Lovely Laura was lethal

At 16, Laura Fair married William Stone, a liquor salesman from New Orleans. A year later, he died of cholera.

Laura, a blond, blue-eyed beauty, returned to school, but soon gave up her higher education in favour of marriage to one Thomas Grayson. Where Stone had been preoccupied with selling the devil rum, Grayson was intent on drinking Louisiana dry.

When sloshed, which was most of the time, Grayson had the distressing habit of joining Laura in bed with a pair of six shooters, which he would fire at the most inopportune times. Laura fled to California, where she obtained a divorce.

Laura strolled down the aisle for the third time in 1859. Lawyer William Fair stayed married to Laura for two years, during which time Laura gave birth to a baby girl, Lilliam.

Unfortunately, William blew his brains out in a doctor’s office in San Francisco. William left his wife and daughter with little in the way of worldly goods. Laura had one asset – a diamond ring given to her by her late husband during happier times.

In 1863, Laura took her daughter and moved to Virginia City to seek her fortune. She raised some cash on her ring and managed to rent a rooming house called Tahoe House. The 50-room establishment was a success from the very beginning. One day, lawyer Alexander Crittenden took a room at the Tahoe House.

Alex fell hard for Laura. The old rascal should have known better. There he was, well into his 50s, with a wife, Clara, and seven children. When he met Laura, he had already celebrated his silver wedding anniversary.

Laura and Alex met clandestinely for about a year before they grew careless, or simply didn’t give a damn. Clara, who still lived in San Francisco, came to Virginia City to visit with one of her daughters. She quickly learned of her husband’s prolonged affair.

The pressure was too much for even randy Alex. He and Laura took a trip to San Francisco, where he did the unthinkable. He arranged a dinner date with his wife and his mistress.

Clara suggested Laura drop out of their lives. Laura replied that she would never give up Alex.

For the next few years, the affair between Laura and Alex continued unabated. They often talked of Alex divorcing his wife, but the wily lawyer always hedged.

Eventually it got through to Laura that Alex would never leave his wife. She became extremely jealous of her rival.

There were scenes. During this turbulent period, Laura met and married Jesse Snyder. Jesse was well aware of the relationship between Laura and Alex.

At the time, a rumour circulated that Laura had paid Jesse $10,000 to go through with the marriage. She may have felt that once married, she would be more desirable to her true love, Alex.

It didn’t work. Alex informed her nothing much had changed. Instead of requiring one divorce, they now needed two.

Clever as a fox, Alex told Laura to get her divorce first. Just as Jesse had agreed to marry Laura, he now quickly consented to divorce her.

Clara was in San Francisco. Laura pointed out it was Alex’s turn to divorce. Instead, Alex said his wife was taking one of her many trips to Virginia City and it would be in poor taste for him not to meet her.

Laura was livid. Laura learned Alex was to meet his wife aboard the ferry El Capitain at the Oakland dock. Unknown to her lover, Laura planned to be aboard.

On a cool fall day in November, Alex and Clara were united aboard the El Capitain. Laura found them on the crowded deck, sitting arm in arm. Their eldest son, Parker, stood nearby. Laura pulled out a chrome-plated pistol and fired. Alex slumped to the deck.

On March 27, 1871, Laura stood trial for murdering her lover. The proceedings lasted a month, with the outcome never in doubt.

Laura had planned the murder down to the last detail. She had purchased the murder weapon and had followed Alex onto the ferry. She had even visited the boat the day before the murder to study the layout.

To these accusations, Laura’s counsel could only plead that she had purchased the pistol for protection and had been insane at the time of the shooting. To establish that Laura was madder than a March hare, her lawyers claimed she had told them God had married her to Alex and she was really his wife.

It didn’t work. The jury took 45 minutes to find her guilty.

All was not lost. In February 1872, the Supreme Court of California reversed Laura’s conviction on two technicalities. In September of the same year, Laura stood trial for the second time.This time the jury returned the surprising verdict of not guilty. Laura embarked on a lecture tour and for a while was something of a celebrity. After all, it isn’t every day a woman kills her lover in front of his son and wife, and then walks out of the courtroom a free woman.

But Laura’s prosperity was short lived. Her lawyers sued her for large legal fees and collected. In 1913, Laura’s only daughter, Lilliam, was found dead in an empty room in New York City. She had starved to death.

Laura Fair lived on until 1919, when she, too, died in poverty in San Francisco.

Beverly Hills pawnshops snap up artwork, Rolexes

An original Kandinsky, an Andy Warhol, a grand piano and Rolexes by the dozen: as the economic crisis bites even the filthy rich are hocking prized possessions to pay the bills.

"This business in the past eight months is booming," said Yossi Dina, the president of The Dina Collection, who describes himself as the pawnbroker to the stars.

"I'm very special because I don't give small loans. I give big loans, people call me for half a million, two hundred, big loans. I've invested and I give the money out," he boasted to AFP.

Across the wealthy Beverly Hills enclave, dotted with the luxurious mansions of the nation's rich and famous, pawnshop owners say they haven't had it so good for decades.

"We are living a big time, the business people, the big people ... they need money for short time, they're business people, but short of cash," said Dina, a former commando in the Israeli army who arrived in the US in the late 1970s.

"Recently I got a Kandinsky, an Andy Warhol, original Andy Warhol, a lot of California art ... even a piece for one million dollars," he added, standing by a display case stuffed with 15 Rolexes and a Patek Philippe watch priced at 160,000 dollars.

