540 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (FASSETT FISHER.) 



student at Oberlin he taught school in Lexington, 

 Ky., where he became the fast friend and defender 

 from physical injury of Cassius M. Clay, who was 

 publishing " The True American," .the only anti- 

 slavery paper in the South. He also continued his 

 work of freeing slaves. The most remarkable inci- 

 dent of this work occurred in 1843. Mr. Fairbank 

 had discovered in the jail at Lexington a slave 

 girl almost purely white who was soon to be sold 

 at auction. Proceeding to Cincinnati, he enlisted 

 the sympathy of Salmon P. Chase, Nicholas Long- 

 worth, and others, so that he returned to Lexing- 

 ton with $2,275 in his pocket and authority to 

 draw upon the donors for $25,000 more. The bid- 

 ding was spirited, Fairbank's only opponent be- 

 ing a Frenchman from New Orleans. At last the 

 girl went to Fairbank for $1,485, and he took her 

 to Cincinnati, where she was freed and educated. 

 In 1844, in company with Miss D. A. Webster, he 

 effected the escape of Lewis Hay den and family. 

 For this offense Miss Webster was sentenced to two 

 years in the prison at Frankfort, Ky., and Fairbank 

 to fifteen years. During his imprisonment pending 

 the trial he made a vain attempt to escape from the 



i'ail. In 1849 he was pardoned by Gov. Crittenden. 

 Us efforts were at once directed against the pass- 

 age of the fugitive slave law ; and, failing in that, 

 against its execution. In 1852 he was once more 

 sentenced to a fifteen-year imprisonment at Frank- 

 fort, where, according to his story, he received more 

 than 35,000 lashes on his bared body, his weight 

 being reduced from 180 pounds to 118. This treat- 

 ment caused him to have the appearance of an old 

 man at the age of forty. Having been ordained to 

 the ministry in 1850, he officiated at times in the 

 chapel of the prison, where he did not hesitate to set 

 forth his own views on the absorbing question of th'e 

 day. For a part of the year 1862 the Confederate 

 army had possession of Frankfort, and several at- 

 tempts were made by the soldiers upon the life of 

 Mr. Fairbank. In 1864, during the temporary ab- 

 sence of Gov. Bramlette, he was released from prison 

 by the acting Governor, Richard T. Jacobs. His 

 total period of confinement exceeded seventeen 

 years. On June 9, 1864, he married, in Oxford, 

 Ohio, Miss Mandana Tileston, of Williamsburgh, 

 Mass., to whom he had been engaged since 1851. 

 He removed to New York city in 1864, where he 

 was for more than ten years in the employ of reli- 

 gious and missionary societies, his special work being 

 in connection with the freedmen. After this work 

 he removed to Angelica, N. Y., where the remainder 

 of his life was spent. In 1893 he published a book 

 entitled " How the Way was Prepared," giving a 

 detailed account of his eventful life. 



Fassett, Cornelia Addle (STRONG), painter, born 

 in Owasco, N. Y., Nov. 9, 1831 ; died in Washington, 

 I). ( '.. Jan. 4, 1898. She studied painting in water 

 color in New York city and in oil in Paris and 

 Rome; and on her return to the United States 

 in 1855 opened a studio for portrait painting in Chi- 

 cago. In 1873 she was elected a member of the 

 Chicago Academy <>f Design, and in 1875 became a 

 resident of Washington, D. C. Her most notable 

 painting is "The Electoral Commission in Open 

 Session," which was executed in 1877-'80 and con- 

 tains about 200 portraits. It was bought by the 

 National Government and now hangs in the Capitol. 

 Mrs. Fassett had also painted portraits of many 

 notable persons, including Vice-President Wilson, 

 Chief- Justice Waite, President Garfield. Associate 

 Justices Miller and Field, Gen. John A. Logan, and 

 Miss Clara Barton. 



Fay, Theodore Sedgrwick, author and diploma- 

 tist, born in New York city, Feb. 10, 1807: died in 

 Berlin, Germany, Nov. 17, 1898. He belonged to 

 that generation of literary New Yorkers which in- 



cluded Halleck, Willis, Morris, and Bryant, and in 

 early life was editor of the New York " Mirror.'' 

