St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-01-24
The Phair Murder Case.
A HEARING FOR A NEW TRIAL.

MONTPELIER, l., Jan. II. a near
ing i'll the celebrated Phair case wa:
held this evening before Judges Royce
and Redtield. Col. w. G. Veasey OF
Rutland, Hon. c. B. Eddy of Bellows
Falls and S. w. Mccall of Boston APP
i peared for the petitioner, and Hon. Z. J
Ormsbee and State Attorney Lawrence
for the State. The petition. as the la "
requires, presented full copy of the
evidence of the former trial and some
twenty-five atfidavits, newly discovered
evidence. The petition sets forth the
ground on which Phair WAS convicted.
and calls the attention of the Court to
the important bearing of the newly dis
covered evidence.
1t will be remembered that PlaiI was
indicted for the murder OF Ann L.
Fricze, IL Rutland prostitute. some time
during the night of June or the morn
ing of June 9, 1874 : that on the trial.
not being able for want of means to
prove an alibi to the charge of the
State, it was concluded that Ol June 8
and 9, till about ! Il. M, he was at the
prostitutes house. and not at Brandon.
us claimed by Phair The evidence
| produced tonight shows Phair a Bran
don until about midnight June :. 1874.
| This is 10y affidavit of two persons who
SAW him ut Brandon during June :, and
at the Berwick House, Rutland. at $50
Il. III. June 9.
This is au important link, as the
State, on the trial, made his inability
to prove this part of his defence IL stIonG
circumstance of guilt. To show that
Phalr did not pawn the murdered wo-
mans goods in Boston, as alleged by
the pawnbrOkerS, six atfidavitS were
read tending to prove Phair in Provi-
dence instead of Boston. To prove
that the TeprieveS of Gov. Fairbanks
were not occasioned and secured by
newspaper sensation the affidavit of E. |
{. Carri@an is produced, supported by
the affidavit of Z. l.. Beard, New Eng |
land agent of the Associated Press, and |
several newspaper men of Boston.
The evidence further tends to show
that the pawnbrOkerS, two of whom are
State prison convicts, were influenced
hN the Rutland detectives, on the di-
vision of $500, to swear falsely against
Phair that the bloody clothes found
in Ncrgennes faStens the murder on
Aurelia Brooks, an associate prostitute
of Mrs. FrieZe that the evidence of
one Pierce, on whose pawn ticket and
testimony conviction was mostly based.
is impeachable.
Judges Royce and Redfield have
gwen their order to have the case again
heard in Rutland County Supreme
Court Judge Royce, in giving the
opinion, referred to the fact that the
evidence discovered in Boston and
Providence is especially material in
showing the Innocence OF guilt of Phair.
GRANITE SCULPTURE.-The following
item from the last Montpelier Watch
man, will be of interest to some of our
readers, lis Mr.. Taylor formerly lived
in this place:
AT the granite works of Mr.. Sumner
kimbail, liz this place, there is in pro-
gress something which has not for some
time past, if ever before, been done in
Montpelier-and something of which
very few of our people have any knowI-
edge. 1t Is the carving of granite
statue of Hope by Mr.. George TAYLOR
of Hartford, Conn. The sculptor has
been at work on this statue since Sep
tember last, and will complete it in two
or three weeks. 1t was cut from a block
of Ryegate granite weighing six tons.
ana Is seven feet and seven inches in
height. 1t is to be placed on the top of
granite monument which Mr.. Kimball
has made for j. j. Vandergrift of Pitts
burgh, Penn, and which will be, with
the statue, some AZ feet high. The
monument consists of twenty-seven
pieces, beside the statue, and has base
eight feet square. The carving on the
monument is of Egyptian style-that of
the statue being Grecian. This is the
first statue carved from Ryegate gra-
mite, and is well worth inspection. Mr..
Taylor, the sculptor, was first engaged
by Mr.. X. to carve rustic cross in
granite, and was kept here for the sole
purpose of carving this figure. He is
master-wOrkman, and we should say he
has done his work well. An inspection
of the statue on Tuesday was IA source
of much pleasure to us, and we advise
our people to go and see it while the
opportunity lasts. The estimated weight
of the above monument is 40 tons. 1t
was sold to j. j. Vandergrift for $4,000
by Mr.. r. F. Carter late of Montpelier.
who is now just commencing IA large
granite enterprise in South Ryegate Vt.