St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-13
The Case of John P. Phair.
FACTS, COMMENTS AND QUERIES.

The first inclination, with almos
everyone, after reading the story OF
Mr.. Downing, of Boston, and hi.
strange confirmation at this late day o.
Il material point in Phair's defence, i,
to jump to the conclusion that Phair is
innocent that it was another man that
pawned the murdered woman's proper
ty i'll Boston. The soberer second
thought with many will be, that the
statements of Phair and of Downing
still leave too many things to be ex-
planned, to permit final reversal of the
Judgment against him.
THE FEELING IN RUTLAND.
A Rutland dispatch to the Boston
Journal, says:
Public sentiment in Rutland has been
overwhelmingly against Phair since his
trial, and his statement, published to-
day, has caused no change. Indeed,
the many inaccuracies contained there
i'll, the spirit of malice exhibited tow
ard the prosecuting officers, and the
gratuitons insult offered the judges of
both courts, tend rather to confirm be-
lief in his guilt. He says because he
was not in Rutland when the fire broke
not have been the murderer. The man
who pawned the murdered woman's
goods in Boston must have left Rutland
on the train on which Phair went, for
ii was proved by John Donovan, Jr.,
Clerk OF the Adams House, that E. F.
Smith, who pawned the goods and left
shawl of the murdered woman in
room 81, Adams House, Boston, arrived
there at five o'clock, on June 9th, an
hour in which he could not possibly he
i'll Boston if he went on any later train
out of Rutland than the one on which
Phair went. Pbair states that he slept
in the Berwick House, Rutland, on the
fatal night. The proprietor, chamber
maid and night clerk swOre he did not.
He told several contradictory stories
when arrested. When he left Rutland
he had not drawn pay for his labor,
and said he borrowed $40 to take the
trip. The round trip would cost more
than $40, yet he had more than $50 in
his pocket when arrested. He saws
Mrs. FrieZe had no money. Three
witnesses swOre that she had 5000 or
$500 i'll her possession and freely
showed it a short time before her death.
He says she could neither read nor
write. A reliable person to-day in
formed your correspondent that she
could write. The witness who has
been sent to State Prison for adultery
since the trial was introduced there
by the defence and not by the prOsecu-
ton. He says he was convicted by the
Jews, whereas his conviction was hard
ly possible with their testimony alone.
The testimony of the clerk of the Ad-
ans House and the handwriting had
more weight than the pawnbrokers.
Phair was asked while undergoing ex-
animation to write the name, "E. F.
Smith, st. Adams, w." and did so.
This compared with the Adams House
register, and three bank cashiers and
two lawyers swOre to the great SINH
iarlty, each expert being firmly of the
OPINION they were written by the same
hand. The charge of Judge Wheeler
on the trial was considered a model of
Harness and impartiality, the Supreme
Court gave the case careful copsidera-
ton, and refused to allow the excen-
tons, Judge Royce delivering the onip-
ion, and not Chief Justice Pierpont. as
Phair says. The full bench agreed i'm
the opinion. The Chief Justice, how
ever, delivered the sentence.
Little doubt exists of his guilt in the |
minds of those most familiar with
Phair, his antecedents and the circum-