The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-04-28

One of the most exciting criminal cases ever
tried before the courts OF San Francisco, and
eoualled in intensity o finterest only by the eel
ebrated Mcfarland trial 10 New York. is that OIL
Laura D. Fair, for the assassination Of Judge
a. P. Crittenden, which has just been brought
to a close, By the conviction OF the accused oil
Muran. in the First Degree. The facts OF the
case are so revolving that even a faithful
| chronlcler OF passing events, whose duty it Is
to rive 'the form anil pressure Of the time,'
might desire to withhold them from the public
observation. Tue. case is analogous to the
Mcfarland tragedy, but marked by three-fold
enormity In every feature. 1t Is that Ola MUIR
der, or assassination, perpetrated By a woman,
stepped in moral turpitllde. upon q paramour
no less guilty Of conjugal taithlessness and So
cial crime. The circumstances OF the crime.
50 far as they have been revealed at the trial.
are briefly these:
HISTORY OF Ii CASE.
woman, now known as Mr.. Laura Fair.
who is described as handsome and fascinating
in her appearance and manners, and as having
early developed strOng-minded proclivities-
which the reader may understand to mean
absence Of modest and delicate sentiment, I'M
patience of parental restraint, and contempt
Of the refinement Of thought and action cue 10
her seX-was married at the age Of sixteen,
and separated from her first love and Young
husband within a yedr. A second husband
soon succeeded. whose welded life was limi-
red to half q year, at tie end Of which time the
(allhless wife had tOrsaktn her second home.
No divorce appears to have been required IN
either case 10 consumnate q separation sails
i~tctorily TO both parties. a third husband
was soon found in a Colonel Fair, whose
name'the wrelched wolna now bears. Ihe
connection with him. for some congeniallty or
cause not explained, was of longer continu-
ance, harin. lasted harmonious1y several
years, and until O more absolute and efectual
separation than in the other cases had been e-
lected By his death. These events had trans
pired somewhere at the South, the lnst-rnrn-
toned husband having been ensnared IN New
Orleans. About the time OF his death the rest
less widow had removed to San Francisco,
where she became q hote-keeper on u some
what extensive scale, and where in due time
her s~.rong.nlnded proclivitics were put In
practice la q personal quarrel, in which she
was somehow the cause vi the unnatural death
N !ler antagonist, by shooting or otherwise.
Having occasion fos lega. defence In the case,
she employed Mr.. a. I. Crittenden, a distin-
guished or popular criminal lawyer OF San
Francisco. who managed her defence SO elo-
qnenily and adroitly as 10 obtain her ac-
%luittal, while she improved the oppor-
luuity to manage for herself 81 adroitly
rs TO obtain his conviction That she was a
lit and willing object of his criminal regard.
An intimacy succeeded, which was continued
for three or four years, and carried to the eX-
tremest extent OF vicious affection and mad
leneG folIN. to the existence and long conuml-
ance of which the fact Of his having q wife and
family in San Francisco. who were cognlzant
of the unlicensed and shameless acquaintance,
seems to have presented no effectlal obstacle.
C%rittenden's wife visited the sorceress, and be-
sought her Tor her w sake and that Of the In
EIuated husband and his children 10 abandon
the guilty course which was bringing shame
and ruin upon both. She was met BY n firm
refusal aud q bold declaration Of strong minded
impiety, that Mrs. CrIttenden herself was the
only 'adulteress in the matter, anu that she
Mrs. Fair) was the true wife OF ~Crlltenden,
having married hin, not in any legal Or other
form recognized by The weak-lninded world,
bnt in 1.-The purest, most holy and fullest
sense" Pure md holy ind insepara6le, how
ever, as this relation was, its course. like that
of true love, was not Invariably smooth. A
transient misunderstanding separated the par.
lies for q brief period, during which the alice
lions dnd plighled tuith OF this holy vile were
transferred to another man by The name OF
Snyder, 10 whom she WAS actually and legally
married. This alliance was purely eplletheral.
Snyder was soon disposed Of by q divorce, AMI
Mrs. Fair, as she agaln called herself. returned
to The enchantmenL Of CrittPldefl, from whom
she succeeded Ia obtaining q promise that h.
would procure q divorce from his VILE and
,narry her, not merely In the ''pnrrsi, holiesL
aud fullest sense' which they had heretofore
recognized. but acc0rdin. 10 tine forms OF law.
Crilt.ndeu 1t seems was Inclined 10 evade the
wicked and foolish promise he hal made
under the duress. of his miscellaneous passion,
and upon being impnrtuned Very strennOl:ly
oy Mrs. Fair for The iIltllment Of 1t. effected u
compromise ty substituting apleuSc, Which, II
less wicked, was more foolish, that he would
not kiss his vile upon meeting her. as he was
then expecting 10 do, on her return from an
extended visit to the Atlantic States. She
went to The railroad station 10 witness tile
meeIin. and to test the sincerity OF the pledge.
The miserable Crittenden met bis abused but
ia!lliral and truly loving wife with Il kiss, and
in The next moment met almost instant death
IRON 4 pistol ball aJ the llan'ls pi his more
miserable companion in almost ~uEeXamp!ed
guilt.
THE LovE.LETTERs.
The loye-letlers which make Il part OF this
most extraordinary AID shocking affair. give
an idea of The lniatiation III the victim Which
no mere narrative or the leading incidents OF
the transaction caS possibly convey. Five
years ago. in the early stage OF the Illicit ac-
oualntanCe, Crittenden, on leaving the city
temporarily, writes To Tie object vi his from
less passion, from the FIRST post, that he can
not ret a dozen miles from home without
writing to tell her goodbye again" Soon at
forwards he writes: ''In my eyes there IS out
woman, and that is my Laura. Ny darling,
when | meet others only draw the contrast in
NV own mind, knowing that on earth there Is
bit one woman" In an apparently cons
sc:cnce-smitten moment. on another oc'
cas!on, the foolish dupe says ply
sioallp, my darling, l am well. But
nv heart, my God how it sinks, at
times, when | dare 10 look into the luture-at
what is inevitable, and what ! feel Is even
now approaching. There are moments when
I dread insanity anil crime, but lt Is folly TO
either teel or talk 3d." In the absence Of Ills
enchantrcss, the mean and unhappy man was
constantly brooding over The chances OF her
iorsaking and forgetting him in other assocla-
lions by which she was surrounded, ana spent
his lime mainly in the pursuit OF objects ana
attractions which were calculated to sllfie MS
Jealous apprehensions. On one occasion he
writes: .'Ar my office on Sunday, only to
think Of you. Solitary. aud oh how desoiale.
What are you doing? NJ doubt gaily enter
tanning your company without i thought OF
me. or thinking vi ,ne with indifference, Us q
@uor fool, who has loved you too well Tor Ills
own good" Again in Il reIniltenJ SlshinS
mood, ne writes: II am in tile midst oi bust
ness, with not Il moment 10 spare. and Yet
must stop 10 tell you that | loye AID iong
for my darling" His letters alternate be-
-. 1l - {art,l humans and Hp-