Jason Fairbanks
Encyclopedia
Jason Fairbanks was an early American murderer. Fairbanks came from a prominent family in Dedham, Massachusetts
. He was the son of Ebenezer and Prudence Farrington Fairbanks and lived in the Fairbanks House, today the oldest wood-framed house in the country. He was born with a lame arm. His sixth cousin, once removed, was Vice President Charles Fairbanks.
Later, Fairbanks appeared at the Fales house, covered with blood and holding a knife. He told them that their daughter had committed suicide and he had tried to do the same but could not. She had been stabbed 11 times, including once in the back.
Fairbanks' wounds were serious; he was in no shape to be taken directly to jail. He was therefore taken into the Fales household, where he received medical treatment. On August 8, 1801, after a three-day trial and Elizabeth Fales' funeral on May 20, a jury indicted Fairbanks as an accessory to her death and he was jailed.
James Sullivan, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, handled the prosecution. Harrison Gray Otis
and John Lowell, Jr.
, two prominent Federalist
lawyers, defended Fairbanks. He was found guilty of the murder and was sentenced to death by hanging.
, just south of the Canadian border. Fairbanks was recaptured.
Fairbanks was returned to the Boston
jail, for authorities no longer trusted the Dedham jail, and on September 10, 1801, Fairbanks was hanged at a massive event. He was twenty years old. Two Army cavalry companies and a volunteer militia unit made sure he did not escape again, and the 10,000 people who showed up at the Town Common to witness the execution were five times the town’s population at the time.
Within two days of his execution, the Report of the Trial of Jason Fairbanks was published. The story was then written up in a pamphlet entitled A Deed of Horror! Trial of Jason Fairbanks for the Murder of His Sweetheart in 1801. It became the basis for a novel called The Life of Jason Fairbanks: A Novel Founded on Fact, which is believed to no longer exist.
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
. He was the son of Ebenezer and Prudence Farrington Fairbanks and lived in the Fairbanks House, today the oldest wood-framed house in the country. He was born with a lame arm. His sixth cousin, once removed, was Vice President Charles Fairbanks.
History
Fairbanks had been courting Elizabeth Fales, the daughter of Nehemiah Fales, although she was resistant to marrying him. Finally on May 18, 1801, Fairbanks was determined to force her to make up her mind. He met with Fales in a birch grove next to "Mason's pasture" in Dedham, though the exact location today is not known.Later, Fairbanks appeared at the Fales house, covered with blood and holding a knife. He told them that their daughter had committed suicide and he had tried to do the same but could not. She had been stabbed 11 times, including once in the back.
Fairbanks' wounds were serious; he was in no shape to be taken directly to jail. He was therefore taken into the Fales household, where he received medical treatment. On August 8, 1801, after a three-day trial and Elizabeth Fales' funeral on May 20, a jury indicted Fairbanks as an accessory to her death and he was jailed.
James Sullivan, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, handled the prosecution. Harrison Gray Otis
Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer)
Harrison Gray Otis , was a businessman, lawyer, and politician, becoming one of the most important leaders of the United States' first political party, the Federalists...
and John Lowell, Jr.
John Lowell, Jr. (lawyer)
John Lowell, Jr. was an American lawyer and notable member of the Federalist Party in the early days of the United States of America.-Career:...
, two prominent Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
lawyers, defended Fairbanks. He was found guilty of the murder and was sentenced to death by hanging.
Escape
Before the execution could take place, Fairbanks escaped with the help of his brother, a cousin, a friend, and his nephew, Nathaniel Davis. A $1,000 bounty was placed on his head, and a newspaper headline screamed "Stop the Murderer!" The party tried to make their way to Canada, but stopped to eat in Skenesboro, now known as Whitehall, New YorkWhitehall (village), New York
Whitehall is a village located in the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, just south of the Canadian border. Fairbanks was recaptured.
Fairbanks was returned to the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
jail, for authorities no longer trusted the Dedham jail, and on September 10, 1801, Fairbanks was hanged at a massive event. He was twenty years old. Two Army cavalry companies and a volunteer militia unit made sure he did not escape again, and the 10,000 people who showed up at the Town Common to witness the execution were five times the town’s population at the time.
Within two days of his execution, the Report of the Trial of Jason Fairbanks was published. The story was then written up in a pamphlet entitled A Deed of Horror! Trial of Jason Fairbanks for the Murder of His Sweetheart in 1801. It became the basis for a novel called The Life of Jason Fairbanks: A Novel Founded on Fact, which is believed to no longer exist.
External links
- Historian recalls the Faribanks case, Dedham’s first big trial
- The Story of Jason Fairbanks
- Jason Fairbanks and Elizabeth Fales
Source
- Freeman, Dale H. Melancholy Catastrophe! The story of Jason Fairbanks and Elizabeth Fales, Historical Journal of Massachusetts, Winter 1998.