Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-04-25
A Female Bandit.

" ave AP W MS "uOlG income, ana COUSR-
quently LET; his family so poor ct his death
that the expenses Of his modest funeral, even,
completely exhausted the pitiful estate
Bereft OF her husband, the widow Hunt
found herself penniless in the world, with
two young daughters and q son looking to her
Tor support; aud in this accuaulatiou of
grief, helpless0ess, aud iuordiuate RESPONSE.
bIIity, knew Of uaUght else practicable than
the removal with her three charges to New
Orleans, where lived some distant relatives of
her late husband, aud where her son, at least.
might be able TO enter into some employment
Us ~ aid to the maintenance OF his sisters
10 said city, then, after while, the Hunts
removed, aud, according to report, lived there
IN very narrow circumstances for two or three
years. DrudgeTy aud obscUrity might have
continued to be their lot but for the more uu.
cominon aud far less happy destiny of one of
the daughters, Miss Laura, who, to personal
beauty of vers striking type added Iueata!
characteristics III chronic revolt against her
trying domestic station iu lille. At sixteen
years OF age this girl was as Conscious of her
physical aud intellectual tiIucss to shine in the
highest sphere Of social existence as of the
adverse worldly circumstances dooming her to
toI! aud hGrdshiP III the lowest, and from
the time OF the removal of the family to
Louisiana, she seems to have bent al! her
the bonds Vt adve.sIty by the sheer strength
OF her wit and beauty, aud ruisiug her re!a,
t!ves and herself to something like ambitious
living. 1t chanced that the IMPOVERISHED
family, III the course Of their petty trading
become acquainted with i rich wholesale
grocer, named Strong, who, although old
enough to have been the grandfather OF Laura.
suffered the attractions OF the Young lady to
cn;hIai hIJ wItOwers heart with sentimental
TapIdIty, and was tempted By her aluiable de
meanor TO offer his hand III marriage. If
there Is nothing in the published record of
this part Ut Miss Hunts life to shuyy that
She !e!t any particular affection lo- the suitor,
there II also nothing to justify the idea that
her acceptance Of his ardent suit was auy
more talntcdwuh unwOmauiy motives than aIc
the matches Of convenience arranged in the
most polite society every year. 1t is but lust
To give her the credit IA this matter of the
s"pposiiion dclracting the least from her
CHARACTER Tor GeiIcacy aud average integrity.
BeIn" that a. it might have beeE. however.
NJ. Strong offer accepted the marriage
took place, and the bridegroom money lifted
The BRIDE aud her family, icm pUrarIly, TO com.
iOrtabIe circumstances. SummOuny common
Christian charity TO the qualification Of in-
dIV!duai judgement again, II Is possible to be-
NeTc Iuat, # this matrimonial union had
Of the young wife might have been preserved
from 2ny signal peTversion, aud her subse.
qnent career undistIngushed By more folIies
aod offences than ordinary scli-wilIcd women
hud lnduigencc for every day but, unhap>
pliy, soon alter the wedding the husband was
revealed Es little better than a drunken. des-
potic savage, who, III his frequent cups, treat.
ed his wife with outright brutality. At first
Laura was contented to know that her friends
understood the condition of affairs, and sym.
Paihlsed with her strongly as they dc.
nounced her husband but, being finally ez>
usPeTated into the bravado Of a pretended
Filtration by some particularly Insulting act of
her husbands, the latters behavio. to her be-
came 50 outrageous that she at once left him
aud made application for divorce. The suit
never came ~ trial, because Strong died of
"II'''d PotR while 1t WaS yet pending; but
from the moment Of having resort to that
remedy Laura seemed to cast aside all that
there was of her better nature and become
careless alike of the judgments Of God and
man. Because her sister had married a re-
iatIve 0! her late husband, she persuaded her
mother and other relatives to dIsown the of,
fender Telen'less!y tor lite. All who had in
the most riAing degree made allowances
for the deceased grocer she abused and defed
without stint, while her spirit of appreciation
for those who Lad Internationally cham pioped
her cause was extravagantly evinced bv her
marriage with one of them, a gentleman
named GraysOn, in the first month Of her
wIdOThoud. by this act she forfeited the re.
gard OF oil her worthy friends, and scarcely
was the scandal over 1t at its food. when she
left her second husband for some wild reason
never explained, to mourn that he had ever
known her, aud it is said, TO commi, suicide.
Become now and through female outlaw and
adventurer, and possessed, apparently, of e
reckless determination TO prey upon all whom
she could cusaare into her net, she induced
Or, rather, commanded her rather weak
minded mother and brother TO 20 with her
to California where, as she thought. the field
OF her proposed depredations might be less
circumscrIbcd by the restraints Of social
cIyiiZlt!on. 1t does not appear clearly wherh.
er her ihITd husband, Colonel Fair, was me,
and married by her in the South before the
California departure, or was amongst those Erst
GIeciIug her at The mines :" but II vas Ger.
taiEiy as Mrs Fair that the innocent and vi
vacioGs Laura Hunt Of former times Opened a
hotel-the Fair House"-in 1851 or 1856.
IN Virginia City. Nevada. The story of this
marriage Is enveioPed IN some mystery. The
Colorado ChiejtTiH says that its brief period
had Its scene in townsville, California. where,
after many iu!e!cities. the husband blew his
brains out. aud ,hs wife departed With his eF-
iec's for San Francisco. According to this
account, it mus. have been late in 1854 or
early ia 1850 that the woman undertook the
career Of an actress on the stage Of the Me-
tEoPo!itnn Theatre, in the city Of the Golden
Gate. Whatever the exact date OF it. this
new venture did not attain sufficient success
10 last long. In the character Of Lady Teazle;-
however, Mrs Fair was effective enough to
please At least one Of her auditors, briIllan.