The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-25
PROPOSED TO PHOEBE
MISS COUZINs SAYS SHE WAS BE-
TROTHED TO SENATOR FAIR.
He Promised to Provide for Her md
They Were About to Wed When He
Was Whisked Ont of Chicago.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 24-The Cali
publishes long story telling of the af-
fection that existed between the late James
G. Fair and Miss Phoebe Cousins the we'll
known lecturer and womans rights advo-
cate According to the Call, they were en-
gagged to be married and only the death
of the millionaire prevented the wedding.
Miss Cousins is at present in San Jose TAX
ing care of her brother, who is i'll. To
reporter she told of her affection for Mr.
Fair. She told her story freely, candidly
and without hesitancy. Before speaking
about herself she said:
L will begin by stating that there were
many condolences between Mr.. Fair and
He told me all about his life, his success,
his failures. his Joys and his sorrows. From
these condolences I concIuded that he mad
been more sinned against than SHINING /
hrst met him in the Riggs House, Wash
ington, ID. G., in 1885, while he was a
liking to him at once. The defects in his
education and manners were completely
l saw him. / soon admired him very much
and could see that he also liked to be
IN my company and seemed ito take interest
political questions. But this our first
friendship, did not grow at once to any
thing more warmer than mutual admira-
tion. He returned to Nevada and CaIifor-
MIA and resumed my work in different
parts of the world. Several years passed
my mothers DEATH
Miss couzins then related her trouble with
the worlds fair board of lady managers and
her efforts to have bill passed by Con-
gress ito secure payment for her services as
secretary. She, applied to Fair for political
assistance, and, although he said he had
none, he wrote very kindly and asked her
to correspond with him.. She responded.
And this, Miss CouzinS resumed after a
pause, opened the correspondence between
us which eventually led to our betrothal
For some time letters passed between us at
regular intervals mr. fho Snir .,ff fha
respondence grew warmer and more conf
Dental with each letter.
shortly after returning to Chicago I re-
ceived letter from Mr.. Fair. in which he
stated that he would see me, and that he
was, coming with serious intentions to ask
my hand and heart in marriage.
Mr.. Fair, accompanied by his secretaries
Bresse and angus. and think, Mr.. Croth-
apartments at the Grand Pacific. MI Fair
Immediately sent me his card. I met him
IN res one OF the m parlos and he
me then and there he had come all the way
from California for the purpose. of asking
would give him definite answer within a
few, days. and directly intimated that he
seemed very much pleased at this.
Then Miss Couzins told how Mr.. Fair was
taken Ill a few days after this and sent for
her to nurse him; how she minfstered to his
wants in spite of the objections of his Sec
retaries. who endeavored to keep her from
when Mr.. Fair had recovered suffi-
Iyy ciently !! to enable him to. to be up and walk
called me aside one day and said:
II want to settle up my affairs in such
a manner that / shall do justice to all my
I want to make fair provision for Them
l love you, and l want to provide for you
at all hazards. SO that financial trouble can
never come to you. L want you to be my
wife. Will you marry me-?
Il answered Yes He then said: Thank
you; we must be married soon--very soon.
But he was still more less i'll, and
this prevented our early marriage. One
evening when he was feeling much better
worlds fair and he said we must see all
of it together, and that as his own dear
items of interest with which he was not
acquainted from an histarical point of view.
sea was sas sh Miss oza that
deep-drawn sigh ION the following day
Mr.. Fair was whisked out of Chicago as
if he had been a prisoner of a fugitive from
justice. Mr.. Fair managed to tell me that
he was called away by very important
business matters. but that he would return
very soon and make his wife. I never
saw him again. | received a letter from
him after he arrived in San Francisco. In
me to write often. l did write, but / never
got answer after that. / am positively
eftsr er yna me s aso ont ne ne
secretaries were constantly on the watch
Another Heir to Fairs Estate.
OAKLAND. Cal. March PA new claim
ant to the estate of James G. Fair has ap-
peared i'm the person of seven-year-old Ethel
Jacobs. According to the story of her fos-
ter mother, Mrs. Jacobs. the child was
brought to her in 1857 in response to an ad-
vertisement for baby to raise by a man
calling himself III. II. Roe, and who said
he was acting for the father. For eighteen
months $50 was sent Mrs. Jacobs monthly
by Roe for the child's maintenance Then
the remittance ceased, and six months later
a letter was received by Mrs. Jacobs stat
ing that thereafter Senator Fair would help
support the child. as he was the father.
With the infants wardrobe had come
Mrs. Jacobs recognized as Fair when she
met him subsequently,. During the next
few years the worlan says she saw the ex-
Senator periodically, sometimes receiving
money from him directly. at other times by
letter. Mr.. Fair. according to the state-