The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29
His Friends Making Strenuous
Efforts to Influence the
Governor.
MANY REASONS ADVANCED
Politicians Who Turned Him Down
Are Now Anxious to Make
Amends.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL
9OS Broadway, Dec. %.
Within a few weeks Governor Budd will
be petitioned to pardon Walter Lambert,
the defaulting clerk of the Oakland Police
Court, who was sent to San Quentin for five
years last July.
A very pretty and pathetic story is be-
hind the effort to have the ex-Police Court
clerk pardoned, and although the petition
has some very substantial support, every
effort has been made to keep the matter
secret. This course was made necessary
on account of the storm of Indignation
that would be raised by his many political
enemies should the fact be made public.
Just before Lambert emp,ied the Police
Court safe and went to Honolulu with the
com bination, he married young lady well
known in Oakland, and although nearly
everybody had marked Lam bert off their
calling list, his wife thought she saw the
elements of what might yet constitute a
worthy man, and with this end in view, she
appealed to his friends to aid him, and the
appeal was not in vain.
In support of his claim for leniency from
the Governor, Lam bert's friends have pre-
pared lengthy prayer. and they base 1t
upon the fact that Lambert was a frequent
sufferer from delirium tremens at the time
he committed the crime, and had on two
occasions been locked UP in the County
Jail on a suspicion of being insane. There
is no doubt that Lambert was some
what demented on several occasions
prior to his levanting with 1888 bail
money, but the jury found that he was
sane at that time.
Another point being urged in Lambert's s
Ic hp CoT hack n
without putting the tate to the expense
of sending an officer for him. At the time
he was convicted some surprise was ex-
pressed that his old political friends did
not make any effort to rescue him, and it
was known that he had been turned down.
His return from Honolulu was prompted
partly by the promises OF his friends
that they would help to make good the
missing money, and it was stated that he
had the money in safe deposit vault IN
Oakland and had gone to Honolulu while
suffering from mental alteration. Had
this scheme been followed it would have
been an easy matter to have kept him out
OF San Quentin. But when he arrived in
Oakland the safe deposit vault did not
materialize and no one seemed at all anx-
ious to help the fallen politician. He was
speedily tried, found guilty and sentenced
by Judge Frick to five years across the
bay.
The case was not appealed, and since he
has gone from their midst some quaims OF
conscience seem to have smitten his old
acquaintances, and the present. effort to Sc
cure pardon is meeting with their sup
port.
Another reason advanced why Lambert
should have permitted himself to be so
dissolute as to be rendered mentally un-
sound is that his first wife died after o lin
gering illness, and that his attention and
devotion to her completely shattered his
nerves. The petition was drawn up by
two local attorneys, who express them
selves as confident that it will be success
iui, though they refuse to say whether
they have private information that would
justify their hopes.