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

10th OF Nov. previous, ia company with her
husband, to go to Memphis, and who had not
been seen Afterwards. Twenty days subse-
! quent to leaving Hamilton, Lamb returned
and stated to his wife father, Jacob Stafford,
| that his daughter had taken sick in Memphis
and died. He took back with BIN 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, ard apparently labored to
show the usual indications Of grief to Dir.
Stsfford's family. TIE next day be left aud
went to MENDOZA, where it appears he was
engaged in keeping 9 hotel Here be has al
together changed from the hypocritica' sor-
row be put on in the presence OF the lanll;
of his dead wife. No Grape did he wear on
bis hat--and 10 other badge of mourning did
! he exhibit. He was married on the 18th OF
| November, 1856 and had therefore been :
husband little over year. His wife was
Young and lovely, for so it is said. Was his
conduct appropriate to o man who had sus
tanned this loss!
He was not dsconsolate widower. Yet,
on the 25th Of December, Lamb wrote to his
wfes iatier to state that person OF his ac-
quantancc was about to visit Memphis, and
that he bad requested him to visit the grave
! Of the deceased there, to be satisfied tina. 1t
| had not been disturbed. Five days after
writing this letter Lamb married a Miss
| Shortiff, of Mendoza, This circumstance was
! not dwet upon IN Mendoza, for Lamb had
| kept his former marriage secret: but 1t was
regarded quite differently in Hamilton. Il
was this second marriage, probably, which
caused the first well defined suspicion ~ the
confiding minds OF Mr. Stattord's family.
! The father was stearnly and deliberately bent
on being satisfied He wrote 10 Memphis,
| directing his letters 10 the physicians Lamb
| had named--Drs. johnson, Christopher and
| Washington. int one Of these was an
swered. A Dr. Johnson in reply stated that
! he knew nothing of the case, and that he was
the ouly Que OF the name n the profession Ut
that place Mr.. Stafford wrote 10 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 sach land
lord, 20 DR. Christopher, no Dr. Washing
ton; and that the registry Of deaths daring
| the period in question contained no such name
as Mrs Sarah or George H. Lamb.
On ascertaining these facts Mr.. Stafford
went to Mendoza, but did not Immediately
seek Lamb out preierring 10 disclose his Sc
cretz only TO the authorities there, in order
to have him watched until there should be
further developments. In Meudota 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 hin
he had a poor girl with him who was e5s-
ciente, and that If be Sawyer would pro-
cure Inc right kind of medicine tor him he
would be well repaid, or something OF that
nature.
This information served TO confirm the
suspicion Of foul play. and Mr.. Stafford hast
ened to this city TO See what ne could find
ont here. 1t was ascertaned that Lamb and
his wife had put up at the Astor 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
elevn AMI twelve o'clock the same night she
was in commissions. Drs. Christopher and
| Washington, oftnis city, were called In at her
request, and found great irritabllity of the
stomach. Itappears Lamb proposed another
physician whom he called DIR. johnson, whns
he said, was on visit to this place, a1d Z
whom he went several ii, mes, d. who never
called. Was this Or. JOhlson Mr.. Sawyer
With this information MIR. Stafford had
gained another strong link III the chain OF
suspicious circumstances, sufficient, it was ra-
tionally thought, to justify Lambs arrest
Accordingly, officer OF this city went up
| to Mendoza and returned with the prisoner.
a few DAYS after his arrival here, Lamb made
a free, voluntary and penitent confession to
his fathcr-in-aw, in which he stated that be
had drowned his wife in The Mississippi river
having first strangled her by holding her head
under wafer Subsequently he was taken
before a Juatice Of the Peace for trial, bu,
waived examination. and again confessed his
crime. He not only stated that lie had srau-
gled and drowned his wife, but that he 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 a studied and deep laid
villainv which challenges the annals OF crime
to produce parallel.
The points serving TO show the crcdibility
| Of the confession, are the singular illness OF
| the woman at the Aston Horse her dsap-
pcarancc The second marriage, aud the con-
! iesson iiseif-its repetition to different parties
its tarincss---its solemn penitent man.
ner, and lis evidently beng caused by pangs
! Of conscience.
| The body OF the deceased was never found
| Proper efforts were not made 10 secure Moy-
er, Woo left the city on reading Lambs con-
fasson in the papers. (BeaIe 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 tie part OF the
State when brought to trial.
! 1t was very easy to sec what would be the
defense SET up by Lambs counsel, and that il
/ 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 ticti being unestablished. 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 addnced. The jury in the pre-
sent instance, have, after full hearing, decid
ed that the man spoke truth when he ac-
knowledged aud ayowed himself a wiie-mur
derer--a conclusion justified by all the facts
that are known and the probabilities Of facts
which may never come tc light Ii was said
| that when the jury retired it was proposed to
ascertain how each man stood, by ballot, be-
fore having any consultation among themselves
| --and when the votes We're counted il xas