St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-22
But He Drank Enough Hard
Liquor to Kill an Ordi-
nary Man.
Brief Sketch Of the Young
Californian'S Short but
Reckless Career.
The Idol Of His Wealthy
Father, He Falls in With
New York'S Fast Set.

The death of young James Fair
treated big stir among the boys on
The upper Rialto. OF all the Califor-
mans who are known in New York
none was more popular. He was
genial fellow. cheerful and bright, with
happy word to everybody. In figure
and face he resembled his father, who
idolized him, says the New York " orld
When Fair first made himself so con-
spicuouS that the gay young bloods up
town paid him some attention he seemed
absorbed with the idea of transforming
himself into human distillery. He was
a high roller among men who stand at
the head of the class. They form q set
of their own around the Hoffman and
st. James and Delmonico's. Wealth cuts
figure with them, but good fellowship
makes money secondary cOnSldera-
ton. 1t was in this class that Jimmy
Fair, as the boys called him, was ever
happiest. No society for him so long as
he could be with that crowd.
They made things right merry for
him, too. He had bowled along at stiff
pace in San Francisco; his gait at Sac
remento is said to have been record
breaker, and he fairly burned up the
festive town of Denver. But when he
struck the upper Rialto he saw life in
dozen new phases.
a few months ago Fair put in all APP
pearance at the st. James. His mother
had just died. With him was his younger
brother Charley, himself dipSomoniac
Of no mean capacity. But there was
great change in their habits. Neither of
them prtroniZed the bar. Charley
appeared dull and heavy, but
irrhf
This remarkable change in their
habits was explained by a friend
who said that both had undergone DR..
keeley's treatment at Dwight, and were
completely cured of the drinking habit.
Both declared that they would never
drink again. Their friends encouraged
them in their temperance resolve, but
few had any faith in their ability to
keep away from liquor.
Jim opened his eyes one morning and
sent word down stairs that he was SO
thirsty that nothing but champagne
cocktail would suit his palate. He fol-
lowed that one with another just like it,
and thus he was fairly on his way be-
fore he got out of bed. He drank
steadily for a week, and then word was
cent to his father in San Francisco. A
man servant was dispatched to New
York, with instructions to bring young
Jim back, even if force had to be used.
When this man arrived in New York
he found that Jim had been on royal
drunk. His debauch was of longer dura-
ton than was usual for him, even when
he was in the fast set. A search was in
stituted for him, but he kept away from
all his cid haunts. One evening he
Bauntered into the st. Janice hotel. The
man from Frisco was waiting like
Tiger in ambush to spring on his prey.
Without word he grabbed Fair by the
rollar.
Jim, want you and l want you bad"
he SAID. mo lodging goes, my hoy,
for the old man sent me, and hOme you
go. Do you hear?'
Jim collapsed. In ten minutes his
luggage was packed, the hotel bill
settled and cab ordered. Fair pre-
scented funny spectacle. The humor
of the situation dawned upon him after
bit and he smiled. He thought of a
dozen engagements he had made and
then he laughed. But go he must, and
he knew it. The man in charge of the
expedition had performed the same act
on many an occasion.
And so Fair went home to his father
and death. All his friends say the
Kelley cure did it. They are skeptical,
anyway. Some point to Felix Old
Boys" death, and others show that a
hundred more have died after taking
the cure. A number of doctors who
were seen by World reporter said that
they had no confidence in Keeley's
method. None would say that it caused
death, for they do not know its formula
Il think whisky killed Fair" said an
old California friend of the young man.
''His system was wrecked by liquor and
now thew blame IT all on the Kelley
cure. And what prospects he hadi His
father is easily the wealthiest man in
California, and his mother left him
100000. The old man loved that boy
above everything else"
Charley Fair, the youngest son, is in
Europe, and at last reports was keeping
sober.