{"id":929,"date":"2019-03-27T03:21:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T03:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=929"},"modified":"2019-03-27T03:21:55","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T03:21:55","slug":"ice-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=929","title":{"rendered":"Ice Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the three-second mark on the tape cassette:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the record, my name is Brook Tyler, and I\u2019m a detective sergeant with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit. Today\u2019s date is Monday, March 27, and the time is 9:05 a.m. With me in this meeting room at the State Police offices on Hazen Drive in Concord is Detective Laura Gadsen and Miriam Wilson, resident of Montcalm, New Hampshire.\u201d<\/p>\n

[[Pause as papers are shuffled and the microphone is moved.]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miss Wilson, are you prepared to answer my questions?<\/p>\n

A. Please, call me Miriam.<\/p>\n

Q. All right, Miriam. You\u2019ve been read your Miranda rights, you\u2019ve reviewed them on a handout, and you\u2019ve check-marked and signed each paragraph, and the bottom of the page. So you are fully aware of your rights under the law, correct?<\/p>\n

A. Yes.<\/p>\n

Q. And you know that at any point, you can halt this questioning, and ask for a lawyer?<\/p>\n

A. Interrogation.<\/p>\n

Q. Excuse me?<\/p>\n

A. Detective Sergeant Tyler, let\u2019s not fool around or play games. This is an interrogation, that\u2019s all, and yet I\u2019m still prepared to answer your questions. So let\u2019s not play around, shall we?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miss \u2014 I mean, Miriam, how long have you resided in Montcalm?<\/p>\n

A. More than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Q. And prior to that?<\/p>\n

A. Alexandria, Virginia. I worked for a number of years as a transitional office employee for the government, and I was offered an early retirement, and I took it. However, I was born in Montcalm before I started my career. I really looked forward to coming back home and took the opportunity when I could.<\/p>\n

Q. And you ran a business in Montcalm?<\/p>\n

A. Correction, I still do run a business \u2026 even with the, ah, unfortunate circumstances I find myself in.<\/p>\n

Q. And what kind of business is it?<\/p>\n

A. You know exactly what kind of business it is.<\/p>\n

Q. Please, Miriam, could you just answer the question?<\/p>\n

A. No need to get snippy, Detective Sergeant \u2026 Anyway, my business is Miriam\u2019s Web. It\u2019s a knitting supply shop. The only one within an hour\u2019s drive in that part of the state.<\/p>\n

Q. And in addition to owning this store, you were also president of the Lake Montcalm Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

A. You are correct.<\/p>\n

Q. And what is the function of the Lake Montcalm Chamber of Commerce?<\/p>\n

A. For real?<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, please.<\/p>\n

A. Oh, for heaven\u2019s sake, three minutes on the internet and you can see everything we do on our website \u2026 but to answer your question, we help promote the businesses around Lake Montcalm and in the village, advertise in various tourist publications, and fund a scholarship for both a male and female student from Montcalm Regional High School.<\/p>\n

Q. And how long have you been president of the Chamber of Commerce?<\/p>\n

A. Four years.<\/p>\n

Q. I see \u2026 now, if I can change the subject for a moment \u2026 are you aware of a gentleman named Cornelius Pope?<\/p>\n

A. No.<\/p>\n

[[Pause as voices are raised and there\u2019s crosstalk]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam \u2026<\/p>\n

A. I\u2019m telling the truth. I don\u2019t know of a gentleman named Cornelius Pope. However, I did know of a true jerk named Cornelius Pope. I can tell you that.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Go on, Miriam. Please tell us how you came to know Mister Pope.<\/p>\n

A. Do you want the long story or the short story?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. The true story.<\/p>\n

[[Laughter]]<\/p>\n

A. I\u2019ll tell you the short story, otherwise we\u2019ll be here a week. Pope was a retired professor from UNH. One of those granola-munching types, you know? Ready to protest at the drop of a hat, or announce a boycott of chicken or veal or something silly like that. He opened up a bookstore and caf\u00e9 down by the town docks. He called it the Half Moon Caf\u00e9, but we all called it the Communist Caf\u00e9. I mean, we all knew that a bunch of his customers would sneak out back and smoke \u2014<\/p>\n

Q. That\u2019s enough, thank you. And wasn\u2019t there a time when Mister Pope became active in the Chamber of Commerce?<\/p>\n

A. He did.<\/p>\n

Q. And is it fair to say that the two of you had a \u2026 contentious relationship?<\/p>\n

A. A what?<\/p>\n

Q. A contentious relationship. That you didn\u2019t get along.<\/p>\n

A. Oh, we certainly didn\u2019t get along, but it wasn\u2019t my fault. I wanted to be friends, but Pope \u2026 he had another agenda. He wanted to \u2026 make a difference, bless his heart. But I wouldn\u2019t say we were that contentious.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, we\u2019ve reviewed two years\u2019 worth of minutes from the Chamber of Commerce. There were a lot of arguments, name calling, and so forth.<\/p>\n

