The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-04-26
THE MYSTERY ABOUT PHAIR.
Other Celebrated Cases.

There promises to be Q deal OF puz-
zling over the case of Phair before
his innocence or guilt is finally and
satisfactorily affirmed. Half an hour
off from eternity he obtained q reprleve
through the accident of Mr.. Downing, in
Boston, reading in newspaper that
such man was to be hanged that morn.
ing who claimed that on the day when
Mrs. Freezes jewerly was pswned by
her murderer in Boston he was in Provl-
dence, and recalling the tact that he
also was in Providence on that day and
met such a man. The chances were
against this story reaching the Cover
nor who was absent from honey, but 1t
reached him and secured delay. Those
of our readers who are automatically
inclined can figure out the odds against
Phsir at each Of the stages: the hearing
of his peril by the only witness for him;
that witness's being able to prove within
the hour that he was at Providence on
the 9th of June, 1874; the successful
transmission of his slender piece of evil
dence to man who was ivelllng In
an unknown direction, and its proving
sufficient to stay the execution after
fri ends, counsel and two courts had
vainly interposed and found no reason
for doubt, mercy or delay. Mr.. Down.
ing's evidence has had some corrobora
ton. He Identifies Phsir rs his fellow
voysger; first point Pnalr declared
that he was unable to prove that ne was
in Providence, because he knew nothing
Of the city, spoke to none but strangers
and on casual topics and put up at
bcarding-h house where he did not register.
This looked like An ingenious srraying
of all the possibilities that could In any
manner be concstcnated against him
with the claim that the confederation
proved nothing. Since his escape iiom
immediate death Phair has been pressed
to recall what circumstances be could OF
his stay at Providence. These are the
points he recalled:
/. The house was not far from the
Providence depot.
2. While in his room over the office he
noticed some men drinking beer and
playing with big black dog.
8. He took supper and breakfast at an
adjoining restaurant and reco.lected
looking at blue sign-board, lettered IN
white.
Ale paid his bill with much-tatter-
ed shin-plaster, which at first the clerk
declined taking.
Search has been made in Providence
and these facts have been ascertsined:
a. In 1874, near the depot, on the site
of the new City Hall, there was lodg
ing-house; also a restaurant, now de-
stroyed.
b. The proprietor had large black
dog and bis premises answer to Phalrs
description.
c. The lodging-bcuse's sign was blue,
lettered in white.
d. The clerk at the restaurant remem-
bers the incident of the torn bill, de-
scribed the man from 1t and fixes
the date as not long before the
tearing down of the condemned build
ings.
All this is strong corroborative evil
dence, and If Mr.. Downing's final identi-
fcation proves perfect, an abb is pretty
completely proved The defense rested
on Phairs presence at Providence on
the day charged, and on the disslmilsri-
ty between the writing OF II. +. Smith
on the Adams House register in Boston
and pswn-tlckets Tor the murdered wo-
mans effects, and o. the same name IN
Phsir's admitted Land. An expert testl-
fed that the identity OF penmanshl p was
un mistakable, so the case against Phsr
is four fold strong. The Governor can
extend Phsir's reprieve till the Legisla-
ture meets, and that body can order him
a new trial by special statute. Inns 1t
will probably 90, so that it may be
months ere we come to the bottom Of
this queer puzzle OF circumstsntial evil
| dence.
Should Phair's innocence be proved,
il will be a most remarkable proof OF the
old assertion that God never leaves
| himself without a witness" His case
recalls the famous Colvin case OF SIXTY
wears ago, when Jesse and Stephen
Boorn were charged with killing
Russell ColvIn, OF Manchester. CoIvlns
banes were identified, and one OF the
brothers confessed his guilt" The
other protested his innocence, and sd-
yertised in the Rutland Herald asking
this missing man to report himself. The
Post, of this city, copied the advertise
ment, and in few days the murdered
man" was found living at Dover n. j.
The case is almost an exact parallel.
1t would be waste of space to recall
and recite the most singulsr cases In the
books. Some five hundred persons have
died on the g.llows in the United States
| affirming their innocence. or these
| NAV be mentioned Margaret Hough'
cling, executed in Columbia county for
! the alleged murder of child whom an
| other woman confessed fifteen years
later to have killed, describing at the