Without their involvement, many details of the case might never have been unearthed and, without doubt, Inspector Lamberth’s name would not have been rightfully added to the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Tennessee prison records for the 1918 – 1920 time frame are also nonexistent. The 1920 National Census reveals that a man named John B. Gibson resided in a Tennessee prison, but the offense is not listed and the inmate’s age does not match that of Lamberth’s killer. He is also listed as being an unskilled laborer. The John B. Gibson of this story was not only a rural letter carrier but a barber, which was a skilled profession in the early 20th century and undoubtedly a talent highly valued in prison. Fingerprints and photographs of inmates in 1920, if they ever existed, have long since been destroyed. In summary, we must rely on the best available evidence for this story—court records, an appellate court decision, newspaper stories, and the recollections of descendants. Based on these sources, John B. Gibson, aka “Gipson,” appears to have eluded punishment, although he was convicted for his crime. Inspector Lamberth’s brother wept openly when he spoke of this tragedy, telling family members that the man who killed his brother never served a day in prison. The brother was apparently correct, although he never knew that the man who took his brother’s life had escaped prison not by death, but by deception. Acknowledgements Researching a Post Office Inspector’s murder that occurred in 1917 required a team approach. Special thanks are extended to the following people, whose cooperation, time, and talents were essential to solving the mystery of Inspector Lamberth’s murder. Without their involvement, many details of the case might never have been unearthed and, without doubt, Inspector Lamberth’s name would not have been rightfully added to the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
