Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-07-16
Waukegan jury Decides
Student Did Not Poison
Marian Lambert.
TRAGEDY BEGINS;
WITH LOVE AFFAIR
Ease OF Marian Lambert and VIII
Orpet Was Il Series of Parallels. Be-
ing Submitted to Jury on Mystify-
ing Niceties OF Chemical Analysis.

Waukegan. H., July 15.-Will H.
Orpet, the University of Wisconsin
student tried here on an Indictment
charging him with the murder of
Marion Lambert, a high school girl
and his former sweetheart, was found
not guilty tonight by jury in Judge
Donnelly's court, after five hours
deliberation. Three ballots were
taken, the first two standing II to l
for acquittal.
Tears came into Orpet's eyes when
the verdict was announced, but he
quickly regained his self-possesson.
william, come on home" said
| Orpet's mother, as she arose from her
seat. Mrs. Orpet has never once lost
her composure, and throughout the
long trial has indicated entire con-
fidence that her son would be ac-
quilted.
When Mr.. Joslyn finished his argu-
ment for the state today, Judge DON
nelly began reading his instructions to
the jury. They were characterized by
James w. Wilkerson and Ralph F.
Potter, counsel for Orpet, virtually
q command to acquit.
Case Perplexing One.
The case of Marion Lambert and
William H. Orpet in the course of it's
development became one of the most
perplexing in the annals of criminal
history. Motive paralleled motive,
paralleled opportunity until the marks
of murder and of suicide became sub,
stantialiy as enc.
In theaend the guilt or innocence OF
the defendant, SO far as the abduction
of actual fact was concerned, went to
the jury on the mystifying niceties Of
chemical analysis and Orpet's own
compromising conduct. The mystery
attracted unusual interest in all parts
of the United States and Canada.
Trial of the case including selection
of jury occupied the better part of
two months. There appeared in evil
dence A letters written by Orpet to
Marion over a period of year; bottles
and boxes containing samples of
cyanide from the Mccormick estate,
from the Deerfield high school labora-
tory, from Kraft's drug store at Lake
Forest and white powder scraped from
Marion's hand and from spots on her
cloak; the girls garments; magazine
article dealing with the use of cyanide
as a fumigator in greenhouses; the
chemistry text books used respective
ly by the high school girl and the
college student, a copy of the Wiscon-
sin statute dealing with the sale of
poisons, and bottle of molasses and
water.
Five chemists, all of whom were
specialists in toxicology, 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 of witnesses
who testified.
The series of parallels started at
Lake Forest, one of 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
of Marion, was superintendent of the
Kuppenheimer estate, and Edward O.
Orpet, father Of the defendant, super
intendent of the estate of Cyrus Nc
Cormick, both at Lake Forest.
Falls Madly in Love.
Last summer, young Orpet, then a
pallid, slender youth of 49,, Of sharply
regular features, somewhat vain Of
his college opportunities and undis-
ciplined as to character, returned from
the University Of Wisconsin at Madi-
son for vacation at home. He fell
madly in love with Marion, according
to his letters. She had completed her
junior year at the Deerfield High
school, and was then II and known for
her gaiety and laughter-"the life of
the party" as one witness put it. .
/. When Orpet returned to college in