Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-01-12
sketch of James Fisk, Jr.


James Fisk, Jr., was born IN the year
1882, at Bennington, vi. lils iatheI was "
,,oddier who nossessed considerable local in-
nnence. and left name well rememDereu'
At the age of seventeen young Jim en'eieu
The empioy and travelled throughout the
Uniied States and Canadas with Van Am
hnrgI, ihe wild.beast tanner, When lie be-
came twenty-five he left the show business
and became a peldler, in which business
he nrospered. dressed well, and made MN
seli ncoualnied throughout the Eas.. he
euhseouenilv entered the firm of Jordon,
Karsh a. Co., of Boston, but severed his con-
neciion with that firm at the expiration 0,
two wears for S64, 900. Fisk having healu
that the StoningtOn line oil steamers WEI ,.e
for sale. came to New York in loO3, anu ny
some hocus.pocus secured the negotiation
for their sale from Daniel Drew, the pro-
prietnr. This operation proved successful,
and Fisk now entered into speoulatOns IN
Wall st Get and in less than two years losl
every dollar he possessed. With the assls-
tance of Drew he established, in 1850, inc
firm of Fisk, Delden q Co., brokers, ana
was. with jay Gould, elected one OF the
directors of the Erie Railway. During Feb
ruary, 1865, the famous over issue oil me
stock OF the Eric was completed, the capital
nj that road being increased from SlOiOOO,-
600 TO S34. 600, coo. Fisk and Gould thought
they could make immense fortunes by this
operatlon. and induced the board TO pur-
chase, al 20 per cent, $5,OOO,O 600 oil the
$40, ,O0O, 900 of stock held by Com WANDER
bit AT the same time they paid Wander
bilt SlOO, 900 for the contract for SIX months
of his remaining $4,000 They then
sold The SO OOO, 900 "shorr" and 50 worked
that the stock fell from 72l TO 30. They
then Increased the cOmpany's stock IRON
S34, 600, 600, to 1000, 900, purchasing Van
derblrs stock at 40 per cent. with the pro
cecds OF the sale, clearing over q ,l2o, ,oOO
by this Transaction. lie now, In July, lo6S
dissolved the brokerage firm, and together
with his co-conspiratOr set machinery II
motion to obtain control Of the Erie road
BY prosecuting Eldddge, the president ol Tho
road, for iraudulently using S5OO.OJO OF the
companys money, he compelled hlm 10 &C.
sign. JAY Gould became the successor o
FIdridpe. and Fisk bought Pixies Oper'
House ior $500, 900 in the name OF the EIl'
company, but becoming dissatisfied win th
mn chase be assumed ihe h2,-s.ln- hlnsssli
'nev,ne Inc company with some OF II
HyaIeredp stock lie subsequently, pur
chased the Filth avenue Theatre and Cen
tral Park Garden. His shameless use o
newer led him INTO difficulty at last, and b
has met death at the hand OF an assassi
when he least expected it, thus ending III
by no means an exemplary one.
AN INCIDENT IN MS LIFE
James Fisk, Jr., conceived and execute
a brilliant stroke al the close oil the late WI
betWeeu the States, the particulars OF whic
nave never vet been published. With thG
gsracity which distinguished him 10 all
career. Fisk saw that then, on the I'd
Anril 1865. General Lee was driven lr0l
Petersburg, his surrender could not be 4
distant. lie Immediately went to BosloI
consulted some OF his financial iiends an an
made them partners in his scheme ~
was to GET The news OF the surrender OF Il
and colarse If the Conlederacy for use
Change in London in advance OF the ma
II will he remembered that the Atlantic c
ble was not then laid A small, sw
steamer. formerly a blockade-runner, W
nurchased, fitted out and sent TO HalilaX
ballast. Neither the captain nor officers
the steamer knew her dislinalion. 1
secret of her mission was solely conhded
an agent OF Fisk, who was the only pass'
ger on board. ,
Thing was in readiness for q start across
Atlantic. Days went by and still the stea
or Law quietly in the harbor OF Hall
awaiting The expected message from Fl
Al length il came. If James Fisk, Jr., Il
tried his best he could not have indited
shorter dispatch. 1t was dated at Bost
sirned Fisk, and continued but one Wort
Queenstown Immediately, and got there
6ays ahead of the mail steamer The ag
anerded across Ireland TO London and co
mcnccl his Ouelaticns. Before twenty-i
bonrs elapscd he sold "shorl," (that is, s
what he had not got) s5,OOO,OO0 IN G
Gederate bonds. lie had orders from fisl
sell as long as he could get buyers, but
was restrained by aparlner OF one OF
Bostop men, who was cursed with prudel
Bul the operaiiOn was pretty successful {:
Syndicate" the story goes, divided betN
g3O9O 600 and $4 1000, 600 the proceeds OF
Neneculation.n This was a lift for ia
Fisk, Jr., which was very welcome.
TRAITS IN HIS CHARACTER.
lie was A man who had a great abh0rrt
of all hypocrisy, and whose theory OF ii
was TO show 10 the world his worst side
to conceal very carefully all his (
qualities from the public knowledge
was oslentatlous OF his faults, and n
could be persuaded to do anything in p'
excepl in rare occasions, such as that o
Chicago Gre, which would leau the pun
beleiye him TO be a generous and
hearted man. During the last iour or
wears of his life, in which II mas been &c
slIv supposed that lie lived in a style o
axampied luxury, and spent onorl
amounts on his personal enjoyment,
truth was that except his lour-ln-hanu
box al lhc lhtdlIti hhu ohN " WV -
of that Lind-which all the world X
about-he lived IN much more simple
than three.iourths OF the persons who
his income.
At the time of his death, and Tor
tiro r-evious, he lived in little two.
house ofihe plainest kind, rather dilapi
occupying only two rooms In II, an
only real luxury in which he indulged
Le luxury Of unusual cleanliness. lie
probably one OF the most scTupulously
aud clean persons that ever lived. III
sonal expenses were, at liberal esli
not one.iflh as large as the amount
be spent in providing for persons in
affairs he took a kindly Interest, wh'
seen misfortune in lie, and whom he
be dependent upon him for assistance
gave away constantly enormous amoul
sill more direct charities, concerning
he rarely spoke TO any ono, ana Il was
by accident that even his most III
friends found out what he was DOING
suppor,el for some years an entire IAN
blind persons, without eveT saying
about il TO his nearest friends. He wa
ucularly generous toward actors anu
ses, who, whenever they suffered lroi