The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-06-13


1t has been left for Wisconsin to dis
cover a jury that takes no stock in emo
tional or perceptional insanity. There
has never been a more ingenious plea
of moral responsibility, or more
plausible and well-connected story of
hallucination, than that presented by
Mr.. Lamb, who admits that she poi
soned her two children, and an old
woman, and man named Royal Gar
land, and who is also suspected of hav-
ing poisoned her husband. Yet the
jury brought in verdict of guilty, set
ting the case as one of murder in the
first degree. Capital punishment hav-
ing been abolished in Wisconsin, Mrs.
Lamb will not suffer death, but will be
sentenced to imprisonment for life, and
stay in the penitentiary until some SEN
timental governor shall conclude that
her insanity has passed off, and that she
may safely resume her place in society.
However, the result of the trial is a vast
improvement upon the customary ver-
diets in similar cases, and it is more
likely that Mrs. Lamb will be kept out
of harms way in the penitentiary than
If she had been turned over to an in
sane asylum or permitted to go free.
Mrs. Lambs was a case of perception
al insanity. According to her version
of the series of deaths which she
caused, she was irresistibly impelled to
the acts by prompting spirit that APP
peared to her from time to time, and
insisted upon her killing these people
as a religious duty. The disease which
occasioned the perceptional vivacity
which enabled her to see the spirit
that no one else saw, and caused the
perceptional obGquity to all moral
scruples, appears to have been of long
standing. A physician who had attend
ed the woman when she was girl,
twenty-three years ago, testified that
she had these insane spells then, at
which times she imagined herself talk
ing with some familiar spirit who want
ed her to kill somebody. Shortly after
this, the spirit abandoned her and did
not appear until the day of her hus-
bands death. While she was holding
his head in her arms, he exclaimed, 81
see Jesus" and died. At that very
moment she saw the apparition, and,
from that time on, it haunted her. 1t
began by upbraiding her for mourning
over the death of her husband, who was
happier than if he were alive. 1t then
made her believe that her son was over
worked and weary, and that it was her
duty to put an end to his toilsome life.
So Mrs. Lamb yielded and poisoned the
boy. Then the spirit persuaded her
that her little daughter was too good
and innocent for this world, and that it
was equally her duty to put this child
beyond the trials and temptations of a
wicked world. Mrs. Lamb,consented to
do this also, and felt the usual consola-
ton of pious soul that has followed it's
religious promptings. Then the spirit
told her that she must relieve other peo-
pie of their miseries. She resented
this, as she concluded that she had not
the same interest in the happiness of
strangers as in that of her own family.
Thereupon the intangible essence grew
very angry, and, partly in fear, partly
III religious enthusiasm, she extended
her charitable work of sending people
out of this vale of tears by killing Mrs.
Gilman, and subsequently, Mr.. Royal
Garland. After having poisoned these
persons Mrs. Lamb felt serene con-
seriousness of well-doing, and basked il
the approval of her presiding genius.
| She would have gone on in her good
work, but the prompting spirit sudden
ly discontinued his visits, probably
thinking that she had done her share ii
helping mankind to shuttle off this NOR
tai coil. Chicago Tribune.