The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-09-29
A RemarkabIe Conviction.

NInOm the reports OF the supreme
1 Courts proceedings, says the st.
Louis Globe, we are able to give the par
ticulars Of remarkable murder that oc-
CURED here nearly twenty years ago. There
was no witness to the crime, the body of
the murdered woman was never found, and
the criminal suffered the extreme penalty
Of the law on the strength of his own con.
fession. The popular idea that "murder
will OUT found in this case striking cor
roboration.
George H. Lamb, aged about 40 years,
was indicted for the murder of his wife,
Sarah s. Lamb, by drowning in the Mis-
sissippi river in December, 1857. The evi-
dence chiefly relied upon on the part of the
State was the confession of Lamb, volun-
tarily made by him before Rudolph Her.
kenrath, a justice of the peace, before
whom he was examined in the city of St.
Louis.
Prisoners statement was in substance as
follows 81 was married to Sarah s. Stat
ford in the court house, Quincy, ILL.,, in
November, 1856, by justice of Che peace.
was then resident of Mendoza, La Sale
county, Illinois. did not take my wife to
Mendoza, but left her with her father at
Hamilton. In November 1857, l went
some place South to spend the winter. My
wife and came to st. Louis about the 2Sth
of November, 1857. We got here by day
light, and took breakfast and dinner at
Kings Hotel. From there we went to the
Astor House, ON Franklin avenue. My
wife was unwell during the time we were
at the Astor House. 1 had two physicians
attending her. Her sickness was caused
by my giving her poison, strychnine.
bought it for the purpose of giving
it to her. l think l gave it to her
twice. My intention was to dispose Of
her some way. had it in my mind to de-
stroy her. gave her what the physician
prescribed, and oshe recovered from the eff
fects of the poison administered She threw
itup. About the 18th of December we left
the Astor House. The sun might have
been two Or three hours high. / told her
was going down the river to Carondelet
We left there in baggage wagon. Nobody
went with us but the driver. We took a
bandbox with bonnet in it. She was ap-
parently perfectly willing to go. think
the driver was colored man. We started
down the river in a'slIifti put some stones
i'll the boat, remarking they were to keep it
even. My design was to use the stones to
sink her body. l noticed an island or
sand bar. 1t was above Carondelet. We
proceeded half way down the island on the
east side, near the channel where the
steamers run. 1t was considerably dark
put my hand right back of her neck and
pushed her head under the water it lay
down about two minutes under the water.
then raised her partly out. She was dead.
Her death was caused by my holding her
head under the water took her shawl
and bonnet off; got some twine, and after
sinking the body went ashore. lt was
getting dark when ] threw her overheard.
designed drowning my wife when at the
Astor House. felt dissatisfied, and felt as
if l could not live happily with her. That
was my motive for drowning her. She had
never said or done anything to cause me to
feel that way that ! can think Of cannot
say that had any-feelings towards her
or her relatives. ! came up to the city
about 8 o'clock that night. think left
the city next day. went right to her pa
rents, and took her baggage there. l told
them l had buried her in Memphis
On December 30, 1857 married girl
by the name of Louisa Shortliff married
her so soon after the death of my wife be-
cause she said that she would not wait any
longer. She did not know anything of
this. She was perfectly innocent had
been keeping company with her along
through the fall months have endea-
ored to make frank confession. have
once left the church.. 1t is the transgres-
sion Of my duties toward my God that has
brought me here'
In connection with the above statement,
it may be remarked that suspicion was first
excited against the prisoner on account of
his marrying so soon after the death of his
first wife, His contradictory stories as to
her death led to an investigation that led
to his arrest.
The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling
of the lower court, and did not disturb the
sentence, which was death. lie was ex-
ecuted at the gallows, then situated near
Sixth and Chestnut streets. His manner
at the time, as described by an eyewitness,
was as might have been expected His