Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1914-01-30
Thai FAIR DIVORCE

| SN "SSh We piuihuel what
purported to be an account of Jim
Fair's divorce. Today We give an
other account clipped from the Car.
son News. Our readers can take
their choice between the two:
The News is informed by two
old Comstockers, now residing in
Carson that the item which ap-
peared in yesterdays News with
reference to the Fsir divorce case
which was copied from the Ely Ex-
positor, and which paper credited
another old Comstocker for its in
formation is wrong. According to
our informants. the facts are about
as follows.
James G. Fair induced or forced
bis wife to sue him for divorce.
He was tnen in San Francisco and
she in Virginia City, where the ac-
tion was brought. Fair paid R. S..
Mesi;k, Mrs. Fairs attorney, $780,.
600. ,aI. himself produced two
witnesses against bimself-In Inez
Leonard, we'll remembered by many
prominent citizens as a Spanish
lady Of great beauty, and also a
Miss Carrie. Dick Messick was
then cohabIting with Miss Carrie.
They testified to Fairs immoral
ties, and Mrs. Fair obtained her
divorce, Inez soon after bought q
place" in San Francisco for S1O,-
600 and Carrie bedecked herself
with diamonds, all from the $780,
600 tee. AT the trial Fair testified
ne was worth about $4,000, 900.
A subsequent investigation reveal
ed the fact that he was worth SILL
100000 and he settled with Mrs.
Fair by giving her S4.000.00D.
Subsequently jim slipped Dick a
pointer on mining stocks and got
back all that Dick. had not spent
wisely and otherwise.
James G. Fair wos one Of the
most difficult persons to interview
that ever lived, as may be amply
testified to by Washing ton CORES
pondents whilst he was u. s. Sena-
tor from Nevada and by all other
newspaper men who ever atte mI,ted
to Interview hi II and obtain any
information. He would receive
them most atfably: well, my son,
what can | do for you?" is well
remembered as his general greet
ing.
He was Sherlock Holmes. For
instance: When he was Superin-
tendent Of the bonanza mines, there
was a rule forbidding smoking in
the mines, which rule he determin-
ed to enforce. He went into the
Con. Virginia one day, and into
long drift where men we're at work,
and there fell to the floor of the
drift and complained of sickness
and said he believed a pipe of to-
bacco would do him good, and one
of the men furnished him with
pipe of tobacco and II match. He
enjoyed his smoke very much and
thanked the man kindly. Return
ing to the surface he ordered his
discharge. The miner sought him
and complained. "Well, we'll, my
son, did they discharge you for
that? will see about it" But
tina! man never got back to work
III the boDanzas. and it stopped
smoking in the mines controlled by
jim.
When the Hon. Jas. G. Fair was
elected United States Senator by
the legislature in 1851 he gave
the members a grand banquet at
the Arlington. He had prepared q
dispatch to be sent him from Vir-
ginia City to the effect that great
discovery of very rich ore had been
made in one Of his mines and the
messenger boy handed it to him
during the repast whilst the vino
was flowing freely announced the
good news. Nearly all present
loaded with the stock and Jim un-
loaded. thus very materially rcduc-
ing the cost of his campaign. Jim
failed to get back one members
pay envelope. A waiter named
Johnny Davis for short, tumbled to
the fact that most of the members
were flush, and that night he climb
ed over the transom OF the room Of
the particular member and ab.