St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-04-11
The Much Reprieved Criminal.

The Much Reprieved Criminal.
WHAT THE PEOPLE OF VERMONT THINK
LEAVES FROM THE CONVICTED MANS
HISTORY.
RUTLAND, VT, April 5.
The murder of Mrs. Ann Freese oc-
Cured nearly five years ago, and moth
ing now marks the scene OF the tragedy
but a gentle indentation of the ground
and the ashyness of the soil where the
unhappy wOman's house stood and was
burned. While time has been effacing
the marks of the horrible affair, the in
cidents remain fixed in the minds OF
the villagers. TO them the arrest, con-
viction and sentence of John P. PhalT
as the murderer of Mrs. Freese, were
eminently satisfactory. His connection
with the woman up to the night OF
the murder, bis hurried departure
from town the morning after, the
fact that no one else against whom
there could be suspicion left Rutland
at the time. the startling similarity OF
Phair's handwriting to that on the
Adams house register at Boston and the
pawnbroker's tickets in the same city
and other circumstances had all COM
bined to satisfy them even before the
trial, that he was the guilty man. His
first reprieve two years ago, therefore,
created indignation and surprise. This
changed to disgust when Phair's lease
of life was heightened till April a, 1879,
and Gov. Prector's action last Thursday
was the last straw. 1t is regarded as
an unwarrantable weakening of the
executive backbone when frmness was
most needed, and an attempt to dodge
the responsibility in the case.
To say that the people of Rutland are
disguised is putting it mildly. To
charge them with being bloOd-thirsty
is unfair Phair was not in Rutland
long, and his general conduct was not
such as to create enemies. He was
rather reserved, and a good workman,
though lazy. He minded his own bust
ness, and like many another dissOlute
young man, he was considered his own
worst enemy. "John never did any
thing to wrong me-" said one of Phair's
former shopmates, an intelligent ma
chinist, to the writer, "but can't help
feeling that he murdered MIS-. Freese.
We worked at the same bench, and we
never had any hard words. He was
queer, though, and sometimes, when
we were working together, he would
drop his tools and go off shaking his
head and muttering, Il must, | must. ,
Then he would suddenly recover him
self and come back again. | had just
got to work on the morning of the muir
der, when the fire-alarm was given, and
when | climbed up into the shop cupOla
and saw what house was burning, | said
to myself, johns got into trouble"
No ill feeling against Phair personally
is expressed. His crime removed a
worthless member of society, broke up
notorious establishment of ill-fame,
frightened several women of bad char
acter out of the town and the state,
and put IL number of citizens on their
marital good behavior for the time be-
ing ut least. The murder was not more
atrOciOus than most murders. The
firing of the house was the Off-repeated
resort of criminals to cover the evil
dences of their vilIainy, and the most
horrid feature of the affair was the dis
covery and recovery of the victims
half consumed body from the burning
building. 1t was natural that the pun
ishment of the murderer should be
sought for, and it is just as natural that
the delay of that punishment, after the
criminal had been captured and his
guilt proved beyond reasonable doubt,
should disgust lovers of law and order.
A prominent lawyer, whose careful in
vestigatiOn of the case has probably
been unsurpassed, expressed his opinion
of the matter yesterday when he said,
THE state of Vermont is n damned
jackass." He is one of the warmest
hearted men, too, as many poor fam
lily in this county can testify, his blood
thirstiness being confined to an occa-
sional tramp over the mountains after
a fox, visit to the pine covers fol-
cartridges or trouting excursion. The
village parsons partake of this same
"blood-thirsty" feeling, and one of them
remarked, jokingly of course, that il
the state officials hadn't gumptiOu
enough to do their duty, committee
of ministers would have to be formed
to carry out the provisions of the law.
"Phair's past record is what is going
to hang him." said n man on the cars
the other day to the writer, but this
does not express the true sentiment in
the state. Nowhere do Phair's autece-
dents count against him particularly
except at Vergennes, his native place
where the people have every reason t.
wish him well out of the way. Ever
since he was large enough to move
around he was in mischief. AS his
years increased he grew worse, and
more than one citizen owes his life tC
the miscarriage of Phair's efforts against
it. He was sent to the state prison fol
stealing, and, being pardoned out by
Gov. Hendee, he protested entire re-
form. Church members and others re,
ceived HIM with open arms as brand
plucked from the burning, but the
brand didn't stay plucked long. If the
question: of Phair's execution were in
diligently presented to the people fol
decision by popular vote he would
probably be elected to the scaffold by
large majority. The sentiment in the
state has changed considerably within
the past two years, and the sympa.
thizers of the murderer have growI
fewer. In the southern counties only
are his friends found in any numbers
At Windsor men who were strong be.
levers in his innocence have undergone
complete change of heart, because
they have discovered that the tactics
of some of those who have been man.
aging Pbair's defense are not honorable
His lawyers are most of them young il
their profession, and they have beer
getting splendid bit of advertising
This was good reason for taking held
OF the matter, even If there was n,
money in it. Col. w. G. Veazey o
Rutland, the most able of Phair's coun
sci, is understood to have drawn out O
the case on the plea of press of bust
ness.
Marshall d. Downing's Instrumental
| ity in securing Phair's reDrieve .t FIJI,