Peter B., manager of The Collateral Lender, who asked not to give his full name, agreed he was cashing in as everyone seeks to liberate much-needed funds.

"We get everybody right now, doctors, professionals that can't pay their car bills, health care bills or their mortgages and that is a big difference with the past years," he told AFP.

"Some of them came here to get money to pay their credit cards. To me this is something new ... bad and I have 20 years in this business."

The most valuable items are not kept on display, but hidden away from prying eyes in the hope the owners will eventually come to redeem them.

But there are also some out there hunting for bargains.

"Well, I had the last sale yesterday and the buyer was Michael Jackson," said Iranian-born David Delijani, owner of European Fine Antiques.

"His agent came here about a month ago and he lied to me, he said that he was a business man in construction and asked me to take some pictures here.

"Yesterday he came back to explain the situation and he told me: 'I'm with my celebrity, he's waiting in the car, next door', and in less than five minutes Michael Jackson arrived," Delijani said.

"Once he was inside the store he took off his hat and the black veil. He bought a statue for 4,400 dollars. But this kind of story never happens, it's unusual." Growing numbers of people are turning to the pawnshops as the banks cut off funds amid the credit squeeze, and they rely on businesses in this upscale neighborhood to remain discreet.

Hearing that a journalist was interviewing the owner of one store, some women hiding behind their designer sunglasses decided not to get out of their luxury cars, but to come back another day.

Under California law, pawnshops can hold onto the goods for four months and 10 days after which the owners must redeem them by repaying the loan, or can arrange for the goods to be held for another four months at a monthly average 4.0 percent interest rate.

"We say that the ideal client is one who hocks a diamond ring, redeems it by paying back the loan amount and interest, and then hocks it again," said Peter B.

"We want them to get their valuables back, but yes, I can say that right now we have lots of goods."

In his store, a concert piano valued at 400,000 dollars is tucked between two Harley Davidsons.

Someone even tried to hand over an Oscar to Dina, but he had to refuse as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has strict rules on selling the famous stauette. He did take the same person's Golden Globe though.

The National Pawnbrokers Association has already urged its members to be attuned to the economic crisis.

"In today's diverse society, many people depend on pawnbrokers to help them meet those daily financial needs not met by other financial institutions," it said in a recent statement.

"Our customers represent the working families of America who have an unexpected need for short term cash. Pawn loans keep the electricity on, the rent paid, and cars working and full of gasoline."

Beverly Hills has long been the symbol of fabulous, unimaginable wealth, but it no longer is insulated from the country's economic woes.

California's unemployment rate stands at 10.1 percent, higher than the national average of 8.1 percent, and with mortgage costs rising many may now have no option but to hand over that Kandinsky or Rolex to pay for the rent.

Fans vote in Oscar best-dressed competition

The film academy is adding a "Project Runway" element to the Oscars this year by asking the public to vote on which dress the trophy presenter will wear.

The academy tapped seven emerging designers to create gowns for the competition. They unveiled their entries Tuesday during the annual Oscar fashion show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' headquarters.

The winning dress "will be seen on Oscar night probably more than any other gown on the red carpet," said Oscar fashion coordinator Patty Fox. She and show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon selected the competing designers.

Moire Conroy, Alan Del Rosario, Sam Kori George, Marianne Kooimans, Maria Pinto, Nicolas Putvinski and Robert Rodriguez each had about three weeks to design their dress.

Del Rosario, who already counts Michelle Pfeiffer and Debra Messing among his clients, said he was inspired by "old Hollywood glamor" when creating his strapless silk-and-lace mermaid gown.

"The Oscars is all-time glamour," he said. "It's one of those events when a woman can go all out."

Maria Pinto, famous for making Michelle Obama's Inauguration Day dress, called her Oscar entry "modern Marie Antoinette."

The strapless silver column "is a study of control and release," she said, noting that pleats at the waist shape a makeshift bustle in back.

Putvinski cited New York City skyscrapers as the inspiration for his flowing white gown with folds of silver across the front. Rodriguez also chose white, looking to Grace Kelly as a muse for his silk Grecian column accented with an asymmetrical black strap.

Conroy was inspired by the '60s summer of love for her floaty gray chiffon design, while George was inspired by champagne — specifically the Taittinger girl — for his strapless silver crepe gown adorned with handmade orchids. Kooimans showed an intricately embroidered, one-shouldered dress dripping with antique diamond brooches.

Oscar-worthy gems decorated each of the dresses. Neil Lane, a red-carpet regular who has worked with Marisa Tomei and Angelina Jolie, said he expects vintage looks and subdued glamour at the Oscars this year.

"Everything is classical," he said. "Everything goes back to the golden days of Hollywood."

Fox said that while she didn't offer the design contestants any guidelines, she hoped they'd embrace classic colors and styles.

"All the fashion gods were with us," she said.

Fans can vote online for their favorite gown until Feb. 17. The winner of "Oscars Designer Challenge" will be announced during the red-carpet show before the Feb. 22 Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, other Oscar fashion preparations were under way at a penthouse on nearby Rodeo Drive. That's where Spanx, the body-shaping undergarments favored by Beyonce, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway and dozens of other Hollywood beauties, set up its annual awards-season suite. So many stylists request the tummy-flattening, hip-slimming underthings this time of year that the Atlanta-based company comes to Los Angeles to dole out boxloads of products in person, said spokeswoman Maggie Adams.

A rep for Tomei and Jessica Biel was among the arrive Tuesday, collecting slimmers in the company's smallest size.