The Portland daily press., 1872-01-09
Fisk and Stokes-The Origin Of their
Min

of Col. Fisk The origin of the difficulty dates
back nearly two years. Col. Fisk and Stokes
were interested in an oil company, which fur
nished all the oil that was used by the Erie
Railway Company. Fisk and Stokes became
intimate friends Stokes seemed smart, ener-
getic young man, and grew rapidly in Fisk's
favor. The profits of the oil business were very
great.
Fisk's rooms in the Grand Opera House. They
were continually together. So intimate were
they that Stokes repeatedly dined with Col
Fisk at the house of Mrs Mansield-Lawlor.
Stokes is about five feet nine inches in height
His body is well knit, his head is covered with
glossy curls, his complexion is clear his fca-
lures regular, and his eyes dark blue. He
dresses in the height of fashion, with tend
ency to guadiness, and generally wears large
diamonds He is fluent talker and is very
quick of motion.
Col. Fisk seems to have confided entirely to
Stokes sense of honor, and Miss Mansfeld's
sense of gratitude. Apparently he had not the
least notion that Stokes would endeavor to sup
plant him in her affections. Stokes however,
seems to have fallen in love with Miss Mans
field at first sight His attachment was appar-
emily reciprocated, and the readiness with which
Miss Mansfield transferred her affections from
Col. Fisk to his assassin gives an air of strong
probability to the rumOr that she had ,deliber-
ately trapped Col Fisk for his money The
attachment between Stokes and Miss Mansfield
was not discovered by Col. Fisk until weeks
had elapsed Meanwhile, the Colonel was pay
ing for the very dinners at Miss Mansfield's
house, to which he had invited his friend (?)
| Stokes.
Though warned by his friends of what was
occurring, he refused to believe it, and it was
not until he had assured himself from CONVEX
| sation with Miss Mansfield that the reports
were true, that his eyes were opened. The
Colonel moved with his usual energy. He for
| babe Stokes's visits to the house. He reasoned
with Stokes, but to no purpose His protesta-
tions had no effect on Miss Mansfield.
The next movement was a startling one
| Stokes was arrested one Saturday night on a
charge of embezzling the oil company's funds.
He was kept in prison until Monday, when re-
| leased on bail. He retaliated, and Fisk was ar
rested on an accusation of conspiracy and false
| imprisonment.
The fight was bitter one. 1t benefited no
one but lawyers. Fisk then rescnded the ver-
bal contracts by which the oil company supplied
Erie with oil. Of course this forced the stock
stood, bought in Stokes interest for 800, 900.
| Fisk and Stokes also had a meeting at Delmon-
ico's, and endeavored to settle their difficulty,
but in vain.
Miss Mansfield now joined her energies to
those of Stokes. She claimed that Fisk owed
her some $4,000, and in proof this claim put in
copies of a batch of love letters written her by
Col. Fisk, which were said to expose all the
secret operations of the Erie and the Tammany
rings. Fisk secured an Injunction from Judge
as they were ruled to be scandalous and irrele-
want. During the pending of certain suits be-
tween Mr.. Stokes and Col. Fisk Miss Mansfield
gave the original letters to Stokes, who imme.
diately made use of them. He held them ovel
Fisk's head and threatened their publication.
Fisk acted like a diplomat.
He submitted proposition to Mr.. Stokes fol
arbitration. Stokes, against the advice of his
counsel accepted Mr. Clarence Seward, one OF
Fisk's counsel as arbitrator The letters were
placed in Mr.. Peter B. Sweeney's hands fol
safe keeping. Mr.. Seward found against Stokes
on all points but one, awarding him $4,000 as
the price of the letters. Stokes complained
that he had been swindled. Nevertheless he
accepted the $40, 900 and never paid it back
One of the main points of Col Fisk's reques;
for an injunction against the publication Of the
letters was that they had been made the basis
OF new affidavit in Mansfield complaint after
Stokes had received the $4,000 and agreed that
the letters should be suppressed. AT the expi
ration of the time for which Judge Pratt in
junction had been granted Col Fisk's counse
made motion before Judge j. r. Brady for 9
continuance of the injunction In an attempt
to show that Stokes and Miss Mansfield were
endeayorng to blackmail him, Col Fisk used
an affidavit of Richard E. King, a colored boy
in Mrs Mansfeld's service. This affidavit pur
ported to detail a conversation overheard be-
tween Stokes and Miss Mansfield relative te
rises letters, which Miss Mansfield had PLACED
in Stokes possession The conversation. il
true, proved that there was a deliberate attemp
to blackmail the Colonel out of all the money
possible.
