Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-02
From the 81. Louis Repssblican, Of March 27th.
Lamb, the Wife Murderer---His Full
COnfessiOn.

peruse everything new I'D reference 10 tniS ex-
traordinary case. 1t viii be seen that Lamb
alludes to two men. whom he names, as having
been apprised of his design before it was ex-
ecuted. OF course every effort will be made
to find them and bring them hither. The
story, it will be observed, is a very circum-
stantial one. 1t was told in manner which
convinced those who heard it. that it was a
Straightforward, open, candid, and truthful
account We forbcar to comment on the
studied and deep-laid villainy it discloses, and
leave it to go TO the world as a record of
atrOcious wickedness and diabolical cruelty
without. we hope, parallel in the annals of
crime.
Lamb declined having any counsel The
prosecution was conducted by William c..
Jones, Esq, who Intercepted the prisoner,
and in answer to whose questions the confess
sion was made up. There appeared to be no
other disposition on the part of the accused
than to tell all he knew and to keep nothing
back. He replied to the questions without
hesitation and generallywith alacrity. He said:
| was married to Sarah S. Lamb at the
court house in Quincy, H., in November,
1856, by Justice of the Peace / did not
take my wife with me to Mendoza. but left
her with her father at Hamilton. / went in
November to her fathers house to remove her
for the purpose of going South to spend the
winter. Myself and wife came to ST. Louis,
| arriving on the 9Th or 2Sth or Doth of No
| vember. We got here before daylight in the
| morning, and took breakfast and dinner at
! Kings Hotel. We left Kings Hotel and went
| to the Aston House, on Franklin avenue, kept
| by Harmon Norp. During the time L re-
manned at the Aston House my wife was I'M
| well. had physicians attending on her-Dr
| Christopher and Dr.. Washington. Her sick
| ness was caused by my giving her poison
| strychnine, obtained on Broadway. | bought
| the poison for the purpose of giving it to her.
| | think | gave it to her twice. My intention
| was 10 destroy her life. l went for physicians
| to keep the people in the house from sus-
pectng. / administered their prescriptions.
| think she recovered from the effects of the
poison had given her. She vomited up the
| poison before the prescriptions were admins
tered. | think it must have been three or
four days after we arrived at the Astor House
that gave her the poison. She was confined
to her bed as much as two weeks.
About the 18th of December we left the As
tor House, the sun being perhaps two hours
high | told here were going down the
river to Carondelct We left the Astor House
in a baggage or express wagon. Nobody but
the driver went with us. My wife seemed
perfectly willing to go. We went down to
the lower ferry landing do not know who
the driver of the baggage wagon was, nor the
number OF his wagon. | think the driver was
a colored man. We went into little room on
the ferry wharf boat There was young
man on the landing. and / asked him if my
wife might sit in there; he said she might |
told two boys to bring me skiti. We staid
there until the boys came up with the skill. |
paid six or seven dollars for IL. We had been
there about an hour before the boys brought
the skiff. We went down the river and stop
ped below the steamboats, about fifty rods.
where levee or street is built ont towards
the river. l stopped to get a weight, telling
my wife it was to put in the bottom of the
boat to keep it steady. Two boys brought
stone apiece. / did not get out of the skiff.
Ny real design in getting those stones was to
sink the body of my wife.
After getting in the stones we went on past
an island, without any trees on it, on the Mis-
souri, side. did not see Carondelet at all. L
did not notice more than one island of the
kind spoken Of We went down the river
about half way of the island, on the east side,
near the channel where the steamboats, run.
1t was getting considerably dark. 1t was
rather on the Missouri side, about forty or fif-
ty yards from the shore. The steamboat chan
mel is between the Illinois channel and where
we were. When we got there ! put my hand
on the back of her neck and pushed her head
down under the water, keeping it under water
about two minutes She was then dead
caused by my holding her head under the wa
ter. / took her shall off, and tied a Irvine
around the stone two or three times and at
tached it to her neck. The Irvine was from
four to six feet in length between her neck
and the stone. ! then lifted the stone over
the skiff and she dropped right down. The
stone was little larger than this book (Re-
vised Statutes). ten or twelve pounds in
weight. got the Irvine or cord for the pur-
pose of using it thus.
| then got out on to the island and showed
the skiff out into the stream. The skiff was
of medium size, from twelve to fifteen feet
long. DO not recollect whether it paint
ed or not. | left the oars (thrce or four in
the boat, but did not leave any stones there. |
then halloed for some one To come and take
me off the sandbar / halloed about one
hour, and an old countryman Ga Germany and
another came and took me oil. 1t was getting
dark when | threw my wife overheard. | de
! signed drowning her when we left the Aston
| House. My reason for causing her death was
| that | felt satisfied | could not live happily
| with her. She had never done or said any
| thing to cause me to feel in that way had
neither ill feeling toward her or toward any of
| her relatives i felt though lcOuld not go
| back among my neighbOrs with her, because |
! was afraid that they would think had mar
ried one below my station in life. After get
| ting ashore at the island came up to the city,
| it being about 9 O'Clock when 1 arrived. /
| stayed that night on Broadway, east side,
about halfway between Cherry and Wash
streets, on the same slue US Tue NAT store
| which caught on fire some days before that
| time. | do not know the name of the house
| nor the man that keptit.
| left here the next day after, and went TO
see her parents, taking all her baggage except
what she had on. | told her parents had
buried her in Memphis, and gave them the
names of doctors who attended on her. | re-
presented that l had buried her in Memphis
because | wanted TO screen or cover ND the
/ m Tho 10
of December Louisa Shortlih. At that time
she did not know that ! had previously been
married to Sarah Stafford. | married so soon
after nv former wife's death. because she said
she would not wait for me any longer had
kept company with her along in the fall before
| married my other wife. can offer no other
excuse for numbering my other wife than for
| the purpose of marrying this one. My present
wife was not eItcicTts before married her. II
there is virtuous woman in the world, she is
| one. / had had no criminal Intercourse with
her before we were married. ! had made n
confession in which / stated there were two
men with me in the skiff when d. owned nv
wife. | made it To Mr.. Stafford. l am sorry
that said it. That statement was false; this
one am making is a true one
do not know why made the other state
ment; | suppose the evil spirit was in me-
Two men knew of my design before it was
executed, but not "A great while before. told
them Of my intention, aud asked one to assist
me in the matter. lie expressed his willing
ness to do So, out of friendship. lie went
down alone to the river, not in the wagon
His name is josiah Meyer who was board
ing where lodged the night | came back.
paid him IS, think. for assisting me. He
| knew nv inieE lion at the time went to the
river. lie went because | wished him to 20.
| wanted him 20 80 with me la the skin, at iirst,
but we changed our minds about the necessi-
| " of going. The other mans name is Joseph
| Sawyer. | cannot say where he is now he
Was in Mendoza the day / LEFT there. 1 told
| Mr. Meyer, AFTER the deed, that every thing had
gone under. Those were the words | used.
| Mover is small sized man. that would
weigh about $50 pounds, spare-faced, dark
complexioned, had black hair; painter by
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