings by Gail Feichtinger, John DeSanto, and Gary Waller (Zenith City Press, 2003). Waller observed her room was disorganized and Congdon herself had bloodstains on her sheets, nightgown and on the pillow that covered her face. Sometime later, the quiet night was interrupted and Velma was in the fight for her life. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Upon arrival he made contact with Glensheen’s gardener, Robert Wyness, who was outside working by the garage. The mansion … Velma Pietila had been a nurse since 1933 and had spent the last seven years working at Glensheen. Before the body of Velma Pietila was removed, next to her body police found what appeared to be hair next to her hand. Some small talk was passed between the two and Nurse Garvue then went to go upstairs to check on her patient. The murder at the Glensheen Mansion remains one of Minnesota's most well-known mysteries. On receiving this news, Roger Caldwell appealed his conviction due to the lack of evidence presented at his wife’s trial. from Carleton College, and … Another police dog that was on-scene picked up a scent trail from the back porch with the broken window and followed it down to the lake. It became kind of obvious that the jurors were thinking, boy I don't think this lady would kill her mother.". Dresser drawers had been pulled out and empty jewelry boxes lay on the floor. Her life at Glensheen ended abruptly on June 27, 1977, when the ailing, 83-year-old heiress was killed in the mansion along with her night nurse, Velma Pietila, 67. said Kimball. 1-16 of 18 results for "glensheen mansion book" Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes and Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings by Gail Feichtinger , John DeSanto , et al. There were many small pieces of evidence scattered about the stairs that included hair, blood stains and broken teeth. Just after midnight on Wednesday, July 6, Detective Waller arrived at the hospital. DeSanto charged Roger Caldwell first. Kucera then went to the mansion’s front door where he was met by Conger and Garvue. Police found fresh tracks along the lakes edge and some trash. Photo courtesy of Glensheen Manor. "We spend a lot of time trying to make sure that the focus of Glensheen is not the murder. Glensheen, The Historic Congdon Estate: Glensheen Mansion - See 1,245 traveler reviews, 643 candid photos, and great deals for Duluth, MN, at Tripadvisor. University of Minnesota officials, who now own the Congdon Mansion under the terms of Miss Congdon’s will, … The room was a mess. When Elisabeth saw the movie at the Duluth premiere she was surpised at the dark tone. Glensheen director Dan Hartman estimated it at 8 … Today we’ll work on remembering Glensheen Historic Estate, better known as Glensheen Mansion. With the death of Elisabeth, the Glensheen estate, which includes the 39-room mansion, carriage house, boathouse, and gardener’s cottage, was left to the University of Minnesota and has remained largely intact, down to the unopened house … Roger’s trial began on May, 9, 1978. Drupal theme by ThemeSnap.com. There was a strict routine followed by staff when it came time for locking and unlocking doors and windows. Thinking Pietila must have forgotten, Conger continued on. "The big mystery still is, did Roger do it alone or with someone else there, and how involved if at all was Marjorie? He noticed the pooled blood under her head. The book—called “The definitive book, the story behind the story of the Congdon-Pietila Murders”—is the only volume on the subject of the murders available for sale at Glensheen. There were also empty jewelry boxes scattered on the floor. While he was in prison, Marjorie divorced him and he had no access to the money promised by his ex-wife. Waller lifted the pillow carefully, he noticed there was what appeared to be a raw patch of skin on her nose. Though no direct evidence linked her son-in-law to the crime, circumstantial evidence -- the $8 million his wife would inherit -- made him the obvious suspect. 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. "I think also a downside of the murder is that people always viewed it from that lens, even in the history community," he said, "that they kind of forget it's actually this incredibly important historic site for our state. Rather than risk an acquittal or a hung jury, officials struck a deal with Caldwell, allowing him to plead guilty to two  counts of second degree murder. Glensheen Mansion was constructed in 1905 by the Lake Superior in Duluth, It was the brainchild of then wealthiest man in Minnesota, Chester Adgate Congdon. Being from Minnesota, I am beyond the story of the murders. Elisabeth herself was rather plain and did not flaunt her wealth. Pietila agreed since she missed Elisabeth, despite her husband’s objections to her working that night. Biography. Blood money: The grisly murders at Duluth's Glensheen mansion Friday, December 7, 2018 by Hannah Jones in News. 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