Smyrna times., 1871-05-17
.MiSce IIU ~ e 0MS.
The False and the True in Woman.

| The details Of the Fair murder trial in
California, teaches an impressive and timely 5
moral. The woman herself appears to have
been person singularly destitute of moral dis
cipGne and culture. In all her conduct, from
the time of her first marriage, there appears
to be an entire absence OF principle, conscience,
and even ordinary decacy. as evinced in the
facility with which she sought to change her
marriage relations being as respects that in
stituton, sort of female Brigham Young, or
we might say Bluebeard, If we consider the
| violent end of some of her spouses. The in
tensity of her passion and self-will seems to
have been among her most marked character
istcs, and rendered her very love dangerous
to its objects. The violence of her temper was
shown in her threat TO shoot her husband at
Virginia City, in'the matter of flag raising |
and in the furious outburst OF rage to which |
}. we shall presently refer, when Mrs. Critten- |
den was delivering her testimony. Her cor
respondence with Mr.. CTit,enden. which, in
Il its general literary style, might have figured
creditably in the passionate and lackadaisacal
tyell0w covered rOmances, has yet amidst its
. sickly sentiment and nonsensicsl phrases Of en-
desrment, an unvarying eye to the main
chance, for everywhere throughout it there is
demand for material aid" OF some ser:-
money, stocks, furniture, &c. There is one OF
these letters which, in its combination of the
malignant and the mcrcenary, seems marvel
a of deprayity. 1t is that in which she demands
that Mr.. Crittenden gave her a bill Of sale Of
furniture. because she wanted to show the
bill of sale to Mrs. Crttenden, to tantalize
her AS to the free-eve theories which she
broached in her testimony, we shall not do so
g shreWd and managing a woman the injustice to
% suppose that she did anything but adopt them
~ as cloak for her evil passions and sinister de-
a" signs. She said that she and Crittenden were
! married when they were born-married accor.
ding to the laws OF God, the other marriages
being only in accordance with human laws. and
that she still loves him better than life. What
reverence such a woman has for "the laws OF
God her conduct in general best shows, and
B.. the love which manitests itself by repeatedly
firing pistols at the object of affection is love
which most men would rather dispense with
For it appears that before the last aud fata
; shooting she fred pistol at Mr. Crittenden il
. her own house. She denied, it is true, upol
inc her examination, that she intended TO shoe
him, but said that for the purpose of aarmin
him, after he had been told to keep away, sh
!, fired pistol down the stairs, in the dark, a
low he was seeking to leave the house, This wa.
s. no doubt, playful way of showing affection
but not pleasant, we should think, to mic
, die ageG gentleman, especially under crcum
chi. stances in which his inward mOniOr migl
oolh have been suggesting to him that he was und,
mbs, the roof of one Of those persons of whom Sol
vder mon saith that 9 her house inclineth In
death, and her paths unt5 the dead.
aver Crittenden-a man of honorable descent q
Gen. eloquent and able awyer--should ever ha
. ano been inveiged in the tolls of such wOma
49, The chiverous impulses of his nature, wbi
.Iion. led him to defend her upon the trial arlsi
from the flag difficulty in Virginia City, m
have induced feeling of sympathy with
M high-spirited woman in her situation. But
~ is not easy 10 understand how man of su
~ sseacity and experience in everything app'
3- tanning to profession which involves an il
."Ge mate acquaintance with human nature shot
beied away by. the Vaccinations of such
person, even il he were deficient in the pri
Et ciple and honor which would have forb
- q den-it.--He-- -seems-to-have been willing
itft long time to give up everything for t
woman, who finally, when be sought to
et, turn to his own family, took his life. L
eni Of whatever the solution 0f his strange and sal
erv. dal course, it is refreshing TO turn from the
scene to Mrs Crittenden, whose dignity a
.it,s, worth of character are only rendered no
yrl conspicuous by the dark surroundings,
l al whose department throughout the whole ca
sa as shown by all the testimony in it-wfich
-u,i fers to her, exhibits true woman, of DC
fortitude, enduring and forbearng, adhel
. under all circumstances to the virtues and q
.f cacy OF the lady and animated to the last c
e very by Christians solicitude to reclaim her "
ocS % oe ,so dering husband and do her duty by him
90 y her children She might have taken
Ir,c course which the law opened to her,
,kN sought divorce. she never thought OF
lllO' unworthy resort. She testified and all
.sotl evidence showed that, for the sake Of
Y = 3. children, and not for herself, she pleaded
~ , Mrs. FAIR, and she declared that even 1t
rs ''' husband apa9d2ped t9, her she would not
f, ADJ Her evidence Upon the trial was in kee
.1NDs with the uncomplaieing dignity, We m
c.trx~. almost say majesty, Of her whole cenduc
y ~ der combination of the heaviest calan
ade and that car, test human fortitude. Even ,
been put ;in wnrric ~ tho nr;soner 0Tt's lie -
be done nv M ~ - -. : tsis IT. - oo, a
III II tween the two women, which Mrs .Fai
: .-0'g thar spiteful outburst, thrust upon the
f'gs ton cf The jury, may have had its Unfit
flee 9pon 'ns aI sSen,. tha coStras, tbrou,
OF .. % between the two suggests itself at every
REII. in the development of the case. In this