Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-04-28

and sharpers, she was keeping the "FaIr
House" or "Hotel," her Southern sym
pathies'' in the war induced her to shoot
q fourth husband dead for evinciDg his
"Union sympa:hies" by mailing the ma
tional flag to the staff of the House! MIR.
Crittenden, who was in Virginia CITY at
that time attending to some mining claims
of his own, defended her in her ensuing
trial for murder, and that with snch elo-
quence aud legal effect that she was &C
quilted Unhappy was the day for the
able advocate when he allowed the inh1-
ence Of former imprudent acquaintance
and present sectional sympathy to lead
him into the new relation with this dan
perous woman of one who had saVei her
life. She left the courtroom only to re
claim her prey, and rob him anew OF hon
or and fortune It was during the second
enslayement of Crittenden. says q CORES
pondent of the New Bedford Mercury,
that Mrs Fair, as she was still called, paid
a flying visit to this city. (1666.) and,
sending for a lawyer whom she had known
in New Orleans, placed in his hands pro
perty to the amount Of $4,000 to be in,
vested for her las 1t is supposed still to be)
in government bonds. Upon her return
after this to San Francisco she soon mar
ried wealthy man named Snyder, from
whom, after put six weeks in his company,
she released herself by divorce. In 1868
she was in this city again, at an up town
hotel, evidently schemng to gain spoils by
another rich marriage; but, failing in this,
she returned once more to California, an6
sought new league with Mr.. Critten-
den. at last, however, even the
most chivalrous, weak hearted, generous
of her victims had awakened to o realizing
sense of her evil power and his own past
folly, and. having sent word to his family to
come to him from Eastern States, refusing
to hold any further acquaintance with her.
Remonstrs ting. threatening, forcing her
self into his presence, she declared that be
was her husband and dared him to cast
her of. Readers of the newspapers know
what came of this at last Some weeks
ago, while Mr.. Crittenden was crossing the
ferry from Oakland to San Francisco with
his wife aud children, who had but just
come by Pacific Railroad from the Last,
he was suddenly confro nted in the cabin
of the boat by the woman tC whom he had
saved life and given fortune, and shot
down by her like dog. Death like that was
the wages of sin; and now, she who slew
him is being tried for the murder. Accord
ing TO the kilograms of the past week
from San Francisco, the murderess, Jar
from being awed By her terrible situation,
eudacioGsly defends her whole career of
indiscriminate marriage, plumber and muir
declares LnaC, III INC SIRuG Oh dOO,
she was Crittenden's true wife" and justl-
fies the very astounding wickedness of the
last eighteen years of her life by the lad
vanced theories of the free-love school"
few days-possiby few hours-will
show what is TO be the fate OF TINS IN
happy creature, so far as the law shall de-
eide it but the many-sided moral OF her
whole career is not to be defined and
ended thus. She belongs. evidently, to
a class OF women which the 'AIiss Gwilt"
III WiIkie Collins romance of "Armadale"
is an underdrawn rather than an over
drawn illustration, and the true social les
son of her typical story is. that what. oever
tends, in any degree, to s'dewomanize"
her sex, to make it hold Lightly or scepti-
cally the modest delioacy subscribing all Its
distinctive and instructive natural virtue,
tends in the same degree, by inexorable
natural law, to produce being compound
ed of the Intensified vice, rather than the
virtue, of both sexes.