Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-06-04
"A WHOLESALE MUIR
DERESS.

Wis, was commenced, yesterday, be-
fore the Circuit Court cf that county,
the trial of Mrs. Charlotte Lamb, ar
rested in November last for the muir
der by poison, of two of her own chill
dren, and man and woman of the
neighborhood in which she lived, in
Trimbelle Township An information
IS on file in each case separately but
the proof in each one is conclusive.
Chemical analysis of the stomachs re-
vealed strychnine in fatal quantities in
the children, and equal to 80 grains
each was taken from the stomachs of
her adult victims She was alone
with her boy Don Orrin Lamb, lad
OF IL years, when he was suddenly
taken sick and died, as was supposed
OF heart disease. She was also alone
with her little girl. pretty child of
10 years, when it sickened and died
just as suddenly y. Mrs. Ottman, a
neighbor, complained of faintness.
Mrs, Lamb gave her dose of her pre-
paration, and Mrs. Ottman was corpse
in few hours. Royal Garland ate to
much dinner, and asked Mrs Lamb to
prepare him dose Of pain killer. The
dose she gave him threw him into
spasms, which ended with death few
hours after. The children were pois-
oned in May and June Of last year,
aud the others in August following.
She is popularity accused, also of hav-
ing poisoned her husband, who died
suddenly in the fall of 1871 /; Mr..
Fuller, of Trimbelle, who died shortly
before that time; the first Mrs Lamb,
who died in Vermont, about 1854 So;
and young woman ii Vermont who
was her rival for the hand of the wild
over. But the doctors say her hus-
band died from natural causes, and
there is no evidence to show that she
killed the others, save that, as with
ber known victims. they were nursed
and doctored by Mrs. Lamb, and died
in her arms.
I saw this woman in her cell at Ellis
worth, recently She is fat, fair aud
forty, with dull but not an evil coun-
tenance. Her character too, until
these murders were brought home to
her, was of good and kind woman
In 1862 she carried her baby girl, and
half carried her little boy,-the same
children she poisoned last year.-all
the way from Arlington, Sibley county
in this state, to St. Paul; aud her
motherly devotion was noted in all the
records of that year of Sioux raids and
murders. In Trimbelle, for ten years,
she was the Good Samaritan Of the
neighborhood, whom everybody called
upon when they wanted country med
icine compounded, sick person to be
we'll taken care Of or watcher with
the dead. She vas noted to for her
piety, aud the zeal With which she
prayed for and with the dying. The
man Garland, whom she poisoned, was
half witted fellow, a bachelor, for
whom no other woman of the neighbor-
hood would do anything; but Mrs.
Lamb mended his clothes and stock.
ings, washed for him and cooked for
him, and pitied him that he was such
a weak headed man. But finally she
poisoned him, and, while he lay writh-
ing with pain, the woman was all the
time exhorting him to put his trust in
God and be prepared to die. For an
hour or so next morning, she was left
alone with the corpse, and she passed
the most of the time in prayer.
Of course the defense set up insani-
ty. A physician from the Madison
Hospital for the Insane and a number
of medical experts have been called to
testify as to her sanity. The trial will
occupy several days, and will prove the
woman either to be subject to strange
form of insanity, or to be one of the
worst of the devils that ever held the
form of woman.
The state is represented in the case
by ex-senator (State) E. H. Ives, the
county attorney of Pierce county, as
sisted by his law partner, Mr.. Smith
of Prescott. The defense will be con-
Quoted by Messrs. Spooner & Baker,
of Hudson, leaders in the criminal
practice of Northwest Wisconsin, and
associated with Mr.. Bevans, young
lawyer Of Ellsworth.