The Washington times., 1933-06-01
AIDE
ASKS CHARGE
Of MURDER
District Attorney to Decide
Today Action on Stanford
Campus Mystery

SAN JOSE, Cal, June l GN.S)
Undersheriff Earle Hamilton, con-
cluding an exhaustive investiga-
tion today of the Stanford Univer-
Sity campus bathtub mystery
death of Mrs. Allene Thorpe Lam
son, declared that he and other Of
ficials had enough evidence" to
recommend to District Attorney
Frederick Thomas that he issue a
murder warrant against the dead
matron's husband, David A. L1m-
son.
Hamilton said:
From many sources we have
gathered evidence and teSti-
mOny which leads us to be-
lieve that the district attorney
would make no mistake in
bringing LamsOn to trial"
District Attorney Thomas said
that at a conference with his own
investigators and Sheriff w. ].
Emig the decision would be made
either to lodge charges against
Lamson or release him from the
county jail cell he has occupied
here since Memorial Day, when he
ran to the front door Of his
campus home and shouted:
''My God, my wife's been
murdered"
This cry led to the. discovery
of Mrs. Lamson's nude body in
the tub, her head crushed, and
to an investigation which has
shaken the proud Stanford cam
pus with it's many prominent fig
ures, including the Herbert
Hoovers, the Ray Lyman Will
burs and others, all friends or
close acquaintances of the popu-
lar young couple.
Gather Up Loose Ends
Wilbur, member of ex-President
Hoover's Cabinet, and Mrs. Will
bur, were present at the Lam
sons wedding, one of the society
events of the university and Of
the San Francisco peninsula.
Sheriff Emig and his men, as
sisted by the district attorneys
staff, announced that they had
gathered most of the loose ends"
of the case together, despite
"heartbreaking rebuffs" on the
campus and pressure The Sher-
iff said:
'Tt's up to the district attOr-
ney now"
The prosecutor said:
"We'H go over the case and
all its evidence thoroughly and
then make our decision, for it
Is difficult decision under any
circumstances, whether murder
or accidental death"
Pressure" Used
District Attorney Thomas ad-
mitted press ure" had been
brought to bear on him., but de-
MED it came directly" from
prominent Stanford personages.
He said:
"It was just reported to me
that they were wOnd ering
around the campus why all the
fuss over an accidental death.
Well, still hold to my original
opinion that somebody killed
Mrs. LamSon, the affectiOnate
mother of a 2-year-Old baby
and I'd like to bring the slayer
to Justice"
In the meantime LamSon,
sales manager of the Stanford
University Press, college publish
ing house, and q former Stan
ford journalistic and dramatic
star, Historically insisted his
wife was murdered, while his at
torney, ex-Representative Arthur
M. Free, was equally insiStent
that she had met accidental
death.
Lamson brought second man
into the scene of tragedy by de-
claring:
Another man was in the
house that morning when my
wife was kilIed-and I know
she was killed."
Free also said he has "indis-
81 think I could find the
man, as he is prominent on the
campus. But he was in the
house before Mrs. LamSOn met
death, and I do not intend to
involve him in this affair, as I
am positive Mrs. LamSOn was
killed in an accidental fan in
the tub"
Sheriff Emig said he uncovered
nothing to verify either Lamson's
story of a second man in the
house or Frees theory of acci-
dental death.
Lamson's cell resembled room
in a fraternity house as a score
of his Alpha Sigma Phi brothers
called on him with various furn-
ishingS to make his jail stay more
comfortable.
However, tragic meeting took
place as the college men left and
LamSon'S sister and his mother,
with his motherlesS babe in her
arms, were ushered in.
And after them came E. A.
Roth, controller of Stanford and
by virtue Of the post the unof-
ficial mayor" of the university
community with it's far-flung
boundaries enclosing the halls of
learning and many beautiful
homes, including the San Juan
Hill mansion of the HooverS.