A. Really? Well, if it\u2019s in the minutes, it must be true.<\/p>\n

Q. And there were a number of letters he wrote to the Montcalm Gazette<\/em>, criticizing your leadership of the Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

A. That was his right, of course, to publicize what a moron he was.<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, if I may skip ahead \u2014<\/p>\n

A. Oh, please do. After all, you\u2019re in charge here.<\/p>\n

Q. Thank you. Miriam, I\u2019d like to talk now about the Ice Out Festival.<\/p>\n

A. Go right ahead.<\/p>\n

Q. Could you explain what the Ice Out Festival is about?<\/p>\n

A. Certainly. After all, it was my idea \u2026 and I ran it successfully for a number of years before Professor Pope showed up with all his new ideas. You see, by the time spring comes, a lot of us around here are ready for more daylight, warm weather. We have a serious case of cabin fever. So I thought a little festival marking when the ice officially breaks up on Lake Montcalm \u2014 that\u2019s called \u201cice out\u201d \u2014 would be a fun way to mark the end of winter. It was quite the success.<\/p>\n

Q. Mister Pope didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

A. Pope was from away. I didn\u2019t care for his opinion.<\/p>\n

Q. But his opinion was that the Chamber and the town could do more. More publicity, advertising, contests, food carts \u2026 make it a real festival.<\/p>\n

A. A real circus, you mean.<\/p>\n

Q. But from the minutes and from reviewing the local newspapers, it seems Mister Pope won the day. Plans were put into place to expand the festival. And you were opposed.<\/p>\n

A. I was. It didn\u2019t fit the town, didn\u2019t fit our history. Like I said \u2026 it was a circus.<\/p>\n

Q. And you resented that?<\/p>\n

A. Wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, please answer the question.<\/p>\n

A. Of course I resented it. I resented it very much. He was from away, he was very bossy, and he didn\u2019t want to fit in. He wanted to run things.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. All right. Miriam, could you explain how ice out was noted?<\/p>\n

A. Noted?<\/p>\n

Q. How people knew when the ice had officially broken up for the spring.<\/p>\n

A. Oh, I see. You should have been clearer in your questions. Well, what we\u2019ve done for years past, is that we go into the center of Lake Montcalm and secure a buoy that\u2019s eventually frozen in place when the lake starts to freeze. Then, one of those \u2026 highway flares is attached to the buoy, and is also attached to the ice. When the ice starts breaking up around the buoy, the flare is lit off, and then you have ice out.<\/p>\n

Q. But isn\u2019t that something hard to predict? I mean, you could schedule the festival and ice out wouldn\u2019t occur at the same time.<\/p>\n

A. That\u2019s what I said! But Pope said, so what. What difference would it make? And I said it would make a hell of a difference, that the good people coming to the lake, if they didn\u2019t see the flare going off, they would think they got cheated. And Pope said, well, they had a chance to get drunk and have fun, so there you go.<\/p>\n

Q. And you also resented that?<\/p>\n

A. I certainly did.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam?<\/p>\n

A. Still here.<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, isn\u2019t it true that Cornelius Pope went missing last fall?<\/p>\n

A. I suppose he did.<\/p>\n

Q. And did that concern you?<\/p>\n

A. Not at all.<\/p>\n

Q. And he remained missing all this past winter, correct?<\/p>\n

A. Yes.<\/p>\n

Q. In fact, he remained missing right until your town\u2019s Ice Out Festival last week, correct? Where by chance, the flare lit off the Sunday morning of the festival?<\/p>\n

A. Funny how that happened. I guess Pope might have been right all along.<\/p>\n

Q. And something else happened later that day, am I right?<\/p>\n

A. Of course you\u2019re right. Or why else would I be here?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, when a reporter from the Montcalm Gazette motored through the broken ice to get a close-up photo of the buoy and discharged flare, something else was there, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

A. That\u2019s what the papers said.<\/p>\n

Q. Yes. What were there were the remains of Cornelius Pope. Apparently, he had been dead all that winter, fastened to the buoy.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam, do you have any idea of how Mister Pope\u2019s body ended up attached to the buoy?<\/p>\n

A. I do.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. You do?<\/p>\n

A. Of course. I put him there.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miriam \u2026<\/p>\n

A. Still here.<\/p>\n

Q. How in the name \u2026 how did he end up there?<\/p>\n

A. I motored him out at night \u2026 a very clear night, nice full moon, I could see everything though it was damn cold, you knew ice would start forming in a few days \u2026 and I got to the buoy, I fastened him to the buoy\u2019s chain with another chain, and with three cement blocks, I tossed him overboard. And I motored back. And then we got a cold front move in and the ice started forming \u2026<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Didn\u2019t he put up a fight?<\/p>\n

A. Excuse me?<\/p>\n

Q. Didn\u2019t he put up a fight when you tossed him into the water?<\/p>\n

A. Dear me, no.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Was he unconscious?<\/p>\n

A. Oh, no, he was dead. Quite dead, in fact.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Did you murder him, Miriam?<\/p>\n

