The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-05-04
MRS. FAIR CONVICTED OF MUIR
DER.

MIS-. L3ufS Ealr WAS Dorm IN AIaDanl
andlgrew to womanhood in poverty an6
neglect When Laura was sixteen thu
family removed to New Orleans Being
bright in miud aud comedy in person sac
soon founA Investment for her capital
When she was eighteen she caught rich
husband of eighty Being jealous OF
Laura she proceeded to obtain divorce
but before obtaining it he sdied Of delir-
5un trenaens and left his widow rich. She
married within month and in less than
three months was the widow of a suicide.
She soon took third husband Col. Fair,
and her fortune by her first husband run
ming low, she emigrated with him to
Virginia City, Nevada, and kept what
was called the "Fair House" The ami
able Colonel, to make way for some one
else, hl;w his brains out The widow,
tired of matrimonial ventures, essayed
Her frs appearance as Lady IaG1le was
also her last She made one conquest. She
car. lfatud The hear OF a. P. Critienden.
an ex-Judge and an eminent lawyer. She
lured him from wife and home, in the
mean time robbing him Of all she could
get. With his money she pensioned her
mother comfortably and re-establisEed
herself in The Fair House in Virginia
City. While intriguing with Crittenden
she met some one else with money and
made herself his wife. Wanting this
fourth husband out Of the way she shot
him. Nevada Justice frowned at this
and brought her to trial. 'She was de,
Tended by Crittenden so ably that the
Judge seems 70 have forgotten the law
and the Jury the facts, for she was tri
acquitted" In few months,
in 1868, she married man of doubtful
morals hut of undoubted wealth, by the
name of Snyder" She looked upon
Snyder's money as good, and upon Crit.
tenden as better than Snyder. Tired IT
the sanguinary method she gave Snyder
the choice of divorce and he amiably
furnished situation which, when brought
into court achieved legal separation
within month.
Crittenden maintained his fatuous de.
votion to Mrs Fair during these matri
monial transactions He gave her alt
gether something like $4,000 CAL
though Crlttenden was man of fifty and
she "a woman of thirty-two, their letters
to one another were more extravigant IN
Their terms Of endearment and protests Of
affection than those of any boy and gill
in the captures of first love- At liz
time of the Snyder episode Crettenden
seemed to have realized tie part he was
playing. ale sent for his wife and family
ard informed Mrs. Fair that he could
have rothtng more to do with her.. size
flooded him with letters and Remuneration
She threatened an exposure Of his relation,
with her. Receiving no answers to tni>
rawlings she thrust herself upon him in
his Office and avowed herself his wife. She
dared him to cast her off The next day
she shot him dead as he sat beside lis
wife and children"
The trial lasted about two three
we, ks The defence was that OF inS,Inity
and took wild range When Mrs.
Crittendrn was on tho stand as witness
she was called liar by Mrs. Fair, and
Mrs. Fair was fined for contempt of Court
and paid the fine. The defence failed
to convince the jury of the insanity of
Mrs Fair. The jury was out in deliber
alton forty minutes and found Mrs Fair
guilty of murder in the first degree.
The penalty of murder in the first degree
is death. And as long as the law requires
death, Mrs. Fair being woman, is no
reason why the death penalty should not
be executed. The hideousness of her
execution may hasten the doing away
of the death penalty.
The foregoing account Of the career of
Mrs. Fair is abridged mainly from the
New York Tribune.
TIE GRAND JURY FAILS TO FIND AN
INDICTMENT AGAINST LEONARD.-CHI.
cAGo, May THE grand jury in this
city, this a. M, failed to find an ind1ct.
ment against P. a. Leonard for the kill.
ing of DR.. Seaman, his brother-in-law
and he was discharged from custody this
afternoon. It is said that everv one of