 He was secretary of the American legation at Ber- 

 lin in 1837-'53. and minister resident to Switzer- 

 land in 1853-'6l. Since 1861 he had lived in retire- 

 ment at Berlin. His novels enjoyed a considerable 

 measure of public favor at the time of their appear- 

 ance, but with the exception of " Norman Leslie " 

 are unknown even by name at the end of the cen- 

 tury. His earliest work was entitled "Dreams and 

 Reveries of a Quiet Man " (1832) ; and this was fol- 

 lowed by " Norman Leslie " (1835) ; "Sydney Clif t< >n " 

 (1839) : " The Countess Ida " (1840) ; "" Hoboken : A 

 Romance of New York " (1843) ; " Robert Rueful " 

 (1844); "Ulric; or, The Voices" (1851); "Alews of 

 Christianity" (1856); "History of Switzerland" 

 (1860); "Great Outlines of Geography" (IHiTj; 

 "The Three Germanys : Glimpses into their His- 

 tory " (1889). 



Febiger. John Carson, naval officer, born in 

 Pittsburg, Pa., Feb. 14, 1821 ; died in London- 

 derry, Md., Oct. 9, 1898. He was appointed a mid- 

 shipman in the navy, Sept. 4, 1838 ; promoted passed 

 midshipman, May 20, 1844; master, July 13, 1SVJ: 

 lieutenant, April 30, 1853; commander, July 16, !S(i2: 

 captain, May 6, 1868; commodore, Aug. 9, 1S74: 

 and rear admiral, Feb. 4, 1882 ; and was retired, July 

 1, 1882. He was on the " Germantown," of the East 

 India squadron, in 1858-'60, on the sloop "Savan- 

 nah" in 1861, and when commissioned commander 

 was assigned to the steamer " Kanawha," of the 

 Western Gulf blockading squadron. After com- 

 manding various vessels in that and the Mississippi 

 squadron, he commanded the " Mattabeset," of the 

 North Atlantic squadron in 1864, and in that steamer 

 took part, May 5, 1864, in the engagement between 

 the little fleet of wooden vessels under Capt. Me- 

 lancthon Smith and the Confederate ram "Albe- 

 marle," in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. In 

 this fight the ram was defeated and her tender was 

 captured ; and Febiger was commended for his gal- 

 lantry and skill. He commanded the "Ashuelot." 

 of the Asiatic squadron, in 1866-'68 ; was inspector 

 of naval reserve lands in 1869-'72 ; a member of the 

 board of examiners in 1874-'76; and commandant 

 of the Washington Navy Yard in 1876-*80. 



Fisher, Clara (Mrs. Clara Fisher Maeder). ac- 

 tress, born in London, England, July 14, 1811; died 

 in Metuchen, N. J., Nov. 12, 1898. She made her 

 first appearance on the stage at the Theater Royal, 

 Drury Lane, London, England, Dec. 10, 181 ; 

 Lord Flimnap in an adaptation called " Gulliver in 

 Lilliput," which was specially provided for her by 

 her father, George Frederick Fisher, who was con- 

 nected with the theater as a scenic artist. The 

 astonishing aplomb and accuracy of the child in the 

 performance of the rather indifferent part with 

 which she was intrusted took the city by storm. 

 The novelty of seeing a mere child upon the si 

 imitating with perfect confidence the manners of 

 her elders, drew to Drurv Lane not only the idlers 

 of the clubs and coffee houses, but the gay ones of 

 the court, and Clara Fisher was applauded and 

 petted by George IV and his friends. She was even 

 patronized by Beau Brummell. Her father wrott 

 for her a burlesque on the last act of " Richard 111." 

 which upon its presentation with Clara Fisher i\- 

 the Crookback made an immediate success and 

 enjoyed a run of seventeen nights, a wonderful 

 thing in those days for Drury Lane. She was tin i 

 engaged by the managers of Covent Garden Theater 

 Not only were her houses crowded with the wit am 

 fashion of the town, but her childish methods wen 

 adopted into the speech of polite society, and the 

 " Fisher lisp " was the best vogue among the younj.; 

 exquisites of both sexes. She made tours of the 

 United Kingdom, always under the direction of he:' 