A. No, I did not.<\/p>\n

Q. Then how \u2026<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

A. Oh, didn\u2019t I make it clear? Pope committed suicide.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Say again?<\/p>\n

A. Pope killed himself.<\/p>\n

Q. He \u2026 did?<\/p>\n

A. Yes, he did. Right in my kitchen.<\/p>\n

Q. How \u2026 I mean \u2026 when \u2026 I \u2026<\/p>\n

A. Shall I tell you the whole story?<\/p>\n

Q. Please do.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

A. Well, he came to me out of the blue that night, wanting to make apologies. He said things had gotten out of hand and wanted to make amends. He\u2026 he could be charming, I do admit that. So I reheated a nice tuna casserole and we talked and both had a glass of wine, and then\u2026 he got weepy. He said that he and his wife were getting a divorce, he had cheated on her plenty of times with the co-eds, and that the bookstore and caf\u00e9 was failing. That he was a failure at everything he did.. and then\u2026 well, I couldn\u2019t believe it. He had this little tube and emptied it into his wineglass, swallowed it, and then he just slid to the floor. Dead.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. And you didn\u2019t call the fire department? Or EMTs?<\/p>\n

A. Why? He was dead.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. And the police? You didn\u2019t call the police?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

A. A dead man in my kitchen? For real? I didn\u2019t want the scandal.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. And you thought it would be best to motor out in the middle of the night, fasten his body to the buoy chain, and not tell anyone?<\/p>\n

A. That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

Q. But you knew his remains would be found eventually, come spring and Ice Out.<\/p>\n

A. Right again, Detective Sergeant.<\/p>\n

Q. But\u2026 why?<\/p>\n

A. Isn\u2019t it obvious?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Not really.<\/p>\n

A. Oh. You see, Pope, this whole extended festival was his idea. He wanted to make it splashy. Wanted it widely known. And I thought\u2026 well, finding his body on the ice-out buoy would certainly do that. I did it in a way of honoring him and his idea.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

[[Cross-talk]]<\/p>\n

Q. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute here\u2026<\/p>\n

A. I\u2019m sorry. Who are you?<\/p>\n

Q. You know exactly who I am.<\/p>\n

A. I\u2019m very sorry, but the older I get, the worse I get with names\u2026<\/p>\n

Q. I\u2019m State Police Detective Laura Gadsen, Miss Wilson.<\/p>\n

A. Nice to meet you, Detective Gadsen. And you may call me Miriam.<\/p>\n

Q. Miss Wilson \u2014<\/p>\n

A. Miriam<\/p>\n

Q. Please don\u2019t interrupt, Miss Wilson. I was the detective in charge of executing the search warrant at your home and your place of business. And what we found was very interesting.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. What we found there were hundreds of books, true crime books, mystery fiction. Some with interesting titles, like how to get away with murder.<\/p>\n

A. Sorry, I\u2019ve never been one to read those romance novels. I find them dull.<\/p>\n

Q. And another thing. Your past work history\u2026 you\u2019ve spent time with the FBI, the Secret Service, the Treasury Department\u2026 I\u2019m sure you were exposed to many, many interesting examples of crime investigations and forensics. Years worth.<\/p>\n

A. Well, I did meet some very interesting people.<\/p>\n

Q. I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. All right, Miss Wilson. You\u2019ve told us this\u2026 tale of a remorseful Cornelius Pope committing suicide in your kitchen, and of you taking his body out to the lake, to chain it to a buoy and let it rot over the winter\u2026 all for announcing his death during the Ice Out Festival. For publicity. To honor his memory. That\u2019s one hell of a story.
\nA. You know, I do have to agree with you there.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Yes, one hell of a story. But let\u2019s look at a simpler story, shall we? A story where for some reason, Cornelius Pope comes to your house. The two of you are alone. A perfect situation for you. Based on your reading, research and work experience, I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware of a number of poisons that are hard to trace in a victim\u2019s body. Combined that with the fact his remains were immersed in water for several months, it would be nearly impossible to come up with a certain cause of death. It would seem to be the perfect crime, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

A. Not really, Detective Gadsen.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miss Wilson, here\u2019s the deal. There\u2019s no way Cornelius Pope came to your house, intent on committing suicide. You got him there on some sort of pretext, poisoned him, and then transported his body out to the ice buoy. You could have dumped in the woods or dumped him in the lake but, no, you wanted a final humiliation, a final revenge. That\u2019s what you did. That\u2019s what really happened. There was no suicide. There was a murder. And you committed it.<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

Q. Miss Wilson, you committed murder, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

[[Pause]]<\/p>\n

A. Prove it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

End of recording.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the three-second mark on the tape cassette: \u201cFor the record, my name is Brook Tyler, and I\u2019m a detective sergeant with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit. Today\u2019s date is Monday, March 27, and the time is 9:05 a.m. With me in this meeting room at the State Police offices on Hazen…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}