Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-28
ORPET CASE IS
VERY PERPLEXTNG.
Mark of Suicide and Murder
Become Substantially
as One

hadhGEdii llis u4S o - L llS case
of Marion Lambert and William H
Orpet in the course of its develop
nent became one of the most perplex-
$1g in the annals of criminal history.
Slo1ve paralleled motive, action
3ralleled action, opportunity parallel
ed opportunity until the marks of
murder and suicide become substan-
tally as one.
= In the end the guilt or innocence
OF the defendant, so far as the adduc-
ton of actual fact was concerned went
to the jury on the mystifying niceties
or chemical analysis and Orpets own
compromising conduct. The mystery
attracted unusual interest in all parts
OF the United States and Canada.
Trial of the case including selection
# jury occupied the better part of
two months There appeared in evil
dence forty-four letters written py
Orpet to Marion over a period of a
samples of cyanide from the McCor-
mick estate, from the Deerfield high
school laboratory, from kraft's drug
store at Lake Forest and white powder
scraped from Marion's hand and from
spots on her cloak; the girls gar
mcnts; a magazine article dealing
with the use of cyanide as fumigator
in greenhouses; the chemistry text
books used respectively by the high
school girl and the college student,
copy of the Wisconsin statute dealing
with the sale of poisons, and bottle
of molasses and water.
Long Array of Witnesses
Five chemists. all of whom were
specialists in teNicology, one alienist,
two surveyors, druggists, street car
men. an undertaken. school teachers, |
police officers reporters and friends
OF the Orpets and Lamberts were
among the long array or witnesses
who testified
Ralph W. Dady States attorney of
Lake county; David R. Joslyn, States
attorney of McHenry county and
Eugene NJ. Runyard appeared as coun-
sci for the prosecution, and James H.
Wilkerson, former United States dis
trict attorney at Chicago, Ralph F.
Potter, his law partner, and Leslie P.
Hanna, of Waukegan, for the defense.
More than thousand veniremen were
examined before a jury, said by coun-
sci upon its selection to be above the
average in intelligence and character,
was chosen. Judge Charles H. Don
nelly, presided
The series of parallels started at
Lake Forest, one of a series of aristo-
cratic suburbs dotting the heavily
wooded bluffs along the west shore of
Lake Michigan from Chicago to
Waukegan, for Frank Lambert, father
or Marion, was superintendent of the
huppenheimer estate, and Edward 0.
Orpet, father of the defendant, super
intendent of the estate of Cyrus Nc
Cormick, both at Lake Forest.
Last summer young Orpet then a
pallid, slender youth of nineteen, of
sharply regular features. somewhat
vain of his college opportunities and
lndisciplined as to character, returned
from the University of Wisconsin at
Madison for a vacation at home. He
fell madly in love with Marion, ac-
cCrding to his letters. She had COM
11z TAI = S,,,, 49, ~
High school and was then seventeen
and known for her gaiety and laugh
ter-'the life of the party" as one
witness put it.
She Saved His Letters
When Orpet returned to college in
the Fall of 1915 frequent letters we're
exchanged. Orpet destroyed hers; !
she saved his and they remained after
her death to speak of the great fear
! OF exposure that came upon her.
Orpet, in testifying, said that he was
certain that these fears were ground
molasses and water ito ease her
mind" and he brought a similar COM
pound with him for the same purpose
when he entered Helms woods, near
Lake Forest, with her on the morning
o. Wednesday, February 8, last
Orpet testified that he made the
trip to allay her fears and to explain
story which had reached Marion
tEat he was engaged to one Celestia
4ouker, but the elaborate efforts
which he made to keep the trip secret
and his subsequent conflicting state
ments of it to officers of the law de-
veloped into the most damaging ev-
dence against him. It led to the
menacing question of Mr.. Joslyn.
reiterated again and again: Why?
Why? Why? Why did you come? You
brought no relief; you brought no
medicine; you brought no tenderness
no words of love! Why did you
Gomez"
On February s, Orpet at Madison
left three letters, post-dated February
mailed on the latter date. one was
to his mother one to Marion. and
the third TO Marion's friend Josephine
Davis. They were worded to make
it appear that the writer was in. Madi-
son on February 8, the day ne kept
his tryst in the woods with Marion.
and she came to her death
Writes Alibi Letters
Orpet explained on the stand that
the alibi letters as they came to be
known, were written so that if by ac-
cioent he were seen at Lake Forest
and word of the fact reached Marion's
parents, who objected to him, or his
own parents, who expected him to re-
main faithful to college duties at
Madison, they would accept the let
terS as conclusive evidence to the con-
trary. The letter to Josephine was to
corroborate that to Marion. Josephine
testified that she never received it.
On the afternoon of the eighth, in
dark overcoat which he said he had
borrowed to wear with dress suit to
a party which he expected to attend
on the twelfth, carrying the bottle of
rnolasses and water in his pocket, and
leaving behind him the alibi letters
and a bed rumpled to deceive his
landlady, the student proceeded by
way of Milwaukee, where he spent
half hour or so between trains, to Lake
Forest Arriving there he arranged
by telephone to meet Marion on her
way to school the next morning.
walked about for a while to make GER
tain that his parents had retired, and
entered the Mccormick garage where
he spent the night on cot
In the morning he and Marion met
and walked through the snow into the
y voods. Orpet testified that there was
little conversation, and he could recol
lect only the purport of it. He offered
her the medicine" and she refused il,
He started to leave but she called him
back and asked If he was going to
write to her any more He said there
seemed to be no use of it. and started
awaY again.
L - l..