, 1873-06-08

It has been loft for Wisconsin to discover a
Jury that takes no stock in emotional OF percep-
tiona1 insanity. There has never been more
ingenious plea Of moral responsibility, or
moro plausible and we1l-connected story OF hal
lucinahon, than that presented by Mrs. Lamb,
Who admits that she poisoned her two children,
and an old woman, and man named Royal Gar
land. and who is also suspected OF having
poisoned her husband. Yet the jury
brought in a verdict Of guilty, setting the
case as one Of murder in the first degree.
Capital punishment having been abolished IN
Wisconsin, Mrs Lamb will not suffer death, but
will DO sentenced to Imprisonment for life, and
stay in the penitent1nry until some sentimental
Governor shall conclude that her insanity has
passed oil, and that she may safely resume her
place in society. However, the result Of the
trial is vast improvement upon the customary
yordicts in similar cases, and it is more likely
that Mrs. Lamb will be kept out OF harms
way in the Penitentinry than II she had been
turned over to an insane asylum or permitted
to go free. r..
AlEB. AaIp . NHa y I<t7o VI 4oAeoPs"A-A- A~A1%-AA
ity. According to her version Of the series OF
deaths which. she caused, she WAS irresistibly
impellel to the acts by a prompting spirit that
appeared to her from time to time, and insisted
upon her killing these people as religious duty.
The disease which occasioned the perceptional
viyacity which enabled her to see the spirit that
no one else saw, and caused the perceptionA
obiquity to all moral scruples, appears to
have been of long standing. physician who
had attended tho woman when she was girl,
twenty-three years ago, testified that she had
these insane spells then, at which times sho I'M
agined herself talking with some familiar spirit
who wanted her to kill somebody. Shortly after
this. the spirit abandoned her and did not appear
until the day of herhusband's death. While she
WIS holding his head IN her arms, he exclaimed,
"I sec Jest1B," and died. At that very moment,
she saw the apparition, and, from that time on,
it haunted her. It began by upbraiding her
| for mourning over the death Of her husband,
who Ves happier than II he we're alive. It then
made her believe that her son was overworLed
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 per
suaded her that her little daughter was too good
and innocent for this world, and that 1t waa
aonallv her duty to put this child beyond the
trials and temptations ct 3 wicked world
Mrs. Lamb consented to do this Also
and felt the usual consolation Of q
pious soul thnt has followed it's religious prompt
ines.; Then the spirit told her that she mus'
relieve other people Of their earthly miseries
She resented this, as she concluded that abe hae
not the same interest in tile happiness Of st1nn'
gers as in that Of her own family. Thereupo1
the intangible essence grew very angry, and
partly in fear, partly in religious enthusiasm
aho extended her charitable work Of sending
neople out Of this vale OF tears b,
first killing Mrs. ottman, and sub
geauently Mr. Royal Garland. After hav
ing poisoned these persons, Nra. Lamb fel
q serene consciousness Of gon~doing, and baske
in the approval Of her presiding genius: sh'
would have gone On in her good work, but th
prompting spirit suddenly diacontinu bis visits
, probably thinking that ahe had done her shar
! in helping mankind to shuttle Of, this mort*
! coil. -
II it be admitted that this hal1ucination real
existed,-au it is much more credible than tha
doctrine Of insanity based upon momentar
.. emotional abe11ation like that Of young Wa
ro1tb,-it il very ze1iouss question whether th
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