New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-24
THE ERIE CONQUEROR.
Racy sketch Of General SlcN
starry of Fisk and the Spanish Mihis'''

Story of Fisk and the SPANS"
George Alfred Townsend in chicago
obtained good idea of Sickles IN .niS
.uanformance by watching him untll
he left the Erie offices, which ne GU e'ils
in the evening, and hearing him converse
HE face is nearly without Color anu
shows the marks OF time, passion On" IA
reer although he is only fifty-one years o.o.
Standing upon long clutches, "nion , at 4 4io-
,,na tbare is something of military caFriage
and command even in his long, eq ual s1li '',
"non them. with his single remaining goo"
~. ~ ona loo His face and speech rave an
i TD;"1, Havor shave and positive, blarney anu
hai,;aerencv His hair is showing Signs o.
t;me' and there are the natural uiana.r
Glance. the pride of esteem anu P"o, ~
the consciousness of capacity anu ca ,i
which are both derivable from courage ai'.
Wnl1n az = The greatest Of qualities 10
pouraae. If il neither moral, mental hoi
nhvsical. The debauchee may nave It's
reformed, the obtnse Courage Is ahn"a'ioAI
under fire, at least in this case. c.,
Neithcr Gould, nor Fisk, nor any OF those
unshroom men. approved, in the romance
Of their careers, this reneiiing lite and this
fascinating presence Of Sckles. lie mas
stood twenty seven years before the puoilS;,
and went TO the Legislature OF Ne" 1oih
for the city in l847. Although he began as
printer at the case, he was rich enough
tbrnrnh his fathers prosperity to be secre
tary Of legation to England in 1898. Ii ms Is
second term to Congress- at the age Vi
tbirty-eicht. he experienced the worst OF 90
nestle calamities. and threw over IL tne
dreadful publicity of blood. War was the
only Ground to recover honor. and SlckIes
embraced IT. Congress in the public cause
| reconci!ed the bulk of his COUNT yihen, 10"
of whom were acquainted win Tue ru'lio.a
of his local oDliInity, and ml3hiy
occasion restored him to rank. popu-
| larity and. finally. even to soclai pre-
ferTnent He is again husband IN honor
able marriage. a full Major General OF tne
regular army, retired upon full pay, tue
reDuted recipient of large fortune run
his father, lately deceased, and United Staoe
Minister to the old court OF Span. oichies
life began in the social trenches, anu mas
worked up to the broad stone OF lalle'
Ambition endurance, faculties and the era,
account for him. There is no lesson II his
life. good or evil. His is entirely an excep-
tionai career, as unaccountable as that OF
Shakespeares Pericles Of TYRE:
-Ye gods your present kindness
Makes my past mseries sport.
S;ckIes has raw-boned soldiers head,
brain and blooded stock seen 1t, purpose IN
his eve. the profile of fertilization, hun
geripg kind of jaw, and Che New YORK
rough of culture dominating all. II men
were TO be tried on their surposltious inner
life. Sickles would have long ago been
doomed. But every country has IT'S lhoi-
| yidual whose intellect recovered al! Things,
| even the dizziest heights OF things lost IKE
| Lord Byon's fame after his Greek campaign.
| or old Lord Cochrane, who had to assist the
| liberties of a hemisphere in order to regain
| his Peera ge and outlive the pillory. Among
| the lllustrious men of America IN thls
| age-which has more iliustrous men IN 1t
| than all Europe, and corresponding
| exuberance of great scoundreis-''anlel r.
| Sickles need yield to none IN triumph over
| fortune, and luck always ahead OF Ill. desert;
In the great book of human nature. he Will
! be Judged, if ever; but, however adjudged.
not soon forgotten.
He has again carried off the hOnors OF
this renulse OF the old Erie ling, anfstick-
| ING his crutch in the door crack ri Gould S
Office. before the wOrthy's Tammany mvr'
| lnidons could close it, Sichles opened the
way to victory.
The following story is related by Mi
; Crounch, of correspondence between + isk
and SickIes at the outbreak OF the Franco
Prussian war:
Fisk. hearing that Jacques Offenbach. the
composer Of the boufc operas was eXiled
| from Paris to Madrid by the Republicans
made up his mind that Offenbach wohld
make sterling leader at the Grand Opera
With characteristic impudence. he tele
| graphed nearly as follows:
D. F. sickles, United States Minister Madrid
Spain:
If Ofenbach is in Madrid, secure him a
any price FISK.
| General Sickes was dining with Marshal
| prim and Serrano at the table Of a higl
ed
tue evening to receive a sealed dispatch
| borne upon a silver salver. and presente,
! in the presence of his friends. tpelhap
| this story was related by Sickies 10 show
his Importance. and is wild and baseless
General Sickles knew that the diplomatic
formula allowed Minister to open . dis
patch anywhere, so he merely bowed 10 til,
| host. and broke the seal.
Great was his surprise. The singuAs
message was signed Fisk: but. KNOWN,
! little OF Fisk, ne concluded it was a mis-
axe for Fish-lIamilton Fish, Secretary o
| State.
''GentlemeD," said Sickles. "there appear
to be something peremptory in this dispatcl
from my government. | beg you TO eXcus
, me for time
Repairing to his Office, Sickles and hi
secretary put their heads together. VIII
was Otfenbach! What did Fish. the grea
Fish-successor, but not replacer. of Sew
ard-want with Otfenbach
Suddenly an American dropped III.
why" said he. that is Jim Fisk, n
Snowman. He wants Otfenbach for hi
show. Perhaps to lead his orchestral
Sickles felt chagrned enough to reply I
Fisk that next he would want the Unite,
States Minister to select a ballet troupe 70
him: but somebody lntimated that FisI
might have more discriminating reason 70
that.
SO Otienbach was hushed up: but he dc
ciined to 90. Sickles lived to see the opcr
house he was honored with commissio
for captured from Fisk Surviving partner
Jay Gould-a man who never compensate
his age for the nuisance of himself. b
either a joke. an idiosyncracy, or KIND
ness.