Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-01-24
now FISK AND JOSIE MASsFIELD MET.
The story of the Fisk-stokes Feud.


NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-THE Herald pub
fishes the Fisk-Mansfield correspondence.
It says Fisk and Stokes first met in the
summer of go, the latter being compare
lively poor year before. Fisk was intro
duced to Miss Mansfield at her own re-
quest at the residence of Anna Wood, on
Thirty-fourth street. She was poor, and
told Miss Wood she had not q decent ar
ticle of clothing.
Fisk took fancy TO her, and she became
his mistress. The intimacy ripened into
strong affection on his side. At this juno
ture Fisk and Stokes became intimate. An
oil refinery belonging to the latter's moth
er was put up in working order at Eisk's
expense, and Il company was formed
Stokes was at first made treasurer of the
company, but having drawn out over
$50, 900 in the course of four months, the
compony was reorganized, and he was APP
pointed secretary of the new corporation.
From the new company he drew out over
$4,000 in the course of six months, and
on January G, 1871, he collected in one day,
So, 900 of the Company's money, no part
of which, Fisk claimed, was due him, and
put il in his pocket, telling some of his
friends that he had got $27 600 of Fisk's
money, and he meant to keep it. For this
he was arrested in the manner hereafter
stated, but upon his discharge from arrest
a compromise was entered ito by which he
was allowed to keep what money was in
his possession and was paid $4,000 more
for himself and $4,000 for 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 then
he had when he went into it, all of which
he derived directly from his relations with
Fisk. Stokes meantime had been
INTRODUCED TO MISS MANSFIELD,
ut whose house he spent days and nights.
Fisk grew jealous and Stokes swore he had
no cause, but Fisk was not satisfied, and
sought to break his connection with the
woman, even though he did love her. He
wrote farewell letter to Josie, and then
she would write a sweet reply, when Fisk
would repent and send her present and
often sum of money. While she was
thick with Stokes, Fisk was all the time
sending her money. Soon Fisk wrote a
parting letter to Josie, 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 that these letters were not letters
which a married man should write to a
woman other than his wife. He saw that
there were personal matters that man
would write only to a woman whom he
loved. He saw in them an opportunity for
merchandise-an opportunity to hold Fisk
in his power. Stokes now gathered to-
gether all the notes, kilograms, scraps on
cards and every word which Fisk had writ
ten to Josephine Mansfield. He even gath
cred the scraps of cards en- which Fisk had
written to this woman, while sitting in the
parlor waiting for her to come down.
Stokes then made out a claim for 5000, 600
against Fisk.
Stokes BLACKNIAILING DODGE.
With this claim he sent copies of Fisk's
letters TO Josie. He said unless the claim
was paid the letters would be published to
the world. This demand for 500, 900 was
made through the attorney, Ira Shaffar,
Mr.. Beach declining to be connected with
the matter. These are the letters which
caused Fisk TO get out an injunction to pre-
vent their publication. They are eXtraor-
binary letters, hut such letters as man
would write to n woman he loved and
whose infatuation he had resolved To cast
off. No revelations about Erie or Tam
many appear in those published by the
Herald, which are said to be all the cor
respondence now in existence.