On this day, Aug. 8, in 1801, Jason Fairbanks, the son of a prominent early American family who lived in what now is considered the oldest house in the country, was convicted of killing Elizabeth Fales after she resisted his marriage overtures. Fairbanks, of Dedham, Mass., showed up at the Fales’ house covered in blood and holding a knife. He told the family that she had committed suicide and he tried to kill himself, too. She was stabbed 11 times.
Fairbanks, 20, escaped with help from family and friends, but was recaptured in New York. This time, Fairbanks was jailed in Boston and sentenced to death. More than 10,000 showed for his execution.
The Fairbanks House, built in 1637, is believed to be the oldest timber-frame house in North America.
— Scott McCabe
