The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-01-13
Horrible Murders,

sephiue Mansfield. The shooting was
premedtatcd aud cold
murder, but il was only the
Legitimate result Of the scandalous in.
'trigues iu which both parties were con.
la the pending legal proceed
ings Fisk seems to have been defeating
Miss Mansfield in the suit for libel
which she had brought against him, and
il is stated that she aud Stokes had
been indicted by the Grand Jury for
attempting to blackmail the man who is
now dead. This result so oxusperated
Stokes that he committed the murder
The ,origiR Of the tragedy goes back
to the days Of Fisk's first acquaintance
with the woman VINE seems to have been
ihc exciting cause. Miss Helen Jose.
'phine Mansfield is na ex actress, about
twenty four or five years Of age, deserib-
cd as a handsome brunette, aud of great
personal attractions. While ia profess
sional life she was married TO Frank
Lawlor, the actor, but they were divorced
after living together a very few years
About three years osho became Fisk's
mistress; to her he condded the secrets
of the disrcputable transactions in the
New York Legislature aud iu the Board
.of Directors, by means OF which the
Erie ring, ofwhom Fisk, Jay Gould aud
Wan. NJ. Tweed were the chiefs, obtain
ed control Of the Erie Railroad, priuei
pally by piratiug the votes which be-
longed to the English stockholders. She
accompanied Fisk aud Could on their
famous fight into Jersey City with the
books Of the road to avoid the legal
processes in the New York State Courts.
Suits against the ring, which have beeu
so involved in legal maze that they
are almost incomI rehensible, have been
in progress since that time for the re
covery of the English stock by its
rightful owners Ia the State Courts
Fisk and Could constantly beat the
claimants, aud it was not until the suits
were got into the United States District
Court at New York aud Judge Batch.
ford obtained control Of the cases that
there was prospect of justice being
done. Within the past few months,
however, the proceedings have been
placed in such shape that the Eric
thieves have been compelled to make
restitution, aud there is at present Il
movement on foot, which will undoubt.
eddy succeed, for u combination between
the English and American stockholders
to throw the Ring entirely out Of power
and re.elcct a new President in place
Of Gould aud new Vice President in
place Of Fisk.
IL must be understood that ii was
during the period when Fisk was buying
votes in the Legislature and otherwise
pushing corrupt transactions for the
theft of the railroad that he was on
terms Of the closest intimacy with Helen
Mansfield. His condolences to her were
in the shape of series of letters which
are said to contain complete history
of the whole affair These amatdry
epistles consist Of an equal amount Of
love and business, expressed in very
bad orthography and rich slang For
some unknown reasons Fisk aud Miss
Mansfield quarrellcd during the past
summer, aud from pair Of coniiden,ial
lovers we're transformed into enemies
The appearance OF Edward S. Stokes,
young curbstcne broker in New York,
upon the scene happened at about that
time, and he Immediately took Fisk's
vacant place in the affections of the
woman, aud has been associated with
her in the litigation which has since
ensued When the separation took
place it was expected that these letters
would have been surrendered by Miss
Mansfield for publication as a piece oil
revenge on Fisk, aud they were eagerly
looked for as also valuable ia the Erie
suits. Fisk evidently anticipated this,
and he procured from Judge Pratt an
injunction against their publication
Judge Brady was applied to for dsso
LUTON OF the injunction, but on Friday
he unexpectedly delivered decision
sustaining it, which, however, was un.
necessary, as it is said that the letters
have disappeared.
1t may readily be imagined that these
proceedings aud the accusations OF fraud
and other rascalities which have been
banded about between Fisk on the one
side and Stokes aud the woman on the
other have produced bad blood aud led
to the shooting affair. In the last six
weeks the quarrel deepeped into u libel
suit brought by Miss Mansfield against
Fisk, and the proceedings in Court on
Saturday were probably the cause Of the
attempted murder. Fisk alleged that
she and Stokes had entered into con.
spiracy to blackmail him, and to support
his case he produced Richard Il. King,
a colored servant Of Miss hlansfeld's,
who swore to having overheard the two
converse regarding such plot while he
was waiting upon them at dinner.
Stokes and Miss Mansfield answered
that the servant committed perjury by
making such statement and that he
was bribcd to do so by Fisk, aud there.
upon they instituted the suit for libel.
u was commenced a month ago in the
forkyille Police Court before Justice
Bixby, aud had been on trial for three
successive Saturdays without developing
anything important, and it was rumored
last week that Fisk had compromised
by the payment Of $4,000 for the abau.
doniug of the suit. This report now
seems to be untrue.
A horrible murder was perpetratod
10 Baltimore on Saturday evening. DR..
Merrymal Cole, an aged gentleman,