The Media
Initially, the press seemed to remain neutral on the situation, but over time the story evolved into one of a tragedy involving an upstanding family man and a seductive, murdering "she-devil."
Due to four past failed relationships, newspapers were able to draw on her past, saying Crittenden was "not the first or second victim of her unbridled passion," and that Fair had a habit of luring men in and then disposing of them, whether it be through divorce or other means.
In an article published after an interview with Fair, the author insinuated that her affection and hypocrisy were tools Fair used in order to seduce men. The interviewer also made her seem less feminine in order to justify her death sentence. This paper is only one of many that called her femininity into question in order to take some blame away from Crittenden.
In the article to the right, the author references Fair's past altercations with men in detail. They provide examples of former threats of violence in order to paint a picture of a woman who frequently uses violence against her husbands. They conclude by saying "All [Crittenden's] efforts to escape her toils were fruitless," as if she had lured and manipulated him into a relationship, and avoiding the fact that he had led her on for years.
The media as a whole had a major influence on the opinion of the general public, because the story had spread across the country, and it was the only way people received information on the trial.
Public Ledger June 12, 1871 Image 1. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1871-06-12/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1870&index=2&rows=20&words=Fair+Laura&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1872&proxtext=Laura+Fair+&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
While some newspapers reported on the entire overview of the trial and its results, many would publish very brief notes on a specific detail of the trial or the outcome. Additionally, for many years after the trial, papers across the country would report on what Laura Fair was up to at the time, whether it was about somewhere she planned to give a speech or even that she had "the intention of emigrating to Japan."
38 states had at least one front page news story on the Laura Fair murder and trial. Clicking on a pinpoint will show the city, the title of a newspaper, and a link to one newspaper that reports on the murder or Laura Fair's trial. While there were hundreds of articles published, this map shows how infamous Laura Fair was and the widespread media coverage of the trial, even years after the final trial ended.