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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL December 9, 2015 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History The case of Charity Lamb, Oregon’s most misunderstood ax-murderess BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel F or many years, the case of Charity Lamb was looked at like a crime-fi ction yarn from a pulp magazine like Spicy Detec- tive. It seemed to have it all: illicit sex, a mother-daughter love trian- gle, conspiracy — and, of course, a brutal ax murder committed by a woman with the most ironically innocuous name imaginable. “Charity Lamb and her 17-year- old daughter shared a passion for a drifter named Collins,” pop- historian Malcolm Clark Jr. ex- plains breezily, in his 1981 book Eden Seekers. “When (Nathan- iel) Lamb, as outraged father and cuckolded husband, strongly pro- tested, Charity cut off his objec- tions with an ax.” The real story, of course, is not only more nuanced, but, well, to- tally different. In actual fact, the only part of Clark’s account that’s historically supportable is the names of the involved parties, the words “strongly protested,” and the word “ax.” Its original source appears to have been a newspa- per article in the Oregon Weekly Times headlined “Revolting Mur- der,” the only sources of which were a neighbor and a bitter inter- view with the dying Mr. Lamb. The true story of the Charity Lamb murder will never really be known. But here, as closely as I can pick it out, is the story of how she became Oregon’s fi rst-ever convicted murderess: Nathaniel and Charity Lamb journeyed out to Clackamas Coun- ty on the Oregon Trail in 1852 and staked a land claim about 10 miles up the Clackamas River from Ore- gon City. There were few friendly faces in their new home, especial- ly for Charity; they had left all her close friends and relatives behind when they left. The Lambs had fi ve children, ranging in age from a newborn baby to a 19-year-old daughter. They also had, according to the testimony of their children, a very stormy relationship. The winter af- ter they arrived, Nathaniel knocked Charity down with a punch and kicked her several times for not helping him carry a log. The sum- mer after they arrived on the Or- egon Trail, he threw a hammer at her and it clipped her on the fore- head, cutting a big gash. He once held her at gunpoint when she was trying to leave. By the late spring of 1854, things had gotten worse. In part, that was because of the mysteri- ous Mr. Collins. Mary Ann, the 19-year-old daughter, was much smitten with Collins, who had stayed with the family earlier in the season before moving on to California. He apparently quite liked Mary Ann, too, but Nathan- iel wouldn’t hear of the match and had forbidden her to communicate with him. So Charity helped Mary Ann write him a letter — and then Nathaniel caught Mary Ann with the letter. This letter brought things to a head. The children testifi ed that Nathaniel was scolding and shout- ing at Charity all week. And a sin- ister new element now entered the abuse: death threats. “He said she had better not run off,” 13-year-old Abram Lamb testifi ed in her trial, “for if she went when he was away he would follow her, and settle her when she didn’t know it. I heard her say that morning, before I went out with Pap hunting, that he was going to kill her, and she didn’t know what to do.” By “that morning,” Abram was referring to the fateful morning which was to end in bloody mur- der. On that morning, as Nathaniel was setting out on a bear hunt with Abram and a neighbor, Nathaniel stopped at the end of the yard as he walked away from the house. Apparently thinking no one but Charity was watching, he turned, set his rifl e down on the railing to steady it, and carefully drew a bead on his wife. “I was in the house and saw it,” nine-year-old Thomas Lamb tes- tifi ed. “When Mary Ann rose up and saw it, he turned away the gun and shot it off at a big tree.” It seems likely that Nathaniel didn’t intend to actually kill his wife, even if he wanted to. Theirs was a large family, including a nursing baby who would be very hard to keep alive without his mother. But by the time he re- turned from his hunting trip, hav- ing bagged a bear, she appears to have been utterly convinced that he did — and she (and, probably, Mary Ann) had formulated a des- perate plan to ensure her survival: Murder. Please see OFFBEAT, Page 5A Holiday prep should include fi re safety With the holiday season in full swing, State Fire Marshal Jim Walker urges citizens to remember fi re prevention when decorating and enter- taining. From 2010 through 2014, there were 2,899 residential fi res in Oregon during the holiday period from Nov. 22 through Jan. 15. These fi res resulted in nine deaths, 154 injuries, and more than $54.8 million in property loss. "This season is a busy and exciting time of year, but don't let that distract you from keeping your family and friends safe from fi re," says Walker. "By following a few important prevention tips for Christmas trees, decorations, and candles, you can help ensure your holidays remain happy." Tree care and decorating tips: Choose a fresh, healthy tree with a deep-green color and fl exible needles. When you get the tree home, cut off the bottom two inches of the trunk. This cre- ates a fresh, raw cut for the tree to soak up water. Water your tree daily. A tree may consume between a quart and a gallon of water per day. Place the tree at least three feet away from any heat source such as a fi replace, woodstove, space heater, heating vent, baseboard heat- er, or radiator. Use only noncombustible or fl ame resistant materials to trim a tree. Always unplug tree lights before leaving home or going to bed. If using a woodstove or fi re- place, keep it screened at all times. Keep ribbons, boughs, and other decorative materi- als at least three feet away. After the holiday season or whenever your tree dries out, promptly dispose of it and other dry greenery. Burning a tree in a stove or fi replace is extremely dangerous; proper disposal includes recycling or pick-up by a disposal service. Never burn wrapping pa- per in the fi replace or wood stove. Wrapping paper burns at higher temperatures than wood and can cause a chim- ney fi re. Electrical safety Maintain your holiday lights. Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, and broken or cracked sockets. Do not overload electrical sockets. Do not link more than three light strands, un- less the manufacturer's direc- tions indicate it is safe. Protect electrical cords from damage. To avoid shock or fi re hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, placed under rugs, located near heat sources or attached by nails or staples. Make sure all extension cords and electrical deco- rations used outdoors are marked for outdoor use. candleholder is not available, the candle can be placed on a non-combustible plate. Place candles out of reach of small children and pets. Avoid candles with items embedded in them such as twigs, fl owers, or leaves. These items can ignite or even explode. Always use a fl ashlight -- not a candle -- for emergency lighting. Candle safety Keep combustibles at least three feet from heat sources. For increased protection, have working smoke alarms on every level of your home (including the basement), in each bedroom, and in the hall- way outside each bedroom. Make a home fi re escape plan and practice it with your family and any overnight guests. Keep escape routes clear of clutter so you can escape quickly in case of fi re. Consider using battery- operated fl ameless candles, which can look and smell like real candles. Never leave a burning can- dle unattended. Extinguish candles when you go to bed, leave a room, or before leav- ing the house. Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn. Keep candles at least one foot from combus- tibles including clothing, cur- tains, upholstered furniture, greenery, and decorations. Always use a sturdy non- combustible (metal, glass, or ceramic) candleholder. If a sturdy non-combustible General fi re safety For more information on fi re safety visit: http://www. oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/pages/ com_ed_section.aspx Protein for weight loss? BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel strong and healthy. We do need protein, but more is not neces- sarily better, and high-protein foods are not always healthful. In every cell in the human body, the DNA contains a code that tells the cell which proteins to make. Proteins have a lot of different roles in the body; some provide structure like collagen, some facilitate contact or move- W e are all taught that protein is a super nutrient that will make us lean, $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424 ADMINISTRATION: JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher.............................. GARY MANLY, General Manager................942-3325 Ext. 207 • publisher@cgsentinel.com ROBIN REISER, Sales Repersentative...............942-3325 Ext. 203 • robin@cgsentinel.com E. 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No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable. Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Local Mail Service: If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know. Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Advertising ownership: All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval. Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2015 Cottage Grove Sentinel. ment, and others act as enzymes, signals, receptors, or transport- ers. In order to make all of these proteins, we have to consume protein and break it down into its constituent amino acids. High-protein foods do tend to be low in glycemic load. This is what the high-protein, low-carb diets get right. They avoid dan- gerous high-glycemic refi ned carbohydrates—sugar, white rice and white fl our products. In the process, they also limit dan- gerous trans fats. It is important to remember though, just like excess carbohydrate and fat cal- ories, if you take in more pro- tein calories than your body can use right away, those calories get stored as fat. Refi ned carbohydrates are empty calories that are absorbed quickly, and they lead to over- eating. Foods that are higher in protein, fi ber, and/or resistant starch provide the satiety factor that is missing in refi ned car- bohydrates and help to prevent blood glucose spikes, so we are not driven to overeat. High pro- tein diets can be successful for weight loss in the short-term, but because they are so focused on animal foods, they are dan- gerous in the long-term. Low- carbohydrate/high-protein diets have been linked to increased risk of heart disease, cancer and premature death. Although plant protein is of- ten described as “incomplete,” it has been known for many years that all plant foods contain all of the amino acids. Different plant foods may be low in a certain essential amino acid, but as long you are eating a variety of plant foods and taking in an adequate number of calories, you will get adequate amounts—but not too much—of all the essential ami- no acids. Animal protein and plant protein both provide us with adequate amounts of all of the amino acids, but animal protein is more concentrated in the es- sential amino acids, and for this reason animal protein increases the body’s production of a hor- mone called IGF-1, which is associated with aging and an in- creased risk of several different cancers. One interesting study followed over 85,000 women and 44,000 men for more than 20 years, (26 years in women and 20 years in men) recording over 12,500 deaths. This research team found animal protein-rich diets were associated with a 23 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, whereas plant protein- rich diets were associated with a 20 percent decreased risk. In ad- dition to animal protein, a diet high in animal products delivers additional harmful, pro-infl am- matory or pro-oxidant substanc- es. Animal foods are higher in arachidonic acid, saturated fat, carnitine and choline, heme iron, substances linked to dis- ease pathologies, which should be minimized for good health. The number of grams of pro- tein humans need in a day has been estimated at .8g/kg/day (about 36 grams of protein per 100 pounds of body weight). However, it is not important to count the number of grams of protein in the food you eat to make sure you reach this num- ber. If you are eating adequate calories and a variety of foods, it is almost impossible to con- sume too little protein. For a typical day, a Nutritarian menu of 1700-1800 calories provides approximately 60-70 grams of protein. The point is that when you eat an anti-cancer diet to promote longevity, you strive to consume more colorful plants, reducing animal protein consid- erably. It is both these features that lead to the dramatic disease- protective lifespan benefi ts. Eat a high-nutrient (Nutritarian) diet, and forget about protein, you will automatically get the right amount. Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a family physician specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medi- cine. Visit his informative web- site at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to newsquestions@drfuhrman. com. The full reference list for this article can be found at DrFuhrman.com. 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