The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-06
THE

friends and relatives, hoVefs DeLWeen
life and death at "Stancote," his mag
nificent country home. where his beau
tiful wife Is trying to nurse him back TO
life, the entire population Of this city ana
state are wondering what the sequel VIII
be TO the sensational Blair story snouta
the dashing and picturesque master OF
atancote-the eloquent exponent OF CIV
Righteousness who is declared 10 nave
gone wrong himselt'-recover from the
illness brought on by the dfdIiauc tA-
posures Of the double life he is said 20
have been leading Latest reports from
The sick room are that he mas an equal
chance" for life though no details have
been permitted % leak out as 70 Whethcr
the fan down short flight OF steps az
administered, has most to do with
his illness.
IN the mouth Of ruTnor In TINS city ana
in kirkWoOd the suburb where the splen-
did country mansion 5tancote Is located
There were Incredible tales In everyy re-
sort OF men. In every club, in an society
gatherings, the Blair story has been the
chief topic Of conversation Tor weeks;
the standing Of the man they most con-
cerned. II could scarcely nave been other
wise.
Every leader of the conversations
claimed To- have the authentic detalisi
the mrlsgging interest OF all within the
sound OF his voice. All wanted to hear
and only those who had belonged 70 the
Arl 80 COM fIdlit Va AAta EAA-AA@f
Even the enemy found the expanded ru-
NOR too fearful for acceptance lt Is
when you consider the marVeious posi-
ton occupied by Blalr In 81 LOUIS Ihal
YOU realize fully why even the man WnO
dialikes him could not accept the story
An additional element of intense SEN
BrtfOnaIism was given to the rumCrs by
tire 1act that James l.. Blalr wire is
president of the woman department or
tle Worlds fair TO DE held mere next
year and as such has been much I'm the
hmelight as the undoubted leader OF So
ciety. Handsome and of a stately bear
in8, wen trained ana OF pulsudl SIlL9ttC
culture and aspiration, Mrs. Blair mas, IN
fact. made for herself a place so distinct
as 90 cause her personality to assume an
exceptional and peculiar prominence as
that of "a high-ciass representative OF the
best local element with the ample
means at her disposal she provided a mu-
steal education for working glIts, oTsal-
lziug them into the Morning Choral So
c.cty singing club Of whlch she va
SCI 900 home near her town house on
q fashionable residence street or this City.
AS "a result of an this there is perhaps
no more generally loved woman In the
community.
Now. as TO this brilliant woman s
equally brilliant husband, James J. Blalr.
tfat ST. Louis has knOWG, and who for
ten years has oazzled the society TRINA
violations that have shocked this COM
-unitE within the last week are 20 stand
That tins exemplary citizen. the hon
cred SON of an hCuOred father, has Deen
-IiltE of the crimes now specially ldiu
gs his doOT-and the details of which the
land jury has been listening to FOR days
togethpr-staggers belief. But whatever
way the Blair story ends, II has IN u
cements that make It one or the mos
I8markable EPISODES in the history OF re-
variable careers.
A distinguished ancestry was this man s
inheritance Grandson is he OF that Ia
nous editor Francis Preston Blair. who
was President Jackson g literary eNecu'
tor. Ills father was Francis +. blair tht
sccond-knoWn TO the country as "bQnesL
Frank Blair. the strong friend and con-
fiGant of Lincoln and 20 whom has beer
credited the saving Of Missouri in the
early days OF the COulederacy.
With a lineage so proud and honored
James T.. Blair found an yates ajar toi
him En- this city of his fathers.
A shining example of the poor. studious
yUutE who rose 10 be nearly st. Louis
most prominent citizen, who lived openly
aud hravelN tnroueh days OF poverty, WI,
became q generous host and patron OF al
that is good and lovely I'm days OF pros
perity, who outraged no conventions Du
was model SON, husband. father, c.tt
zen. making his home the haven of a.
his endeaVor and the center OF MS il- u
eousness and a hundred other allied sub
jeCts, "a politician VINO CONSTANT.
preached and worked for reforming mn
party, and prominent IN me aIIalrs Q
city, state and nation bitter, lrrltan
fighter: waspish. shreWd and persisten
I'm his enmites and political policies; tn
6ert9i5en bv right-seelting but improctic
al advocates of good government; stron
I'm his dislikes, cold to those he neithe
hated nor loved. and warm enough TO
comfort to his friends.
All st. Louis knew this man thus
Blair is 40 years old. His father lef
no great estate and there were man
among whom it was divided James wa
educated i'm the public schools Of 81
Louis and was barely able TO take shOr
course at Princeton. Then ne was com
90 H.r adj M FMS
said of him that, though his family CAV
him a social position, he was unable Z
avail himself Of many invitations on az
count OF his poverty.
tie studied law while serving as a cour
clerk ana began practice with only IN
advantage of somewhat larger acQuaiut
ance among influential persons than
usually the fortune of poor beginner J
the law. It was through bis family cor
Becti0us that ne was enabled to secul
practice which became lucrative
The AleNanLers and Eaynes of Ne
York were influential IN securing Tor M
a position as the legal representative
St. Louis of am Insurance company an
other legal business which brought larz
fees. throughout his career as laWyt
h has been seen in court only at lnlr'
visory and what Is known in the probe.
sion Hs office practice.
Since his marriage i'm 1883 he has live
~ "a style that Indicated a rapidly increa'
inC Income a few years ago he move
from the city 90 "Stancote, beauufl
country place near Kirkwood. and tf
hospitality of this gem among COuntI
places has made its name and the nam
OF the Blairs a provero In society.
This IS the man concerning whom rumC
was so yOciferOus. Gradually the gOss
assumed definite form and shape. TT
accuser was found TO be Attorney JAIME
IT. Roberts. a former emplOye who hf
proved 20 be a Nemesis on Blair's track
though the exact motive for Roberts SCI
satiOual disclosures has not been mao
clear. Roberts own career being by q
means entirely stainless. For weeks Rol
crts hawked "the Blair story arour
among the newspaper offices 0f this cit
trying TO sell it Tor q certain pecuuiaI
consideration. AT last the rum0rs wei
crystalized I'm a partial report publishf
BrOkmeyer Isl editor Then the graz
jury. at the instance Of District Alto
new Folk. took up the case for investigi
ton. After Attorney Roberts had to
bis story last Friday 10 the jury he le
the precincts OF the four courts with o
the complete Blair story Yves 70 be pa
ushed Saturday IN the GlObe-Democra
True enough, IL was published, as e.
pected. and created perhaps the vel
greatest sensation ever known In loo
history.
ROBERTS IS an attorney with talent r
the investigation OF cases involving q
1ective abilities. He was once a stenOgr
pher and q lawyers clerk He work.
for Blair and for Seldom & Blair.
had long been known as a person clair
ing TO have the true facts COnCerniI
what has been known and what has he
been called ''the Blair story. Tie Do,
exclaimed when hawking the story aroui