The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-25

San Francisco, March 24-rhe Call
publishes a long story telling Of the
affection that existed between the late
James G. Fair and Miss Phoebe Cous-
ms, the well known lecturer and
woman's rights advocate.
According to the Call, they were en-
gagged to be married, and only the
death of the millionaire prevented their
marriage. Miss Cousins is at present
in San Jose, taking care of her brother,
who is i'll. To a Call representative,
she told of her affection for Fair.
Phoebe's story.
She told her story freely, candidly
and without hesitancy. Before speak
ing about herself. she said:
Il will begin by stating that there
were many condolences between Mr.
Fair and myself which I cannot touch
upon at all. IIe told me all about his
life-his successes, his failures, his joys
and his sorrows. From these conf
dences I concluded that he had been
more. sinned against than SHINING.
Il first met Mr.. Fair in the Riggs
house. Washington. D. c.. in 1888, while
he was a United States senator from
Nevada. I took a liking to MIN at
once. The evident defects in his educa-
ton and manners were completely
overwhelmed by the natural greatness
of the man, as 1 saw him. soon adj
mired him very much, and 1 could see
that he also liked to be in my. COM
pany and seemed to take interest in
my work and my views of social and
political conditions.
But this, our first, friendship did not
grow at once to anything more or
warmer than mutual admiration. In
the course of a few months we parted,
as true friends part. He returned TO
Nevada and California. and 1 resumed
my work in different parts of the
world Several years passed and we
did not meet until some time after my
mothers death.
The BetrOtha1.
Miss Cousins then related her trouble
with the Worlds fair board of lady
managers and her efforts to have
bill passed by Congress to secure pay
ment for her services as secretary.
She applied to Fair for political as
sistance and although he said he had
no such influence, he wrote very kind
Iy and asked her to correspond with
him. She responded.
And this" Miss Cousins resumed
after a pensive pause, opened the
correspondence between us which
eventually led to our bethrothal.
For some time after that, letters
passed between us at regular inter-
walls, and the spirit of the correspond
ence grew warmer and more con-
fidential with each letter.
Shortly after returning to Chicago,
1 received a letter from Mr.. Fair, in
which he stated that he would soon see
me and that he was coming with
serious intentions to ask my hand and
heart in marriage.
Mr.. Fair, accompanied by his sec
retaries, Bresse and Angus, and
think Mr.. Crothers, arrived in Chicago
May Z, 1898, and took apartments at
the Grand Pacific. Mr.. Fair immedi-
ately sent me his card. 1 met him in
one of the parlors, and he expressed
great happiness at seeing me again.
He told me then and there that he had
come all the way from California for
the purpose of asking me to become his
wife 1 told him that I would give him
a definite answer within a few days,
and delicately intimated that he need
have no fear of my final decision. He
seemed very much pleased at this
Watched by the Secretaries.
Then Miss Cousins told how Mr.. Fair
was taken i'll a few days after this
I'D fA,. 1,A,- 70 IL
she ministered to his wants in spite
of the objections of his secretaries, who
endeavored to keep her from him.
when Mr.. Fair had recovered suffi-
GENTLY to enable him to be up and
walk around he called me aside one
day.
Il want to settle up my affairs he
said. in such manner that / shall do
justice to all my family connections
L love my family and l want to make
fair provision for them. 1 love you and
1 want to provide for you at all haz-
ards, so that financial trouble can
never come to you. 1 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 or less i'll,
and this prevented our early marriage.
One evening, when he was feeling
much better, we sat together and talk
ed about the Worlds fair, and he said
we must see all of it together, and that
as his own dear and gifted little wife
I should explain all the items of inter
est with which he was not acquainted
from an historical point of view.
'sAnd that was the last evening that
we were together said Miss Cousins.
with a deep drawn sigh.
Spirited Away.
ION the following day Mr.. Fair was
whisked out of Chicago as if he had
been a prisoner or a fugitive from JUS
tice.
.sMr Fair managed to tell me that
he was called away by very important
business matters. but that he would
speedily return and make me his wife.
I never saw him again. received one
letter from him after he arrived in San
Francisco. In that he stated that he