Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-04-09

was born in Dublin, Ireland. Septembe
18th, 1907, emigrated to this country a
the age of fourteen years, and lived il
Philadelphia, Sandy Hill and Granville
and finally moved 10 Vergennes, where b.
worked in wooden mill owned nv Ed
ward Jewett. His first wife died here
and in October, 1s49, Edward Phair mar
ried Mary Preston, and the son, John p
Phalr, was born July list. 1916. Passing
by the records of his earlier years and o
several misdemeanors of which his towns
men believed him guilty. but of which ne
direct proof was established, we come t.
his nineteenth year. At that time Henr,
Thompson kept a restaurant in the base
ment of the Stevens House, where Johr
p. Phair was in the habit of spending hi:
evenings. Remaining till time for closing
he saw Thompson each night count up the
days receipts and put the money in hi.
pocket. On the night of January 10th
1862, he was in Thompson place unit
Just before closing, when he disappeared
Thompson put the amount of the day,
business in his pocket and started fol
home, his road going past the scale facto
ry, in the second and third stories of which
Edward Phair had his wooden mill, il
which John p. Phair worked. As Thomp
son passed this place two.inch plank
twelve feet long, shot out of IAN uppel
window, narrowly missing him, and fall
ing with such force that it made an linden
talion foot deep in the ground. For thi
attempt on Thompson's life John p. Phai
was arrested, but the evidence being de
fective he escaped.
The next day Phar hung around tn,
office OF M. d. Hall, coal merchant, ant
saw him receive sums of money from hi:
customers. That night as Mr.. Hall wa!
going home through the bridge, he wa,
struck 10y some heavy object falling from
above. and thrown down. Recovering
himself, he proceeded short distance
when John p. Phair slid down from one
of the beams of the bridge. Graphing
with him, Mr.. Hall asked him what he
meant, when Phair denied everything and
fled into the darkness. The next day il
was found that the object which hat
fallen upon Mr.. Hall was stone weigh.
ing fourteen pounds; and Ratchet which
Phair had carried around the day before
was found near by. Phair was arrested
bound over and committed 10 Jail in de.
fault of five hundred dollar bonds. On
trial in the county court, however, the
states attorney, being young and inexpe.
rienced, neglected 10 procure proper evil
dence and Phair was acquitted.
Some time later Henry Thompson was
crossing the bridge on his way home, al
about midnight, when n man arose and
fired upon him, the ball passing through
his hat and cutting the hair in its course
Thompson ran. the man pursuing him,
and went to Il neighbours house, where aid
was procured. The party then went to
Phair' house, but he was not in his room
He was missing the next day, but soon his
family received letter from him, saying
he had shipped in the merchant service
for foreign port-but in few weeks he
re-apreared in Vergennes.
Subsequently Phair wrote letter pur-
porting to be from Mrs. Samuel Strong to
the cashier of the Vergennes Bank, asking
him to send her $1,000 of her funds that
evening, as she was going away on the
morning train. Phair induced a negro
boy to deliver this letter, threatening to
kill him if he ever told of it. That even
ing he was seen pacing up and down the
road between Mrs. Strong's house and the
bank; but fortunately the cashier, on con-
sultation with the president, decided not
to send the money, and Phair was thus
loiled in his probable purpose.
For some time, rs il afterward appeared,
Phair had been stealing hides from G. d.
Keeler's tannery, taking them on barrow
to the river, below the tails, there loading
them on Il skin and taking them across
the lake. Watch was kept, Phar was
found in n stolen skltf laden with stolen
hides at the mouth of the river, arrested,
and bound over for trial. He plead not
guilty before the grand jury, but was in
dicled on six counts. Being placed on
trial he plead guilty and was sentenced on
four counts to four Years in the states
prison.
When his sentence had nearly expired,
Phair became anxious TO obtain pardon,
in order TO obtain his civil rights, and, his
conduct in imprisonment having been ex-
emplary, he procured it. lie then obtained
employment in the 81. Adams machine
shop, afterwards in Vergennes, and finally
in Rutland. During his Imprisonment his
father had moved TO ElizabeIhtown, N Y.
buying mill there and subsequently, an
other building and n water power, giving
II mortgage on the first to secure the sec
ond. About a year after his sons release
he died, and was buried in Vergennes.
The time drew near when Il sum Of mon
ey- $20O-must be paid to prevent the cs-
tate from being fIreclosed on the mort
gage; and this Phair tried to raise in vari-
Gus ways, but in vain. Then came the
murder of Mrs. Frieze, with the details of
which and Of the subsequent acts our
readers are already familiar.
Such are a few incidents briefly told in
the life of Il man whom it is impossible to
consider other than Us II cold-hearted,
cold bloodel murderer Free Press.