Jason Fairbanks (September 25, 1780 - September 10, 1801) 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 house in the country. He was born with a lame arm. September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Seal of Dedham, MA Dedham is the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. ... The Fairbanks House is a historic Colonial American house located at 511 East Street, Dedham, Massachusetts. ...

He had been courting Elizabeth Fales, the daughter of Nehemiah Fales, for a long while but she would not consent to marry him. Finally on May 18, 1801, Fairbanks was determined to force her to make up her mind and met with Fales in a birch grove next to "Mason's pasture" in Dedham, though the exact location today is not known. May 18 the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Species Many species; see text and classification Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. ...

Later, Fairbanks appeared at her parents' 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 was unable to. She had been stabbed 11 times, including once in the back. Traditional Finnish puukko knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ...

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's funeral on May 20, a jury indicted Fairbanks as an accessory to Elizabeth's death and was jailed. He was sentenced to death by hanging. August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... 20 May is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ...

In August, James Sullivan, the Republican 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 Elizabeth's murder and was sentenced to death by hanging. For the Olympic athlete, see James P. Sullivan. ... 2nd Harrison Gray Otis House, Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. ... John Lowell, Jr. ... The term federalist refers to a proponent of one of several different ideologies, depending on the locale or subject matter. ...

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!" This party tried to make their way to Canada, but stopped to eat in Skenesboro(ugh), now known as Whitehall, New York, just south of the Canadian border where Fairbanks was recaptured. Whitehall, New York is the name of a village and a town in Washington County, New York. ...

Fairbanks was returned to the Boston jail, for authorities no longer trusted the Dedham jail, and, on September 10, 1801 Fairbanks was hanged. September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

It was a massive event. Two Army cavalry companies and a volunteer militia unit made sure he didn’t 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 then the entire story was written up in a pamphlet entitled A Deed of Horror! Trial of Jason Fairbanks for the Murder of His Sweetheart in 1801, and 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

• [1] Historian recalls the Faribanks case, Dedham’s first big trial
• [2] The Story of Jason Fairbanks
• [3] Jason Fairbanks and Elizabeth Fales