Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-05-06
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
FROM OR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.
SAN FRANcIsco, April %, 1sF

lrreslsuole was the mountain OF proof collected
by the prosecution, Laura D. Fair, after trial
lasting four weeks and three days, has been SOL
emnly adjudged and legally branded guilty of
murder, From Monday afternoon until three
O'Clock on Wednesday, Mr.. Byrne poured out a
strong current Of silveFy speech forcible in argu
ment, rich in illustration and often rising to the
sublimity of eoquence. Next came Judge Dwi-
ne,le's charge; calm, lucid and dispassionate,
and for the purpose of enhancing its solemnity,
delivered standing. Then the jurors quietly
walked out, and the Judge left his bench, and
all but the closing scene in the great trial was
now over.
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT.
| was in the Courtroom few minutes after the
jury had retired The hushed silence that had
prevailed during the District Attorney s magnif-
cent address, had given place to the bee-like
hum of undertoned conversation. Knots of San
Francisco's most prominent citizens clustered
within and without the bar, exchanging sub
dued speculations on the result. The prisoner
sat with her little fair-haired daughter at her
side, listless, impassive and almost motionless
The crowd outside soon augmented from tens to
hundreds. People in the streets heard that the
jury had gone out, and gathered in expectant
groups round the newspaper bulletin boards
The whole of the city in fact, waited with pa
tient interest, reminding one of the day follow
ing Presidential election. Soon after the re-
cess, Mrs Fair left the sombre Courtroom, and
leaning heavily on the arm of Deputy Sheriff
retired to an anti-chamber. Then the buzz of
conversation, restrained by her presence, swelled
louder and louder; the throng in the passage
way grew momentarily greater, the stairs got
bod h. ,,11-.
could see people hurrying from every direction,
in the vain hope getting into the room.
THE VERDICT.
At five minutes after four the Judge was noti-
fed that the jury had agreed, and he at once re-
sumed his seat on the bench. At first, no one
believed that the verdict could be arrived at so
quickly, and the impression which prevailed was
that the jury had come in for fresh instructions,
but as the twelve filed into their places there
was look of solemnity on their faces, that con-
frmed the fast spreading rumor that they had
come to a decision. Mrs. Fair came in as she
went out, leaning on the Sherf's arm her
daughter clutching her dress, her mother behind ;
a sorrowful procession, though the chief person
age in it appeared little moved. All the oppos-
ing counsel were there except Judge Quint, and
very painful silence prevailed until he arrived
Then with general impulse all rose to their
feet and every eye was turned to the Jurors,
seeking with intent gaze to translate the un-
spoken verdict from their features. What an
eternity Of suspense the calling over of their
names must have been to the prisoner How
her heart must have throbbed and beat, and her
blood coursed with unequal motion through its
channels, and fushes hot and cold ran from
heart to head, and from head to foot. We know
that it must have been so, for no thing human
could have borne such dread interval of uncer-
tainty without experiencing such sensations, yet
~ al. - Il. L.
Gle seemed to move, not nerve to tremble, and
her cold, psssionless face stranger alike to hope
or fear, hid all this like mark of marble. 1t
was the same when the foreman of the Jury pro-
nounced the verdict Neither eyes, nor mouth
nor hands betrayed the feelings With half
closed eyes and dropping head she heard the
words that proclaimed her murderess and not
one of the senses that is supposed to interpret
the soul, telegraphed to the surface what was
passing within But notwithstanding that icy
exterior the mother was still there, and when her
little daughter with wild pitiful cry of anguish
nestled to her breast that heart-broken wall
struck the rock of her inner SELF like the proph-
cts rod, and it melted it back to humanity
Then clnging to her poor sobbng child and
pressing it to her bosom, she too began to
weep, and the tears she had restrained so long
were now permitted to flow unchecked. Judge
Dwinelle was visbly affected by this sad scene,
and the jurors made no efforts to hide their emo
ton. Soon half the spectators in the room had
their handkerchiets to their eyes, and those
whose feelings did not stream over stood in all
the silent manliness of pity.
HOW THE VERDICT IS RECEIVED.
AS far as can be gathered from individual ex-
pressions of opinion, the verdict of the Jury is
endorsed by the greater verdict of the universal
public yet its announcement gave strong shock
to almost every one, as few had calculated on
the extreme verdict, and most people had set
tied in their own minds that there would be
The press is also satisfied with
the result, and the telegraph says that the East
tern journals are equally pleased with it. The
moral effect of the verdict will be incalculable
1t will show that sex is no safegard against
punishment that the insiduous plea of insan-
ity is too dangerous to be allowed, and more
important STILL that the jury system that of late
has fallen in so much disrepute, is, when proper
ly worked, veritable palladium of our liber-
ties" But as these are matters that will be
commented on by every journal in the country,
| do not care to be elaborate on them.
WILL THE SENTENCE BE CARRIED OUT
Having established the great moral principal
that murder is MURDER and not momentary in-
sanity, the next question that naturally presents
itself is, Should the full penalty of the law be
exaeted for Mrs. Fairs offence ?' / am glad to
see that even to-day there is strong leaning to
the side of mercy. 1t is impossible not to feel
profound pity for the fallen, doomed woman and
her innocent child, and Justice having been
righteouly yindicated, Mercy can now safely
step in without lesseniDg the effect of the YER
dict. Those who saw her utter hopeless misery
on Wednesday, yelled though it was 6y strong
exterior, those who have seen her as have a.
most every day during the weary FIVE weeks
since the trial commenced and noticed the in
tensity of her desolation, will be the the last
to cry out the pitess Israelitism /" Blood for
blood" The strong efforts she has made to
hide the depth of her despair have deceived num-
bers as to the measure of her suffering, yet
many time she must have been tempted to ex-
claim, like the first murderer, I" My punishment
is more than ] can bear" 1t is the crown of
justice "where it may kill with right to save
with pity" and when the case finally comes be-
fore the observation-disclosures he may be-there
will be very few, in San Francisco at least, who