Year: 1871

SAN FRANoIsco, April IA, 1871.


The great criminal trial that has so engrossed
public attention Cor the past three weeks is at
length drawing to a close The evidence on
both sides is ell in; the correspondence has been
submitted the counsel for the prosecution is to-
day making his appeal to the jury, and the case
will probably be given to their consideration
early on Monday.


THE LETTERS.


think there was never such mass of sad,
sad letters introduced into a criminal trial be-
fore as in this one-never letters telling such
sorrowful tale of sin, love and infatuatioa. Ev-
cry ink-blotted sheet written by the murdered
man recalled depth of guilty yet unselfsh af-
fection every line bears record of sin-tanted
devotion to the woman who was at once the bit
ter and the sweet of his existence 1t is as if
the pen that wrote them had been dipped in the
mans nnermost heart-as if he had spread his
soul on paper with all its aspirations, imperfec-
tions and follies so that she might read his every
thought His faith, his love, his jealousy, his
plottings for her.enrichmeDt, his doubts, his su-
perstitions, all are laid bare as perhaps the re-
cesses of mans brain and heart were never barred
before. What her feelings must have been as
those living, breathing fragments of her victim
rose each accusation, each witness of how
much he had borne and suffered for her sake,
can never be known, but to judge from her in
tent, frightened expression as the letters were
read by the counsel and handed to the bench


Her conscience had thousand several tongues,


And every tongue brought in a several tale


AND every tale condemned her"


The letters written by Mrs Fair do not prepos-
sess one in favor of the writer They are very
different indeed to those which she received.
True, they speak Of love, and contain ferYent as
surances of unalterable, passionate devotion,
but somehow or other they have not the ring of
true metal, and the reader feels that much of
the love is counterfeit and mere verbiage She
seems to have tried her best to poison Mr.. Crit
tenden's mind against his wife, for all the letters
exhibit blind jealous hatred of that lady-a
hatred that she lost no opportunity of manifest
ing oven in the Courtroom.


A SCENE IN COURT.


On Tuesday afternoon, when Mrs. Crittenden
was testfying under what circumstances she
was first INTRODUCED to the prisoner, a scene oc-
Cured that must have been conclusive to the ju-
ry of the bad passionate feelings entertained by
the adventures towards the woman she has so
deeply wronged. The witness was detailing how
Mrs. Fair came to her room when she was lying
on lounge feeling very unwell, and kneeling
down before her, had said, "Mrs. Crittenden,
you arc the first woman that has shown me any
kindness for ten years." when the proceedings
;p+a Cd Nv y;o o1o
the prisoner, and springing to her feet, with
fury darting from every feature, she shouted
out, That's lie." For moment she stood
so, her eyes glittering with hatred herself per-
feet picture of intense passion, when the Deputy
Sheriff. who has her in charge, and Mr.. Cook
one of her counsel, implored her to resume her
seat and almost pushed her back into the chair
Mrs. Crittenden appeared perfectly unmoved by
the insult Her cold, sorrow-stricken counte-
nance showed no change, and when she resumed
her evidence the uncompromising hardness that
has been SO noticeable in her manner towards
the murderess was neither increased nor dimin-
ished. Judge Dwnelle imposed a fine of $3.50
for this exhibition of temper, and ordered that
immediate execution issue for the amount Mrs.
Fair heard the Judges remarks without mani
testing the least emotion, the glistening of her
face as she intenty listened to every word that
fell from Mrs. Crittenden's lips, that lady con-
tinued her story, showed that neither fines nor
rebukes would have stayed her hatred but for
the terrible result it might involve to herself,


MR.. SNYDER,


the last of the prisoner long array of husbands
was on the stand on Thursday. He is a we'll
dressed, good-looking man. but with 1ippant
self-satisfed air that at once puts the audience
against him. He detailed his agreement with
Mrs. Fair that he should commit adultery in Or
der to enable his wife of two weeks to procure a
divorce, with as much nonchalance as if he was
relating the most ordinary episode of every day
life. At the conclusion of his testimony there
was a slight attempt at a hiss, whereupon he
turned around, bowed to the part of the room
from which the expressions of disapprobation
proceeded, and stepped from the witness box
with a men of the most manifest indifference as
to what people thought of him.


There is great deal of betting in sporting
circles as to the result of the trial. At one
place | hear that pools are sold every night
The impression to-day is that the jury will dis
agree. deputation of the strong-minded has
beer in attendance since the commencement,
ostensbiy for the purpose Of afording comfort
to their sister in affection, and to see that the
tgrant man metes out proper justice to her but
that morbid curiosity is the main motive is evi-
dent from the fact that they refused to Temporal
rly withdraw while questions that no modest
woman would care to listen TO were being asked


The jurors are bearing their enforced confne-
ment with toleFable good grace, but, American