Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-03-01
The IUMWATER HORROR.
A Brief Statement of the Murder of Frank
w. Lamp by Jesse II. Winkle


One OF the most atrocious murders
ever committed in this community
took place near the south end of the
Tumwater bridge, between 10 and II
o'clock, Friday night. 1t seems from
the statements made before the Coro-
ner's jury that late employee in the
brewery, named Wrinkle, had waited
for his victim at place he was in
the habit of passing in going to his
work at the brewery, and that he
had assaulted him with a knife, and
stabbed him evidently while in pur-
suit several times in the back, and
then after leaving the bridge he had
fallen and been subjected to many
other wounds all over the body,
about q score in number.
The cutlery made by the victim was
heard by number of people, sew
eral of whom arrived at the scene of
murder a few minutes later. The
first to reach the spot were L. S.
Cooper, an employee at the brewery
and a next-door neighbor of Lamps,
and John Hopp, and soon afterwards
Peter Schmidt, manager of the
brewery, Fred Hahn and Mrs. Nc
Intosh, arrived, all of whom heard
Lamps dying statement, that it was
Wrinkle, his brother-in-law, who had
committed the deed.
News of the crime was Immediate
ly telephOned to Sheriff Connolly and
Chief Coates, of this city, who at
once sent out posse to search for
Wrinkle and to guard every avenue of
escape,
The motive of crime, as stated by
letters written by Wrinkle, and SUBJ
mitted to the jury, is that Lamp had
seduced or debauched his (Winkle's)
wife, which is probably true for the
wife admitted at the examination,
that she had confessed to that act
upon parting with her husband
week before the murder, on leaving
him, for her parents home in the
country.
The circumstances preceding the
crime, however, show deliberation as
well as malevolence. Wrinkle took
special care to make the act as Sensa-
tional as possible. He succeeded be-
fore or after the deed, in getting a
group picture of the family to the
Olympian with all its members num-
bered and named and brief state
ment of his intent to square accounts
with this man damp who had
wrecked his happy home" and
seduccd and ruined three of his
dear sisters, before they were four
teen years of age" AS it appears
he had knowledge of these proceed
ings many months ago, no eXplana-
ton is given for the long time that
has elapsed before assuming the role
of avenger. 1t may be, however,
that the Thaw trial had impelled
him to assume that part, for in his
letter he eulogizes that moral de-
generate for having killed White.
Surely the insanity plea will not lie
in his defense, for fore-knowledge of
conditions as well as his plans for
posing in the lime-light, amply show
intelligent determination and dis
position to make the most out of the
horrible details for attaining notO-
riety.
Mrs. Wrinkle, in her statement be-
fore the Coroner's jury, gives har-
rowing account of her husbands |
abuse and cruelty, at home. and
how he was compelled to leave Brem-
erton for participation in shooting
and cutting ARRAY in saloon fight. |
1t is also q matter of record that he |
had assaulted q man named Lang
hart, on upper Tumwater bridge,
during the strike at the brewery last
year, and his trial therefor was
marked with considerable bitterness
in court. 1t seems to be well estab- |
lished that he is a man of morose
disposition, and entirely capable Of
an attempt to take advantage of the
present lax system of retributive
Justice