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. SCURRY ELLIS, Sales Repersentative......... 942-3325
Ext. 213 • esellis@cgsentinel.com
SPORTS DEPARTMENT:
SAM WRIGHT, Sports Editor...................942-3325 Ext.
204 • sports@cgsentinel.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CARLA WILLIAMS, Office Manager.................942-3325
Ext. 201 • billing@cgsentinel.com
LEGALS.............................................................942-3325
Ext. 200 • legals@cgsentinel.com
NEWS DEPARTMENT:
JON STINNETT, Editor......................................942-3325
Ext. 212 • cgnews@cgsentinel.com
GRAPHICS:
RON ANNIS, Graphics Manager
(USP 133880)
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
Ten Weeks ............................................. $9.10
One year ..............................................$36.15
e-Edition year .......................................$36.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: Ten Weeks $11.70; one year, $46.35, e-Edition $43.00.
In foreign countries, postage extra.
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.
Letters to the Editor policy
The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must
be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone
number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local
readers.
Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary.
If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words.
To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent
electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify
spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.