The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-02-21
HOPE DESTROYED.
PhaIr Reprieved Once when on the VERGE
| of the Scaffold.
Sudden RecO1lections of a Newspaper
Reader ProlOngs His Life for
Two Years.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
RUTLAND, VT, Feb. S.-John p Phair,
an iron-worker, was employed in the
Licoln iron foundry, in this place, on
May 20, 1874, and continued there until
June 8. About the middle of May he
was introduced to Mrs. Ann Z. FrieZe,
with whom he became very intimate. On
the morning of June 8 fire DESTROYED the
house occupied by Mrs. FrieZe. Her
dead body was found in the ruins, bear
ing marks of wounds that in themselves
it was declared would have been fatal.
1t was ascertained that on June 10, a man
signing himself on the register of the
Adams house in Boston as 'E. p. Smith,
st. Albins, W.T. had pawned shawl, an
opera glass and ring in Boston, which
articles were proved to be the property
of Mrs. FrieZe. Experts testified that
the handwriting on the register and on
the pawn tickets was that of Phair, and
the pawnbrOker identified him as the
person offering the articles. He was con-
sequently arrested, tried, convicted and
sentenced to be hanged April Z, 1877.
On March 81, 1877, the Dartmouth
College Glee Club went to Windsor, VT,
in which village Phair was confined, for
the purpose of giving a concert. The
manager of the club was E. G. CarrIgan,
who then represented the associated press
in that locality. He visited Phafr in
prison and ascertained that the condemn
ed man had written a statement in rela-
ton to his whereabouts at the time of
the murder, asserting, before God and
man, his entire innocence of the crime of
which he had been convicted. Carrigan
obtained this statement, agreeing that it
should not be given to the public in any
form until after Phair was hanged
Phair argued that he might be believed
by some, and, as he said: "If | can die
by it they will surely think it of enough
Importance to at least read it,"
Phair afterward consented that the doc
ument might be printed in Boston on
the morning of the day on which he was
to be hanged, as the newspaper contain
ing it would not arrive in Rutland until
, O'Clock, the time set for the drop, and
in Vergennes not until 4 O'Clock; and
that it would arrive in Windsor at l
O'Clock, so that he would be able to see
that his statement had been treated in ac-
cordance with his stipulations.
In his statement Phair set forth that
on June 6 he accompanied Ann FrieZe
to a circus, and afterward going with her
TO her house, renamed with her until
O'Clock the next morning. This, he AYERS
was the last time he ever saw her. On
Sunday, June z, he drove to West Rut-
land, and on Monday he went by train to
Brandon, expecting to meet a person
there, remaining in the village until even
| ing. He returned to Rutland on the
midnight train, went to his room in the
Berwick house, and slept till about 4 80
O'Clock on Thursday morning, June 8
At about that time he took the train fol-
Boston, arriving there in the forenoon
( X no ct fo1
and he describes in detail his journey
thither, where he staid, and his unsuc
cessful efforts to obtain work. On June
| 10 he returned to Boston, and he tells
| particularly of an interview he had with
a stranger on the train, who said he was
| engaged in the manufacture of novelties
in Boston, and was hiring agents for theil
| sale, and who offered him a situation In
| the afternoon he took the train for Yer
mont, and was arrested while on it fol
the murder OF Ann Frieze.
On the morning of April 6, 1877, the
Boston Globe published Phair's state
ment. 1t filled seven columns. Upon
| the bulletin at the door was the announce
ment: vermont is to hang man to
| day who claims that he is innocent .
Mr.. Marshall d. Downing, manager o.
the American Novelty Works, so Schoo
street, Boston, seldom read the Globe, a
| that time, but on the morning named hi.
Office boy saw the Globes bulletin, anC
spoke of it. He was sent for copy O
the newspaper, and Mr.. Downing sal
down and read the statement When hi
came to the description of the ride Phail
claimed to have taken between Provi
dence and Boston on June 10, Mr.. Down
ing recognized the description of him.
| self and the account of the conversation
He sprung up, saying: My God, they've
got the wrong man; this man is limo
| cent? Mr.. Downing corroborated his
recollection by his memorandum book
and satisfied himself that Phair had rid
| den with him on the day named, and
| could not have been guilty of the crime
| of which he had been convicted.
1t was ~ O'Clock, and the condemned
man was to be hanged in two hours. Mr.
Downing tried TO telegraph to the Gov
ernor of Vermont in Montpelier, but the
| operator there had gone to dinner. Ev
cry Office in the state was then asked as
to the whereabouts of the Governor, and
| the sheriff at Windsor was informed by
| telegraph of the discovery of new evi
dence in favor of his prisoner, and asked
to communicate with the Governor be
fore hanging. 1t was 1 rs O'Clock be
| fore the Governor was heard from at St
Johnsbury. He Immediately telegraphed
to the sheriff, postponing the execution
until May 4, 1877.
At O'Clock, Phair, dressed in plain
black clothes, was prepared for the scat
told He was calm and collected, seem
| ing fully resigned to his fate. While hi
was waiting to be conducted from his
] cell the Governors telegram arrived, and
his respite was announced TO him. 600