New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-08

soteIseO 4ond described the seV'io"' ~, ~
the Wi'"0 - almighty robbery INC
tnsueo Trje took 5000 shares % -
rfctors ..r,iIt's shoulders at 20 anu sS1e i,,1
cd o,o besides Eldridge got S4V'O'ToV ~
SIcO IN exchange for S5OOOOVO % po7' ,,
epad Erie which became Daniiup' eoiS -. -
ioiu .rd Drew kept all he hao n'""'' 'u.
' sr.oNO0 into the Erie treasury SnU -
P..sd Of all claims the corpoIi'''" -. -
N.iust him. Nearly half ininiOn -'o =, -
agAulS. nav the lawyers and discontinue the SUITS
qun'o nothing personally, stood out against
i'SA' aT,ont until the cOnspirators consented 10
the tbo Erie Railroad Drew aud some others
give az" -, and Fisk and Gould to take posses
we're 10 resign' anu ''-'
s,oo Of the property. .,.,.... q
hD , = "a, the most extraordinary chapters Oh
~ -. ,,enagemept the world has ever seen
-. ,f Sishonorable transactions on the e'och
at,,ye had plundered one Of the most magnincent
America Of about 100000 and LEFT H. WIN
a,anty treasury and legacy Of lawsuits uhuer
IN F Il ~ two adventures, who had not eX-
''o ~, o,oncb TO run a hand-car. They took
P,'''.,, of Che calm which followed to clear ont
., nd NJ Auditors and concentrate all power
'H' as, t.,r ofices-as President Yice-President
- - anA Controller--which they then divided
,,'.uv eseh taking two. There had already Deeu
.H.,t,on, of an alliance with the'Iammany hihg'
aad the bargain was now completed by the admission
- Tyyesd and Swecuy TO the dlrectorshlp ana tno
e,oo,prrnent of Barnard as Judge In ordinary 4hey
-.o5.d siren gtheRinC. The stock had gone down
"a ,,d was destined soon TO 50 10 20. Nandaoli'
....tu o. De feared. and an election for directors
.,s.,rn, ON. when tho Ring might be completely
a.,.r,y,d How Fish and Gould.met these.dlihcul-
,,..everyb,ly knows. The printing press was set
,,c,,, T., manufacture more stock EnglShmen
,.r. investing heavily ia Lre just then, with the
;l.,.pD,r,nt!y that because 1t was cheap II must
Il. c-.J Fisk and Gould sold the new stock TO
chm, but kent , IN their own names,Eas brokers'fon
,5 trtu.r.r books and so could vote for themselves
with after IT had passed ont OF then possession
Finally when the foreign holders alarmed at the
d,orscatl N # the properly, sent the ccrtihcaleS
q, Ncw-York and sought Eto have them trans
f.rrcd In she usual way, Mr.. Fisk, with the assist
e.c. NJ Gould and Barnard, seized them under
ever of fictitious sut and had them placed in the
alad, Of Judge Barnards Graft. who was as sale
voter "a Fisk himself The suits Of al kinds when
AID u, III, first year Of Mr.. Flsks management are
how'll ,-.iag for number and variety. There were
sui. t,ti,.st Vanderbilt against Drew, against
\. rsrud Scheil against nearly all the leading
peo,plps-s The s,andal of the. injunction system
,.,-a.d a point never before dreamed Of, and the
d,.rlr. ot the supreme Court which Judge Bar
r.rI olcs at least held in bed became shame to
h, whole country. The browning infamy was the
Missing ri tine Classification bill, which Tweed
forced through Che Legislature Of Under that law,
I,k. Could. Lane. and Tweed found themselves
mana -Is directors of the Erie Railway Company
f,r i've yeats The terms Of the bargain 10y which
Ill. - .rlhls service was purchased of the Iammany
Ppl it- supposed 20 be indicated in the famous en-
j,n .rtcisfr1In Fisk to Miss Mansfield, which were
m bars nIiro. ~ the cause Of the present tragedy.
T. ..Irls known hat part Of the arrangement COW
er Obj. t.sue III fraudulent naturalization papers,
~ 81, furnished by Tweed and distributed 10y Fisk
ss.- ,, line Of she road. The appearance If the
rail OIL. maguatr ou the platform At the Democratic
Cs..,ation in rammauy Hall, and the indignation
VIII rn.oh Eli. Belmont left the chair when FISK
S.. ..,',i upon 10 spea H. VIII long be remembered.
U.- shall not undertake to trace The complicated
,.. ,h,rh Fisk and his cOnfederates have since
,.,...I IN the Supreme Court, the battle with the
,,..... ,oJ ~r-Iuehanna road, the scsindaOus pro-
,. OIL. ,.-,.u,t Ramsey. the long warfare with
t..,.I.J, stockholders which is still raging PROP
at.s. would lbs unfair 90 hold HIM principally re-
fpll,.,i. Tor .h- Judicial scandals IN which he was
r, NOS conspicuous figure. His was not the cum
riie brain which devised the shameful chlcanery
acI ,.lpI,I ont long legal campaigns flA Oh am
t,.-.I., and surprises, and treacheues, ana as
I,Ior. Tie was rather the daring and reckless
.,r d he designs OF more crafty associates;
- ,,s tl, ,ature Of the man 10 be the most con-
s..,r,-, ieurr OF any company into which be might
d.. -,vn IN chat band Of "briggans' Ito use his own
o..l,sr,uiy which has held possession Of the Erie
r, ID. tr Inst sour years, he has always been the
lr,..,. .,rI -he biggest; but we doubt whether be
o.. ,..i he captain. lie has gittered with ribbons
s1t o.. b.-soh.s His arms have been the bright
psf, Ills 7ws- .er Las been the grandest. But there
li h..r , more ASSURE masker behind him. 1t was
o.. ..ia.I, TASTE iJr vanish which placed the Erie
r.... .ld sh.ltric1l palace and filed them with
O.. -1 I..-uc- NJ carved wood and gliding and bur
feel mpr1oeo aud monstrOus mirrors. 1t was IN
o. Ii jlrbarc Inagnihcencc rather, perhaps, than
>. speculation that me bought the Eighth Avenue
Or... Ulu-s and leased part OF 1t to the rail-
r,i. brirht the Fifth Avenue Theater; bought
>aunnrr garden up town, for the purpose
Of inning . 4uTdnt; bought two lines Of steam
Boz ard PVT himself into naval uniform; bought
pouches md baggage wagons; bought everything
lua. vpa,l keep the name Of James Fisk j., per-
p i,'y IN the public ear the pOrtly figure Of
Jam, !isk jr perpetullly in the public eye. But
ir ~.nr..a, the business details Of the railway
1.n.'.on -lrewd as he was, he needed the help OF
..,.r,it class Of men. The famous gold con-
g. ~.~ ID. Black Friday in which he played 50
praalu.ut par was probably not Of bis devsing.
j 100, .- duty io cJEduct the President TO Boston
Sui entertain him on his steamboat while the
Le.a,r lafsdCrates employed the social hours
b. w,.al. spon the mind Of the unsusIicious chief
ulIt3ce When Fisk, in ms laced uniform,
u..a.l into tle Boston Coliseum in the suite of
G. Grtot Dee doubtless felt that ne had played his
sl'.' ~ ina game, and was near happiness as he
eg.r e,.d De But when Black Friday came, it
nr,isl Just such a Of nerve and boadlong moral
oou-7ge - Fisk to carry the desperate bidding of
IA r'.lar.-aud to repudate their contracts when
the ir-,iIsut al last overthrow them. Even the