Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-04-09
HORRIBLE CONFESSION.

The st. Louis Democrat publishes IN
full the confession Of George II. Lamb
of Mendoza, ILL.,, who last December
murdered his wife, Sarah S. Stafford, by
drowning her in the Mississippi river,
short distance below st. Louis. 1t dis
plays cold.blooded cruelty on the part
of the murderer which is rarely equaled.
and fairly makes ones blood curdle on
reading it. Lamb induced his wife to
leave Hamilton, ILL.,, where she was stay
ingwith her father, by telling that he wish
ed to take her south to spend the winter.
They arrived at ST. Louis the last week |
in November, and stopped at the Astor
House. We copy Lambs narrative Of
what followed:
While there my wife was unwell; /
had Drs. Christopher and Washington
attending her. Her sickness was caused
/ by my giving her poison. The poison
was strychnine. Igave it to her at least
twice, and may have given it to her thrice
but cannot say positively. l gave it TO
her for the purpose of killing her. She
made so much noise in the spasms that il
alarmed Mr.. Norp and wife, who came
to our room and insisted l should send
for a physician. That was the cause Of
my sending at different times for the
doctors. wished TO allay any suspicion
of Norp and wife as to what | had done
Each of the physicians prescribed for her,
at different times, and | gave her the
medicine.
She was confined TO her bed for about
two weeks from the effects of poison
On the 18th Of December l told Josiah
Meyer of what | had done and meant TO
do, and he agreed to help me. He took
my baggage and that of my wife from the
Astor House TO his lodgings on Broad
way. On the afternoon of the same day
| told my wife | was going to Carondelet,
and she agreed to go. We left the Astor
House in a baggage wagon. We went
to the lower ferry she sat in room on
the wharf boat while l went to look for a
skif' which l had before purchased. /
) had engaged two boys, whose names
do not know, to bring the skiff to me
from the dry-dock. / bought it for 81
: Fig. rnt~6dy ys'r1Iyir- c;tfrre' diP Anh"r1t
r skiff. Josiah Meyer was at the landing
to see US start, and was TO have gone
with us, but he and thought it would
t not be necessary. My wife and got
| into the skiff / rowed down the river
= and stopped below the steamboats,, about
s fifty rods at the foot Of a street built ou
e into the river, and then landed. Sh,
0 asked me the reason. l told her it wa
to get q rock TO ballast the boat. / di,
not tell her my real object, which was t,
get a rock to sink her body in the river
/ called two boys who brought to me tw,
t rocks, weighing from ten TO twelv'
{ pounds each. We then again started
L We went on by an island without trees
e on the Missouri side. / did not see Ca
L rondelet. We went down till we wer
! about half way past the island on III
d east side, about forty-five yards from th
d shore. l then laid my oars in the boat
Z seized hold of my wife by the back Q
: the neck with my right hand, and pushe
'i her head down under the water. ! he'll
'l it there about a minute or longer. The
| lifted lfer partly out the water, an
u found her dead | took of her tw
IL shawls and bonnet and tied some twin
4 two or three times round a stone and a
. tached the other end to her neck. | tile
Ie lifted the rock over the skif and let
d down into the water, slipping the cor
y through my hands till it was all out.
ID then threw the body into the yiyer, an
"a the weight Of the rock carried II do"
O. instantly"
An The reason gave by Lamb for th'
making way with his wife, is that he wi
sure he could not live happily with he
On the 30th Of December he was aga
~ - married to a woman whom he had bee
III intimate with both before and after ma
: !, rying Miss Stafford, and his coonecti'
u ,g;,b This woman was doubtless the mott
Of his murderous deed.
be Toor ro YofE SEEDS. Now is {