Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-11-29

p. Crlttenden was appointed to- West
Point, where he was graduated IN the
same class with General w. i. Sherman
and General Beanregard.
Crittenden served in the United States
army for some time, but In 1S40 resigned,
studied law and went to California when
tho gold fever was Mt Its height
A man of lne presence, good education,
great force of character and undOubted
ability, Alexander p. Crittenden, who
made his home In San Francisco, at once
took a. leading position at the bar Of his
adopted state. About 1860 no married
woman Of good family and great personal
attractiveness and refinement, by whom
he had two children, boy and a girl. Mr..
Crittenden was interested in the great
Nevada silver mines, and beiug in Vir-
ginia City at the time Mrs. Fair shot her
partner he was asked to defend her, and
after visit to the prisoner he, with char
acteristic gallantry, agreed to do SO. -.
Owing to Mr.. Crittonden's great ability
and devotion rather than to the merits OF
tho case, he succeeded in having Mrs. Fair
declared not guilty. -.f
This case kept him in Virginia City
much longer than his original business
required, and too lonS.Os it proved, for
his subsequent welfare He became
strongly attached to his fair client, and
through his persuasion, ut least SO it Is be-
lleved. Mrs. Fair came to San Francisco
with her mother and child. The attach.
ment formed in Nevada grew stronger and
stronger in California, until at last his
f,,,, liov INV, with Tim hnnnrnA
matter Of notoriety, and his best friends
warned him against continuing the con-
neotion.
Mrs. Crittenden seems to have been
carly aware of her husbands fondnoss for
this woman. and with great patience and
admirable common sense she tried, but
unsuccessfully, to wean him from her.
For six years this liaisOn continued, and
the correspondence, subsequently brought
to light, showed that Mr.. Crittenden had
become Mrs. Fairs slave and had spent
thousands of dollars every year to lncet
her regular expenses and to crafty her
more oxtravagant whims. 90 .,
In 1870 Mr.. Crittenden was man 5s
years of age. His Oldest son, Parker, was
q youth Of 20 and his daughter a beautiful
girl of 1G. In the summer of that year
no had sent his family on to the east to
visit relatives, and with the additional
purpose in mind of, breaking off, during
their absence, all connection with Mrs.
Fair. ~,
About a year before this time Mrs. Fair,
who had no position in society, and who
was well known to the San Francisco
"fast set, had, through the advice Of Mr..
Crittenden, who was eager to be rid OF
her, married a man named Snyder. This
marriage lasted just a month. Snyder
loft his wife, and nine weeks from the
date Of their marriage she was again d.
voroed.
This was the condition Of affairs on the
afternoon of Nov. g. 1870. At that time
Mr.. .Crittenden went across the bay from
San Francisco to Oakland on the regular
ferry to meet his family, who he knew
would come on the train due at that time.
He met his family and took Q scat be-
tween his wife and daughter on the upper
deck of the boat FL Captain. Tho ferry
boat had gone about 100 yards from Oak.
land In tho direction Of San Francisco,
when woman, heavily yelled and hold
ing q pistol In her right hand, suddenly
appeared before Crittonden and called out:
"N" You have ruined mo and my child and
must die!" '&
She fred one shot, which struck her VIC
tim near the heart. He would have fallen
to the floor had he not been caught and
sustained by his wife.
Mrs. Fair turned and ran to the lower
deck, where che mingled among the pas
sengers. Parker Crittenden, the murdered
mans son, dashed after the woman, and
finding on the vessel the captain Of the
harbor police he had her arrested.
Mr.. Crittenden was taken to his home
and on the morning Of the third day after
the shooting he died.
Mrs. Fair was indicted and her trial be-
gan on the 9th of March, 1871. Judge
Dwinelle presided. Lawyers Cook and
Quint appeared for the defense and Dis
triot Attorney Harry Byrnes for the pros
eoution.
The defense sought to prove that Mrs
Fair was the victim of emotional insanity,
but without success. The defense was
masterly and it was thought that the pros