Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-04-11
from the Boston Post Of April 7.
RESPITED.
How a Chance Word Prolonged
Inc Life of John p. Phair who
Was to Have Been Hanged
Mt Windsor, VT, Yes
terday.
Boston Han Supplies a Missing
Link in the Evidence and RObS
the GallOws Ola Victim.
A Seemingly Innocent Man Bare
Nv Saved from an IgnOminOus
Death.


convicted of numbering Mrs. Anna
Frieze of Rutland, VT, on June 8,
1874. The death sentence was to be
executed yesterday afternoon a6 Wind
sor, but the supposed murderer was
reprieved in most remarkable man
ner through the agency of Mr.. Mar
shall d. Downing, u business man Of
Boston. Tie details Of the trial and
also long statement by Phair, in
which he asserts his innocence, have
lately been published, and are fresh in
the mind of the public. In his state
ment, made when he expected yester-
day to be his last on earth, he says:-
THE MISSING LINK.
My unfortunate Tip East occurred
on the same day the woman is sup
posed to have been murdered. Her
house was discovered to be on fire be-
tween $50 and 7 o'clock on that
morning, and proved on my trial
that | left Rutland on the 4.30 morn
ING train for Providence, r. |. Now,
according to the r. and b. Railroad
timetable and the regular running OF
the trains on that road, | was in Bel
lows Falls at the time her house was
Oh fire, and could not possibly have
had anything to do with the crime.
reached Boston about 2.15 p. NJ,
and Immediately on the arrival OF the
train, and in company with Mr.. and
Mrs. Geo. Stewart OF Rutland, took a
hack and crossed that part Of the city
which leads direct from the Fitchburg
depot 20 the Boston and Providence
depot. At the latter depot took the
first train going to Providence, which
left Boston at 5 o'clock p. NJ, and ar
rived in the former place about 6 o.
clock p. NJ, my business to Proyi-
dence beng if possible to secure en-
plcyment With the American Screw
Company or the Corliss engine works,
both OF which are well known firms
of that place. After consulting a few
workmen who were in the employ Of
both these firms, as to my probable
chance of getting suitable j,b, | was
discouraged by being told that these
companies were then discharging some
of their best and Oldest experienced
workmen. These men being men,
bcr's of the Workingmen's Union, of
which | was also Il member, | knew if
l couldn't get work through their aid
1t would be useless fol me to apply at
the company's office.
| remained IN Providence over
night, and having no more than
enough money to secure respectable
lodging for the night and to pay my
fare home did not stop at a regular
hotel but at an ordinary clearinghouse
where room and bed only was to be
had by paying IS cents for the same
before retiring Tor the night. | was
not asked to register my name at this
house, and in fact don't think there
was register in the house, but was
simply assigned a good bed, where |
slept well until morning My supper
and breakfast were taken at a restau-
raut near by the clearinghouse at a
cost of 40 cents per meal, making the
whole cost Of my meals and lodging
S1.b5. Had stopped at a first class
hotel my name would have been writ,
ten upon its register, and enabled me
to prove an alibi that would have up
set all this misrepresentation and
wrong. For it was claimed that
Mrs. FREEZES jewels we're sold in Bos-
ton at the time was in Providence
and as those Jews had sworn a false
identity on me / was obliged to prove
that | stopped in Providence on that
night, as | had stated.
After stopping over night I started
for home on the 10th, arriving at Bos,
ton at II o'clock NJ, where | was
obliged to wait until P. NJ, tor the
first train for Vermont. My time be.
tween trains at this palce was occu-
pied in visiting the Charlestown Navy
Yard. n l left Charles
town railroad station for Rutland at 3
o'clock in the evening. AT Fitchbure
/ met young man from Rutland who
was also returning home on the same
train with me. This man first in
formed me of Mrs. Fricze's death by
reading an account of the same from
the Boston Journal At Cuttings
vile, a station ten or twelve miles
from Rutland, was arrested.
A FRIEND IN NEED.
There was nothing but Phair's I'm
supported testimony to prove that hi
visited Providence at the time stated
BY the merest chance, the attention O
Mr. Downing was brought to the al
fair, and he seems to be able to sub
stantiate Phair's statement. Durin!
an interview with Mr.. Downing h
related the particulars as follows -
Early yesterday morning, Mr.. Rob
ert I. Loheed read in one of the morn
ing papers the statement Of Phail
and in the course of the forenoon cas-
ually mentioned the affair 10 MI
!, Downing, asking his opinion. Th
latter became so much interested tina
he sent for paper, and read the state
ment thoroughly. On reading tn