Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-20
GUILTY OF MURDER.
Two Prisoners at Fort Smith, Ark,
Convicted Of the Crime OF MUIR
der In the First Degree.
An Episode which Gives an Acute Illus
trRtton of tho Dopravity OF tho
Hoart in Certain Cases


FoRr SMITH, ARK, Sept. l0.--The J
trial OF James Lamb and Albert o'Deli
In the federal court for murder 10 the
first degree was concluded to-day and
conviction secured. The courtroom was
packed during the entire trial. The case
went TO the jury at 5 o'clock and the
verdict was rendered at o.
The murder committed by these men
occurred near Lebanon, Chickasaw ma
lion, on December 20, 1885, and
the circumstances surrounding the case
are OF the most revolving and depraved
nature, acutely illustrative OF the depray-
ity OF the human heart In rare cases. IL
appears that Ed Pollard and his wife,
Dora, and George Brassheldand his wife,
Lizzie, occupied the same house on
farm, where they were engaged picking
cotton James Lamb and Albert O'Dell
boarded with them. The wife OF
Brassaeld became infatuated with
O'Der, Aid Mre. Pollard with LIMB,
the Young men being very open In their
attentions TO the two women. For some
weeks before the murder they endcavored
TO lntimidate Pollard and Brassheld, and
the latter finally became frightened and
left home. He had been gone about one
week, when O'Dell arranged with min
lister 10 come and marry himself and Mrs.
Brasstield. the wedding to take place
Sunday, December 81. On Saturday,
December 90, In the afternoon, Mrs.
Pollard sent her husband to Lebanon,
two or three miles distant to get some
coal oil and coffee. He got the articles
and started home aud that was the last
ever seen OF him alive. That night
Lamb went around TO some OF the neigh
borsElinquiring for him, saying Mrs. Pol
lard was uneasy over his unaccountable
absence. Sunday morning came, and
with IL the minister, who proceeded to
marry 0'Dell and Mrs, Brassfeld, and
then Lamb wanted HIN to do the same
for himself aud Mrs. Pollard, saying Pol
lard had deserted her. The minister re-
fused TO perform the ceremony, and that
afternoon the whole crowd, Mrs. Pol
lard and her child, Mrs Brasslield and
her three children, and the two guilty
young men, packed up and left
the section, going about tifty
miles up into the Chlckasaw country.
About two months afterward the body
OF Pollard was discovered in ravIne by
man named Mathews, who was out
hunting, about three quarters OF a mile
from where he lived, Deputy United
States Marshal j. II. Mershon being
camped in the neighborhood was sent for
and the circumstances above related being
made known to him, he at once started
out on the trail OF the murdererS, accom-
panied by his posse, Bruce Quigley and
one or two citizens OF the nelghborhood.
They rode day and night, and finally,
early one morning, came upon and ar
rested Old II. He was away from the
house where he lived at the time
and, being told what was wanted OF him,
emphatically denied being aware that
Pollard was dead Mershon then went
to the house and arrested Mrs. Brass
field, who also feigned surprise that Mr..
Pollard was dead; but upon Mershon tell
ing her that he had 0'Dell in irons, and
that he had told the whole thing, she
began crying an 1 said that II he had told
II himself she could not help 1t II they
hung him. Then 0'Dell was brought to
the house and, on learning that the wo-
man had given him away, acknowledged
that he knew Pollard was dead,
saying that Lamb killed him and he
helped conceal the body where 1t was
found, even going so far as to tell where
they had hidden the can OF coal oil and
the murdered mans hat. They took the
coffee home.
Lamb had become uneasy and moved
out into remote section OF the country,
fifty miles away from where his compan-
Ion was arrested, but the officers took
his trail, and the night after O'Dell's ar
rest captured him and Mrs. Pollard In q
log hut In the woods, after they had re-
tired for the night. The arrests were
made on March G and AID the
prisoners, women and men, were
lodged in Jail here on April 10. While
they we're al the camp OF the marshal,
after their arrest, Brassheld came and goi
his two oldest children, and brother Of
Pollard came and got Mrs. Pollard't
child, the mother consenting to give 1t mp
At the examination before the United
States commissioner, the two men were
bound over for murder and the womei
held as witnesses. Mrs. Pollard gav'
bond and went TO her step-father's, IL
remained until the trial came up
in Jail and few days ago. gave birth I,
two boys, but both died In day or 81
after they were born.
At the trial Just closed each de
defendant had separate attorneys AM
fought each other, 0'Dell claiming tina
Lamb did the killing and he helped dral
the body oh, and Lamb trying to lay II OF
o'Den, saying o'Den killed Polar,
through mistake, thinking II was Brass
held coming back. Pollard and his wifi
were originally from Missouri. Brassdel
is German and his wife Texan
O'Del was formerly OF Comanche county
Texas, and Lamb Is from Crawior
county, this state, where he has relative
residing,
Several weeks ago Brassneld came hei
with his wife again, showing her niue
attention during her recent confinement
Notwithstanding the children born wei
O'Dells
auRnWAN