The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-10-16
CAIRO BULLETIN.
LAURA D. FAIR.
THE VERDICT or AcQUITAL-CLOsIN0
SCENE.

THE vEKpIcT or AcQUITAL-cLosISa
SCENE.
| From the San Francisco Bulletin, Oct. ~
Three weeks ago yesterday, the second
trial Of Mrs. Fair commenced in the
Fifteenth district court Judge Reardon
presiding In place Of Judge Dwinelle,
who was disqualified from sitting in the
case by reason of illness. Panel after
panel Of jurors was exhausted, and not
until nine hundred men had been sum-
moned and examined was n jury for the
present trial obtained. The line Of the
prosecution and defense was in some re-
spects different from that pursued on the
former trial. No proof was introduced No
10 the relations betwe Mrs. Fair and Mr..
Crittenden, beyond the evidence offered by
her counsel that these relations were those
Of friendship and intimacy. Tho charnc.
ter of the prisoner WAS not put in issue,
and mono Of the extensive correspondence
between the parties, read in evidence on
the former trial, was introduced or even
alluded to by the witnesses. The trial
was, consequently, much shorter and less
lsborous than the first one. The only is
sue in the present trial was whether, at
She time Of the homicide, the prisoner was
sane or insane. On that point the two at
tending physicians swore positively that,
in their opinion, she WAS insane at the
time, and, on the other hand, eight or nine
ph ysicisns, including some who rank first
In their profession, testified that, assuming
all the testimony to be true, they were Of
the opinion that she was sane at the time.
| On Friday afternoon last, the trial came
to u close. The jury received the charge
of the court, and retired TO deliberate
upon verdict. When they had been out
seven or eight hours, it was thought they
would not agree. Saturday morning they
asked 10 be presented before the court
again, and many expected that they would
announce verdict. The court room was
thronged, and Mrs. Fair, with her counsel,
Messrs. Curtis and Quint, and the district
attorney, Mr.. Murphy, and Alex. Camp
bell were present. The jury, however,
had not agreed on a verdict, and asked
further Instructions from the court on the
question Of the burden and pr.ponder-
ance of proof Of insanity. The court
charged them that il was for the party
alleging insanity, and Offering it as de-
fence. They again retired and remained
in confinement all Saturday night, yester-
day, and last night till this morning.
At an early hour yesterday it was whis-
pered about that the Jury had agreed
upon a verdict and would announce IL at
8 o'clock. No enc knew what it would
be, but various reports were rife, one that
il was q verdict Of conviction, another
that il WAS compromise verdict, and
another that they had agreed upon 8 yer.
dict of acquittsl.
At o'clock AM Mrs. Fair came into
the court room, leaning on the arm OF
Mr.. Curtis, and accompanied by Mr..
Quint and a deputy sheriff.
The crowd was kept back as much as
possible, and when the critical moment
arrived profound stiffness reigned In the
court room. Mrs. Fair stood at the side
of Mr.. Curtis and when the clerk asked
the jury If they had agreed upon verdict,
and the foreman, Mr.. Byington, answered
1--WE have and handed q slip Of paper to
the clerk, Mrs. Fair tried TO hide her face
and when it was read, 1--WE find the pris-
oner not guilty" she started and swooned
in the arms Of Mr.. Curtis. He supported
her TO a seat and in few moments she
recovered her consciousness. The jurors
retained their seats, and seemed deeply Of.
fected. The clerk recorded the verdict
it was read to them, and they answered
with one accord that it was their verdict
a. recorded. Judge Resrdon then told
them they were discharged from further
attendance. They then gathered abou,
i. the place where Mrs. Fair and judge Curtis
sat and shook them both By the hand
warmly, spoke and exchanged a few
kindly words, and departed.
The crowd WAS dense in the corridor
and around the carriage at the Washing
ton street enterance. II was the carriage
in which Mrs. Fair lad always come from
prison to the court, and the people, anx.
lous to see her, thought she would 60 back
in it,. But the sheriff had taken the pre-
caution to have another carriage drawn
up before the Montgomery street enter
snce, and to that she was almost carrie,
by her counsel, for she could scsrcel.
stard.
Once in the carrisgs with them and
deputy sheriff, the blinds we're closed ant
the party driven away in haste to the Jail
There Mrs. Fair was put in the room
which she had occupied since the nes
trial was ordered. The matron, Mrs. Lit
tie, attended to her, and in about an hou
she had regained her composure, but coul,
not sit up. Her little daughter WIS will
her, and seemed almost wild with delight
! Many people collected in front Of the jail
but few were admitted to see her. Nue.
inquiry was made about Mrs. Fairs fu
ture movements, out as sue WAS again
free woman, she concluded to exercise III
o prerogative of keeping her own counsel
upon that point. Several Of the jsiler
keepers and deputies visited her and re
ceived thanks for the kindness whic
5 they had shown her during her long i'm
pri-onment.
The news of the verdict spread throug
:he city like wildhre, causing everywher
profound sensation. The jurors locke
worn out, pale and haggard after the
long and tedious confinement.
1t is reported that the jury at first stoo
nine for acquittsl and three for convi,
ton, that they soon changed to ten ,
two, then eleven to one, and that en-
stood for conviction till yesterday morI
ing.
LAUGHTER LENDS NEW CHARM
I" To beauty, when it discloses a pretty ST