South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-18
Will Testify That Marian
Studied Action of Cyanide
IntentIy Few Days
Before Tragedy.
DEFENSE EXPECTS THIS
TO AID SUICIDE THEORY
Task of Securing Jury Proves
Increasingly Difficult and
Scores of Veniremen
Are Rejected.

International News Service:
WAUKEGAN. III. May While
the dreary examination Of prospee-
tive jurymen continued today in tina
case Of viii Orpet. charged with
poisoning Marian Lambert. there
came a development that is expected
to prove one Of the most potent
arguments in favor Of the young
students acquittal
The defense. it became known.
will produce Raymond Russell. a
schoolmate Of Maran's. who viii
testify that the day before her body
was found in the woods she was
intently studying a chapter in her
chemistry text book on the actions
of cyanides. And the book. with the
notes written in the margins VIII be
produced as exhibit A Ii was cy-
anide Of potassium that was found
on her cheeks as she lay under the
trees. Crystals Of II were also
under her finger nails, and her
stomach contained considerable
quantity Of the deadly poison.
The defense is confident that
young Russelrs testimony VIII go
far If not proving conclusively. 10
show that Marian Lambert herself
took the poison To escape the dis
grace which she felt was impending.
Study Cyanidcs.
Marian Lam ert's chemistry class
in Deerfeld high school was study
ing the chapter on cyanides the week
that she died
Il remember the dfy we'll" said
young Russell today. as ne showed
the book 70 reporters. This lesson
Che indicated several pagesl was as
signed on Tuesday-the last day
Marian came 20 school The whole
chapter we were studying was about
cyanides. I remember IL especially
before Prof Craego said something
about diamonds - diamonds are
among carbonides. you know - and
about how girls liked 10 wear them
remem Der the girls were giggling.
Marian especially. She never paid
much attention 10 her studies any
how.
she was sitting right near me-
and / remember that all OF a sudden
she stopped giggling and began writ
ing little notatIons on the margin OF
the pages containing the lesson for
the next Thursday She turned the
pages and marked them rapidly
She was paying the strictest
attention when Prof Crasgo told
US how deadly cyanides were It
struck me as sort Of funny"
Russell showed the margin OF his
book which was scrawled with the
date. for Thurs. Feb. 10" II was
on THURSDAY Feb. 10. that the aged
father OF Marian came across her
body in the woods
Could Get Poison.
The defense will set forth that the
girl had unlimited opportunities 10
gel the poison from the LARGE stores
kept in her fathers workshop. The
elder Lambert was head gardener on
the Kuppenhelmer country estate
and used much cyanide in the ex-
termination Of the insects which at
tackled his plants Orpets attorneys
will contend that Marian must have
known the deadly qualities OF the
stuf-both from her studies in
school and from watchine her
father spray his plants.
The part which young Russell is
expected 10 play in proving this
contention was the sole topic OF com
ment about the court room today
Sleepy and cross from their night In
crowded sleeping quarters. the
venirenen ambled through the box
and got themselves dismissed as
quickly as possible.
One OF the four men men woo
had been tentatively accepted when
the trial opened this morning was
challenged by the defense because
OF his failure % give a satisfactory
definition for the word hypothesis
The man was Herman Albrecht. a
retired farmer who had formed no
opinion as 70 the guilt or innocence
Of young Orpet, who believed IN
capital punishment and who had a
mind open for circumstantial eyi-
dence.