The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-12-20
A R~pNARKApLE CASE
Ended by tho Hanging " Lambert at
PhnadelphiA-rhr Case FoughtThrOuEh
all tbs Courts Desperately.


-v
Ended by tho Hanging of Lambert at
PhnudelphiA-Thr case FoughtThrough
all tbs Courts Desperately.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1~9.-Theodore
Lambert was hanged In tho Camden jail
ut 1908 this morning, Death enaued at
lO:g1x.
LRmherts crime was the murder Of
William @. Kulrer. u wealthy Camden
baker, on December 4, 1893, Kalrer re-
sided with u married son. Early In the
morning young Karer was awakened
by some n trying TO- open his bed
room door. He rose and upon opening
the door came face TO face with Il color
cd man In the hallway, The latter re-
treated and started down stairs, young
Kairer following him, The elder
Kairer was awakened by the noise and
came out into the hallway as the two
men were rushing down stairs. He fol-
lowed his son down, but the burglar es-
capped. The father and son did not pur-
sue him, but locked the door and looked
around TO sec II anything had been
stolen. Finding everything intact they
were about to return to their beds, when
tho venetian blinds In the pArlor were
pushed to one side and three shots were
fired. Mr.. Knirer were standing In the
dining room, which Is Immediately In
the rear OF the parlOr and separated
from that room By heavy curtains, As
the last OF the three shots was fired Mt.
Kaircr fell back Into his sons arms
and died without utterlng a word. One
OF the bullets having passed through
his heart. Lambert was arrested for
the murder the next day.
February Z he made n confession TO
the effect that he and another colored
mar named Josiah Stevenson were tho
ones concerned In the murder and rob
berry, Lambert was placed on trial on
June II, 1884, and convicted the follow
Ing day OF murder In the first degree.
Stevenson was not arraigned until
September %. He was acquitted The
following day.
Then began n OF the most cxtraordi-
nary efforts In criminal annals to save
n mans life. on October Is Lambert
was sentenced 10 be hanged on Decem-
Der 10, 1894. but through the efforts OF
his counsel, he was granted a reprieve
until January 8, In order that his case
might be brought before the board OF
pnrdons. on December 10. the board OF
pardons refused to commute the death
| penalty to imprisonment for life,
on December %. Lambcrt's counsel
went before Justice Garrison and ask
ed for u writ Of hnbeRs corpus on the
ground that Governor Werts had no
legal right to grant q reprteVe n mat
therefore Lambert's imprisonment was
unlawful. Justice Garrison refused the
writ and lawyer Sample then went be-
fore Chief Justice Bensley for a writ OF
ccrticrarl TO renew the death warrant
reprleve and proceedings on the ground
that the governor had no p~rerogative
to issue a death warrant in violation OF
the constitution. This writ was also re-
fused.
Appeal was next made TO Associate
Justice Shirls, OF the United States su.
preme court, who granted q conditional
writ OF error which was made effective
by the endorsement OF Judge Dallas, OF
Philadelphia, sitting in the United
States circuit court. The writ OF jus
tice shlrns acted as q stay OF execution,
and Lnmbert's attorney hurried 70
Camden county Jail, where he served Il
upon Sheriff Barrett n hour before
the time set for the execution.
Later, the United States supreme
court decided that Governor Werts re-
pricve was legal and the appeal was as
missed, Governor WertB issued an
other death warrunt, fixing June q last,
as the time for Lambert's execution.
Counsel for the condemned man then
applied to Justice Green, Of the United
States circuit court for the release OF
his client on q writ Of hnbeas corpus on
the ground that while the appeal was
dismissed the stay OF execution Issued
by Justice ShirRs was not. And also
that the governor had no authority to
issue that second death warrant, as the
mandate OF the United States supreme
court had never been filed properly. The
application was refused and an appeal
taken 10 the United States supreme
court.
This petition wal denied by the court
on November 10. and on November 20.
Lambert was sentenced for the third
time; the date OF his execution being set
for to-day.