The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-21
LAURA D. FAIR.
She Tells the Story Of Her
Past Life.
Her Appeal to the Press to be
Let Alone.

the view to correct certain lase ana wicked Reports
that have been circulated by designing persons
against me. and which, for the sake OF my father.
less and, perhaps, soon to be motherless child'
feel II a duty to make. have
A STRONG CONVICTION
in my own mind that right will ultimately triumph
In my case and that the Supreme Court OF this
State WILL by Its adjudication place me once more
where l stood before my trial. and where | can
again be heard in defence OF my conduct before
jury Of my countrymen, who are true honest and
| just bearing no hatred and malice whatever
p9Sr @ wmS mas ssa GSne
and dates as nearly as | can remember them, and
II, by accident, ! should make any mistakes then
they will nave no occasion to do IL has been
publicly charged against me tina.
MY FIRST MARRIAGE
was to q wealthy old man, whose wealth was squan-
dered by me after his decease The name OF my trst
thlrty-sIx years Of age at the time married him.
being young and thoughtless girl only sixteen
Of my iatIer. we were married in New Orleans,
where MIR. Stone lived, beng one OF the commission
Co. Mr. Stone died In about one year after my mar
rage to him, and left without larIhng, although
proof that have never received anything from Mr.
stones estate refer the public to
LETTER FROM H.. l.. STONE
to me- written since have become involved In this
difficulty, which letter reads AS tOllows:-
NEW ORLEANS, March 6, 1871
Laura formerly Laura stone from whom have not heard
viii N
once wrote you that could save anything for you from
hi. death s.Se, interest Of onstard twelve hnnd,sd
s
tst' As as, gs's caused an ct o
Il: % % &C. e
that &C, Of sale they .s will ,h pay you 6 s. have
and may keep time longer; pur-
getting c0nrS Of 4 % Ga, zen ynsn 6ays
s n M a s sSss
the way out Of them speedily. Yours truly,
Direct to care of John A. Roberts, box s4s New orieans
After Mr. stones death entered the Convent Of
the Visitation, at Mobile. under my maiden name.
any means, ana my mother paid my expenses there
out Of the small means left ner by my father. lett
the Convent in June 1856, and returned to New Or
leans, where met
THOMAS J. GRAYsoN,
Q person ! had formerly known IN that city and
me- married him IN the month OF August, 1856.
He proved to be bad man and terrible drunKard,
and he became so hopelessy lost was Obliged TO
leave him; and in January, 1857, leaving him THERE
came with my mother and brother to San Fran
cisco. He demanded that should return to him.
but positively refused, and he applied for divorce
upon the ground OF desertiOn, and none other. lie
, employed an attorney by the name OF D. W. Hen
men, then Of New Orleans, but now Of New York
city, and William Hunt. Of New Orleans acted for
dlvorcing him from bed ana board~the law Of that
State requiring one year TO elapse before uWUrce
could be entered from the bonds OF matrimony, or
what was called final divorce. ! became &C.
quainted with
COLONEL WILLIAM d. FAIR,
who was lawyer In this city, and the matter In
hls hands as my attorney. Prior to this had adj
vised with Governor Foote in relation to the same
vised me that the final divorce mad been granted;
and after being assured it was So l married
Shasta, after lett for Yreka, where Colonel
Fair as then settled in business 1t was here that
was born, in the month Of August, 1850. Judge
Baggs IL now living IN this city and knows OF our
marriage, and knows also that colonel Fair was
poor then, and always was poor. dld not marry
Colonel Fair Tor money, and there Is truth in the
base charge made against Inc that was extrava-
OF this statement the afiidavit OF Judge Baggs,
sustaining me fully on these points. l did
all my own work when we Kept house In
Yreka and kept no servants. Every person who
lived in Yrcka at the nne we lived there VIII bear
me witness Of the truth OF what say. Colonel Fair
lived only three months after we left Yreka. In
OCTOBER OF the year 1861 Colonel Fair made his ar.
rangements 10 move TO san Francisco. and sent me
and my child III advance, While he renamed TO close
up his business, expecting soon To follow, and on
the LIST OF December OF the sans rear he came down
and settled here. was stopping with my mother
In house she had rented IRON Dr. Hitchcock, on
Colonel Fair came immediately to the house and we
lived there together
till he died. lie sent his books ana other things to
DR.. Murpngs Office and took an ONCE there with
him unt he could get one. 1t has oeen cruelty re-
ported that Colonel FAIR was lealouS OF and that
we had separated before MS death. This is
ALL SANDER
II l
he lett the house as usual and went TO MS oillce.
Soon after Dr. Hitchcock called TO see HIM, and
told by me that he was at his Office He went to his
onlce and III attempting 10 open the door found
something heavy against 1t, and pushing 1t open
Colonel Far. He had been shot through the head
with pistol ball, and the world SAID he had COM
United suicide. DR.. Hitchcock came immediately to
our house and informed me Of his death. Colonel
Phelps left Colonel Far but few minutes before
his death In DR.. Murphy's Office near the corner OF
Montgomery and Washington streets. DR.. Murphy
told my mother and myself the same morning O his
death, that Colonel Far had left letter with him
In which he stated that hls vile and family nad no.
thing whatever to do in causing his death. DR..
Murphy was requested afterward to produce the
letter, the papers were accusing me OF the cause
| OF his death, This request was made at different
times and have begged OF him TO produce 1t, but
THERE IS NO SCANDAL
that the ingenuity Of man can devise but what has
been raised against me and circulated with the
rapldty Of lightning since this unfortunate affair OF
mine with Mr.. Crlttenden. 1t has been SAID tnat
Colonel Fair was sherir Of sisKiyou county and
longing the county, and that his WIFE ran away
| with q man by the name OF Gordon. Now, there
was a man by the name OF Fair Sheriff Of that
county, and he is reported to have absconded but
whether he had vile or not am unable to say, or
with her. HIS name was Samuel FAIR, but in no
way was he connected with my husband; and as for
Gordon never saw ay, MN ~ i as been stated tnat
In the Tahoe House. IN virginia City. for attempting
TO ralse the American nag over my house, and that
Mr.. Crittenden defended me. Also that walked
the streets or that city with Confederate nag In
one hand and a pistol In the other. All this is
false, and one OF the meanest things ever uttered
There falsehood enough uttered against me on
my trial, under the s0emnlty OF an oath, TO crush
dozen MORALS like me- without res0rting to whole
sale mendacity like this. This Is all malicious
manufacture. In the first place, never mad
partner Ia business nor IN me Tahoe House. never
had Confederate Tag, and never saw one. never
walked the streets OF Virginia City with pistol In
my hand nag Of any KIND, or the streets OF any
CITY with ether. kept the Tanoe House In
Virginia City, ana kept II alone. About
Christmas Of 1858 a man engaged In the toy
bu siness kept store under my house. He
placed a large Christmas tree, covered with dolls
drums nags, flies and 0tner articles belonging TO q
toy store, upon my balcony; my boarders com.
planned OF the obstruction; then requested the toy
merchant to take 10 away and put 1t upon his own
premises; he refused and SAID be had right 10 puS
II there, when l called my brother, o. d. Hunt, who
was then acting my clerk, and had been for some
time to come ana cut IL down, which he did. Some
OF my friends and told me that the crowd out
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