Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-15
Our New York Dispatches.

Our New York Dispatches.
Another Chapter in the Fisk-SIOItes-
Mansfield TraGedy-The Letters WrIl-
ten by a Bold, Inscriptions Man 10 IL
Bold, interruptions Woman-'Ehe sean
daIOuS Climax of n ScnndaIOus Life
The Murderer of Fisk in his PniatIaI
Dungeon, etc.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14.-The Herald publishes
the Fisk-Mansfield correspondence. 1t says:
Fisk and Stokes first met in the summer of 1862
The latter was comparatively poor. A year be-
fore, Fisk was introduced to Mansfield at her
own request, at the residence of Anna Wood,
Fourteenth street. She was poor, and told Miss
Wood she hadn't decent article of clothing
FISK took fancy and she became his mistress.
Intimacy rIpened into strong affection on bis
side AT this juncture, Fisk and Stokes became
intimate, an oil refinery, belonging to the lat
ter's mother, was put in working order at Fisk's
expense, and a company formed. Stokes was
first made treasurer; but, having drawn out
over $4,000 in four months, the company was
re-Orgauized, and he was appointed secretary.
From the new company lie drew over S37 900 in
six months, and, in January, 1871, he collected, in
one day, s27 900 of the company's money, no part
Of which Fisk claimed was due him. Stokes put
it in his pocket, telling some friends he had got
S27 GOO Of Fisk's money and meant TO keep it.
For this he was arrested but, upon DISCHARGE
from arrest, a compromise was entered into, by
which he was allowed to keep what money was
in his possession, and was paid $4,000 more for
himself and $1,000 Tor his mother in order to
induce him to sell out his interest and retire
from the company.
In one way and another Stokes managed to
leave the company with $4,000 more money
than he had when he went into it, Stokes
meantime, had been introduced to Mansfield, in
whose house he spent his days and nights Fisk
grew jealous, and Stokes swore he had no
cause; but Fisk was not satisfied, and sought to
break the connection with the woman, even
though he did love her.
He wrote farewell letters to Josie, and she
would write a sweet reply, when Fisk would
repent and send her presents and often money,
while she was thick with Stokes. Fisk was all
the time sending her money. Soon Fisk wrote
Il parting letter, and told her she must look to
Stokes for her support This made Josie mad
She showed all of Fisk's letters to Stokes
Stokes saw, at once, thar these letters were not
the letters that a married man should write to
woman other than his wife. He saw an OPP
portuniry to hold Fisk in his power.
Stokes gathered together all the notes, tele
grams, scraps of cards, and every word Fisk
had written TO Mansfield, and then made out
claim for 900 against Fisk. He said, unless
the claim was paid, the letters would be pub
lished. This demand for 100000 was made
through his attorney, Ira Shaffer, Mr. Beach Ge-
clining TO be connected with the matter These
are the letters which caused Fisk TO get out an
injunction to prevent publication.
They are extraordinary letters, but they are
such letters as a man would write to a woman
he loved, and whose infatuatiCn he had resolved
to cast off, Absolutely nothing about Erie or
Tammany appears in those published by the
Herald which are said to be the whole CORE
spondence now in existence On October 1, 1870,
Fisk il a long letter to Mansfield, says: ''But
what think You of a woman who would veil nay
eyes, first by gentle kiss, and afterwards night
and day, for weeks, months and years, by deceit
and flaud to lead me tn Ough the dark valley
Of trouble, when she could have made my path
way OnG VI IOsCoS tOululllll2 GElllcS winch a
devil incarnate would shrink from, while, all
this time, | showed to her, as to you, nothing
but kindness, both in words and action, LAYING
az your feet a soul, Il heart fortune and Il rep
putation which had cost, by night and dav,
twenty-five years of perpetual struggle, and
which, but for the black blot of having in
every hour linked itself with you, woull stand
out to-day brighter than ever seen upon
earth. But the mist has fallen, and you appear
in your true light. borrow your own words to
A ,I.a, -, 81,
| have found thee out And you have the
audacty to call your santed mother to witness
your advice to me: A dog that bites &c.. &c.
You accuse her Of leading you on, and of
ever standing ready to make appointments for
you.
"The tone of your letter is such that you seem
willing to shoulder the load of guilt under which
an ordinary criminal would stagTer. | believe
YOU have arrived at that state when no
amount of guilt will disturb your serenity, or
prevent your having sweet dreams; and we
still shall see you crawl A snake in the grass
How [ worship the night | said, Get thee be.
hind me- SATAN The few weeks that have
elapsed since that blessed hourl How | bless
them for the peace Of mind thev have brought
mel Again the world looks bright and have
being. You imagined ! would pursue you
again, aud you thought | would endcavor to
tear down the castle you had obtained by
robbery.
"Go1 knows if | am an element SO lost to
every feeling OF decency rs 10 ne Wiling 10 INK
itself with you, will assist and foster IT, so hat
it will keep YOU from crawling towards me, aud
prevent me from looking on You as the snake
YOU are, and from raising hand in piTy TO as
SYST you should trouble again cross your path.
So have no fear that will again come near
you. | send you back a ring, and were TO
write anything about it the words would be only
too d cent for the same, were they couched in
the worst of language.
$50 | say take it back. Its memory is indie
cent, and it is the last souvenir have that re-
minds me of you. | had few pictures Of you,
bu they have found place among the nothings
which fill the waste basket under my table.
am aware that, in your back parlor hangs
picture of the man who gave you TIE wall to
hang II on, and rumor says you have another in
your chamber
"The picture up stairs send back to me. Take
the other down, for he whom IL represents has
no respect for you. After YOU read this letter,
you should be ashamed to look at the picture,
for you would say, With all thy faults love
thee sull, and what would be the same oft re.
peated lie; so take it down Do not keep any,
thing in that house that looks like me. II there
are any unsettled business matters that it is
proper for me to arrange, send them to me and
make the explanation as brief as possible. |
lain would reach the point where not even the
slightest necessity will exist for any intercourse
between us. am in hopes this will end IT,
JAMES FISK, JR."
In auo her letter, October 4th, he says: "Have
l not fulfilled every promise / have made? Is
there not a stability about your finances to-day
it not disturbed by vultures) sufficient to afford
you comfortable life for the remainder of your
natural life? You say you have never received