Stokes next move was to prefer a charge
against FISK IN a Police Court for subordinatior
of perjury in inducing King to swear to his aft
daVlt. This is the case which has been drag
ging along its weary length in Justice Bixhy',
Court during the past few weeks,
On Friday Judge Brady referred his decision
continulng his injunction against the publica
ton of the letters: This was a bitter blow t.
Stokes. On the following day Miss Mansfield,
charge of subornation of perjury was confined
in the Yorkville Police Court. Miss Mansfield
and Stokes were both present
Miss Mansfield was placed on stand. and he,
cross-examination was very severe Mr. Fisk.
lawyers endeavored to draw out of her an &C
acknowledgements that the Colonel had picked hel
up when she had but one dress in the world
and not enough money to pay her rent They
torlous Miss Woods to procure for her an intro
ductlon to Fisk. They endeavored to show that
she was deliberately bleeding Col. Fisk and af
terward said to Miss Wood that Fisk had taker
In proof of her assertion she showed Miss
Woods some costly diamonds and silk dresse,
which she said Fisk had given her
Ihey endeayor to prove that Miss Woods told
Miss Mansfield that she had been with Fisk
long enough to have got more than that if She
was smart, and that Miss Mansfield replied tina,
she didn't mean to beat him too fast They en-
deavored to make Miss Mansfield admit thai
she told Miss Woods that she did not love Fisk
but only loved his money; that she would gei
all the money she could from him and then le,
him CO., Eisks lawyers further endeavored tC
show that in conversation with Miss Nelly
PERKS Miss Mansfield said that she intended te
blackmali Fisk out OF all the money she could
and that if Miss Peiris would assist her she
should have her share
During this terrible cross-examination Miss
Mansfield, for the first time in her life became
intensely agitated, and finally broke down in q
4ood OF tears. Stokes was fearfully enraged
cross-examination excited him to a terrible
pitch.
After the adjournment of the Court Stokes
entered emu red carriage with Col. John A. Fellows
torneys in-the case On his way down he ask.
ed whether 1T was possible that there was mo
way left for him to get the better of Fisk. He
drove to Delmonico's and there the party separ-
| ated. y F"1
Meanwhile the District ATTORNEY had brouobt
the attempt to blackmail Col Fisk to the atten-
| ton OF the grand jury. On Saturday it is said
| the grand jury brought in an Indictment against
both Stokes and Miss Mansfield. It was re-
rant was out for the arrest of Stokes and Miss
Mansfield, and sent to the Shsriffs Office for
| service. NN-
| After leaving Delmonico's, Stokes appears to
nave gone to Miss Mansfield's house, though
Miss Mansfield denies this. They are believed
to have oonversed together over an hour; then a
ring was heard at the door, One of Stokes
friends entered, and announced that the Grand
jury. had found an Indictment, that warrant
was in the hands of Deputy Sheriff Judson Jar
Wis, and that Jarvis was then on his way TO
serve it. A warrant may have been in existence.
but it was certainly not placed in Jarvis s
hands. We are informed, that on hearing this
news, Stokes lost all control over himself, and
declared that Fisk had signed his death-war-
rant, or used words of similar import.
He was in raving passion, and left the house
determined to murder Colonel Fisk at the first
reached Miss Mansdeld's, Colonel Fisk had
called upon her, and expressed his regret at the
severity or her cross-examination, and that he
had agreed to give her $15, 900 in settlement of
the dispute. If this was so, it is possible that
Colonel Fisk may have told Miss Mansfield
that he was about to call upon Mrs. Morse at
the Grand Central ~
The New York Tragedy.