Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-09-25
The Case OF George HI. Lamb the VITO


husband, to go to Memphis, and who had not
been seen Afterwards. Twenty days SUISSE
quent to leaving Hamilton, Lamb returned
and stated to his wiie's father, Jacob Stafford
| that his daughter had taken sick in Memphis
and died. He took back with him his wife's
| trunk, containing part of her clothing. In
relating the circumstances attending her death
be was particular to state the disease with
which she was afflicted, the street where they
were stopping, the name of the landlord, and,
the address of the physicians, and great
many other things, such as the kind of tomb
stone placed over her grave, etc. lie wore
| Grape on his hat, and apparently labored to
show the usual indications of grief to Mr..
Stafford's family. TIE next day be left and
went to MENDOZA, where it appears he was
engaged in keeping hotel. Here he has al
together changed from the hypocrtical sor-
row be put on in the presence OF the family
of his dead wife. No Grape did he wear on
bis hat--and no other badge of mourning did
he exhibit He was married on the 18th OF
November, 1856, and had therefore been
| husband little over a year His wife was
young and lovely, for so it is said. Was his
conduct appropriate TO q man who had sus-
tanned this loss!
He was not disconsolate widower. Yet,
on the 10Th Of December Lamb wrote to his
wife's father to state that person OF his ac-
quaintance was about to visit Memphis, and
! that he bad requested him to visit the grave
Of the deceased there, to be satisfied that 1t
| had not been disturbed. Five days after
writing this letter Lamb married Miss
| Sbortiff, of Mendoza. This circumstance was
not dwet upon In Mendoza, for Lamb had
kept his former marriage secret; but it was
regarded quite differently in Hamilton. IL
was this second marriage, probably, which
caused the first well defined suspicion III the
! confiding minds Of Mr.. Staffyrd's family
| The father was stearnly and deliberately bent
| on being satisfied. He wrote TO Memphis,
directing bis letters TO the physicians Lamb
| had named-Drs. johnson, Christopher and
| Washington. liut one of these was an
swered. A Dr. Johnson in reply stated that
he knew nothing of the case, and that he was
the only one of the name in the profession at
| that place. Mr.. Stafford wrote TO the land
| lord who had been mentioned but no response
came. He wrote to the Mayor Of the city,
and learned that there was no such street in
| Memphis as the one alluded to, no such land
! lord, 20 DIR. Christopher, no DR.. Washing
/ ton; and that the registry Of deaths during
the period in question contained no such name
as Mrs. Sarah or George II. Lamb
On ascertainng these facts Mr.. Stafford
| went to Mendoza, but did not Immediately
seek Lamb out, preierring 70 disclose his Sc
crets only TO the authorities there, in order
| to have him watched until there should be
further developments. In Mendoza Mr.. Stat
| ford met man named Sawyer, who stated
| that he had seen Lamb in st. Louis at the
| time he protested to have been in Memphis
that he had seen him at the 'Astor House"
| on Franklin avenue; that Lamb said to him
he had poor girl with him who was CO.
ciente, and that if be (Sawyer) would pro-
cure the right kind of medicine for him he
would be well repaid, or something OF that
nature.
This Information served 10 confirm the
suspicion Of foul play, and Mr.. Stafford hast
| ened to this city to see what ne could find
ont here 1t was ascertained that Lamb and
! his wife had put up at the " Aston House
on the 2Sth of November, aud stayed mole
| than two weeks. At nine O'Clock one night
| three DAYS after their arrival, the woman was
| in the sitting room apparently well. Between
eevn and twelve o'clock the same night she
was in commissions. Drs. Christopher and
| Washington, of this city, were called in at her
request, and found great irritability of the
stomach. 1t appears Lamb proposed another
physician whom ne called Dr. johnson, whes
he said, was on visit to this place, aad 2
whom he went several tit nes hrwho never
called Was this DR.. johnson Mr.. Sawyer
| With this information MIR. Stafford had
gained another strong link in the chain OF
suspicious circumstances sufficient, it was ra-
tionally thought, to justify Lambs arrest
Accordingly, an officer of this city went up
to Mendoza aud returned with the prisoner.
| a few DAYS after his arrival here, LAMB made
free, voluntary and pcnitent confession to
his fathcr-in-Iaw, in which he stated that be
had drowned his wife in the Mississippi river,
having first strangled her by holding her head
under wa'er. Subsequently he was taken
before Justice of the Peace for trial, but
waived examination. and again confessed his
crime He not only stated that he had strait
gled aud drowned his wife, but that be had
previously given her strychnine TO produce
her death The reason assigned was, that
she was below his station in life, and that he
wished to marry another. We should per
haps mention that in his confession he gave
the names of Joseph Meyer and Thomas l..
Beale, as knowing of his design.
These are the facts of this extraordinary
case, and they show studied aud deep laid
villainy which challenges the annals of crime
to produce parallel.
The points serving TO show the crcdbiiity
of the confession, are the singular illness OF
the woman at the Aston Horse her disap-
pearancc; The second marriage, aud the con-
iession itself-its repetition to different parties
its vo.untariness--its solemn, penitent man.
ner, and lis evidently being caused by pangs
Of conscience.
The body OF the deceased was never found
Proper efforts were not made to secure Moy-
er, WHO left the city On reading Lambs con-
fesson in the papers. (Beae is said to be rel
tive of Lamb, and the prosecution were afraid
TO have him introduced on the witness stand.)
Sawyer was not brought down from Mendoza.
The druggist who sold the poison used at the
Astor House has not been forthcoming. Had
these things been attended to, the case would
have been less imperfect, on the part OF the
State, when brought to trial.
1t was very easy to see what would be the
defense set up by Lambs counsel, and that it
would rest on the consideration Of two points
which, taken together are cenfirmatory Of one
another, but viewed separately, present grave
questions in law, viz: the prisoners COMES
sion. and the actual death of bis wife, the cor
pus de licti being unes,ablished. Confessions
it seems, are regarded with but little weight
by some of the leaned men who write law
books, WHILE as in the case of the appalling
mystery of Sarah Lambs disappearance, most
people look upon them as the best evidence
that could be adduced. The jury in the pre-
sent instance, have, after a full hearing, decid
ed that the man spoke truth when be ac-
knowledged and ayowed himself a wife-rnur-
derer-a conclusion justified by all the facts
that are known and the probabilities of facts
which may never come to light. 1t was said
that when the jury retired it was proposed to
ascertain how each man stood, by ballot, be-