Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-10
DRUNKEN SHOOTING.
SENATOR FAIR INTERVIEWED.

he Will SnleId MS wires Name as Far as IN
His Power-He Regrets the Publicity of
Her Name, Especially in the Dispatches.
SAN Francisco, May 9-Senator Fair, in
conversation with an associated press rep
resentative regretted bitterly and keenly
the notoriety given matters so exclusively
concerning himself and wife. He said: 81
am the man and I am willing to bear all
the odium, which the public, in ignor-
ance of the real facts, may
choose to cast upon me, but my regret
is for my wife, whose name should
not be associated and incorporated in the
dispatches transmitted all over the eoun-
try. 1t is now as always my desire has
been to do that which would contribute, to
the happiness of my wife and children. If
I have in any way failed God knows it has
not been prompted by desire to do so.
Now rs ever 1 want that which will best
contribute to the happiness of my family.
If my wife thinks that separation will con-
tribute to her further happiness, then her
mind and mine are alike. l have done
nothing to merit the obloquy cast upon me.
Those who best know me will tell you what
my desires are in this matter. God has
blessed me with wealth. have never used
1T for any mean or unmanly purpose.
My heart and hand have always been open
to those in distress, and will continue to be
to those who seek or require my help. 1
repeat that in this matter with my wife,
which has been made so public, have
nothing to say further than that it pains
me to see her name and mine associated
with such dastardly and vindictive dis
patches as have gone to the world. am
the man, she is the woman, and in this re-
lation l will shield her name at every point
in my power"
WASHINGTON, May 9.-The Fair divorce
suit created considerable talk. Quite a
scandal was created about the senate last
January by the reckless conduct of the
distinguished senator. Within the pre-
ceding two years he had taken to drinking
very freely, and there was hardly a day
when he went to the senate that the close
of the afternoon did not find him under
the influence of liquor. AS he was very
quiet and scarcely spoke to any one while
he was drunk, his conduct escaped the no.
tice of all but his friends. These friends
watched over the senator, and when they
saw him reaching condition where he
would be noticed they invariably led him
off to a committee room, where he slept
until his carriage came to take him to din
ner. Once he started on q spree so far be-
yond any previous efforts of his as TO alarm
his friends. He had ordered during
two days in the restaurant below the SEN
ate chamber four dozen quart bottles of
champagne. While he did not drink all
that wine himself, he had never had more
than one or two friends with him during
those two days. He ate nothing. When
ever he got hungry he drank cham payne.
The result was that he was threatened with
an attack of delirium tremens.
Welcker, the proprietor of the senate res
taurant, was directed by the senator's
friends to refuse to sell him any more
liquor. Then the rule forbidding the sale of
liquor in the caption was called to the pri-
vate attention of the acting vice president
with view of heading off the senator's
supplies at the senate, and the spree was
thus brought to close.
James G. Fair, one of the original quartet
of bonanza princes" was born Dec. 3, 1884,
in Clougher, Tyrone county, Ireland. He
came to this country in 1843
with his parents, and for some time
resided in Geneva, ILL.,, where he attended
school. In the city of Chicago he received
good business education. In 1849 he
went to California, and has ever since been
engaged in mining. In 1867 he became
superintendent of the Ophir mine and the
Hale and Norcross mine in Nevada. It
was during their connection with the lat
ter mine that the bonanza princes made
the first 100000 of their enormous for
tunes. Fairs associates were Flood, O'Brien
and Mackey. Fair is five feet and eight
inches in height and weighs about 225
pounds. He wears long, flowing beard,
tinged with gray, and has a forid com
plexion. He was chosen to the United
States senate in January. 1881.