St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-27
Phair.

Phair.
A correspondent of the Rutland Globe
proposes that Governor Fairbanks be
requested to order some proper officer
to take charge of Phair and 90 with him
to Providence, let him point out the
house in which he lodged, and if the
inmates identify him this will help to
establish the truth of his story of his
trip to Providence. Should Phair fail
to point out the house it will put an
end to his Providence story.
The Globe further says that Il petition
for IL further reprieve of Phair until
after the next session of the Legislature
is III eli culation, which has been signed
by Gov. Page, Judge PrOut, l.. w.
Redngton, Dr.. Charles WOOdhouse, a.
q. Stone, aud Judges Ellis and Dorr.
LFrom Letter in Free Press
Your correspondent evidently is un-
der the delusion that the case of Phair
is one of conviction under IA possibly
mistaken Identification of person and
handwriting. The truth is that Phair
was not convicted because of this strong
proof of his identity alone on the con
trarN his counsel found the fatal feature
of his case was that his efforts to tell
where he was the night of the murder
brought him out in Il glaling talseho0d.
and his assertions that he was ut Previ-
dence. X. l., when the murdered wo-
mans property was placed in pawn,
were found to he pure inventions. And
i'll face of these fatal facts, of course the
evidence of identity becomes Of terrible
cOincideW consequence, and Phair will
hang, not because the jury aud iudge
were imposed upon by the strong proof
of his Identity, but because his efforts
to break down the evidence of identity
by proving an dIibi were not only a
failure, but were proved to be Il string
of talSehoOds under the investigation of
his own counsel. If murder is COM
mitted on Sunday night, and am charg-
ed with the crime on Wednesday morn
ing, the shortest and easiest way out of
prison for an innocent man is to show
where he was on the fatal Sunday night {;
aud If rise and explain only to have
my alb proved perjury, it will sound
rather absnrdly to talk about mistaken
Identity, when my own falsehood has
clenched the spikes with which | have
been nailed TO the cross of Identification
The Boston Globe has been investi-
eating the Providence story of Phair,
and publishes the following:
The evidence, then, on the question
as to whether Phair was in Providence
or not is somewhat thus. Phair an
nOuuces long before the murder-even
before his intimacy with Ms. Freze-
his intention of going to Providence to
get work. Before his departure from
Rutland he announces the day. When
he teaches Boston he cutters il hack at
the Fltchburg depot and is driven to
the Providence depot, although this
course carries him directly away from
the pawnbrokers' shops where he is said
to have pawned the goods. Up to this
pOint the evidence is unquestionable.
The story that he then tells is so con-
sistent with his previous declarations
and with his previous course, it con-
tains so many ear-marks of truth in the
little, unimpOrtant incidents, which are
set forth with IA vividness and natural
hess uneqalled by any mere fiction, that
we are almost compelled to believe it,
even without any confederation. But
the confederation is wonderful. AL
though apparently every vestige and
footprint of his. in Providence were
swept away with the building in which
he stopped, Il deeper search reveals
them all. The restaurant in base
ment-the only one in that section of
the city-the lodging house near by,
the black dog with the leather collar,
the blue sign with the white letters, the
conversation with the clerk, the land
lord, fat, jolly, and forty -fve-all are
shown to have been veritable things,
and not the mere creatures of Phair's
imagination. Take all these facts in
connection with Mr.. Downings straight
forward account of his interview with
Phalr on the train and is it not extreme
ly probable Phair was in Providence, as
he states, on the night of the ninth of
June 1874? 1t is unnecessary to specu-
late as to the consequences, if the fact
were clearly established that Phair was
IN Providence. The only vital thing
remaining against him is the handwrit-
ing and this was probably not his.
From Editorial in Free Press.l
of course the inquiry naturally arises
Why were not these all-important
witnesses hunted up by the defence.
when Phair was on trial for his life
The Globe, which is to be rated as
Phalr's especial champion, has an an
sWer ready. The counsel for the de-
fence, 1t asserts, were accorded neither
the time mol the means for an inyest1-
CATION. The trial of Phair began with
in one short week after his arraignment
and his counsel were granted by the
State the munificent sum of $50 for
conducting the Defence" Further an
swering, the Globe does not hesitate to
assert that some of the facts just brought
20 light were within the knowledge of
certain detectives, who were interested