Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-01-17
THR C.fRBRR or RDu.fRD y.
sTOHRS.

The. oareer of Edward =. Stokes, now un-
der sentence of death for the murder of
James Fisk, Jr., as given below, illustrates
how deeply great crime strikes among
innocent victims, and that wealth, culture
and standing are no sure safeguards against
the saddest vicssitudes Of human expert
ence:
In the year 1888, Edward II. Stokes, a
successful cloth merchant of New York,
and nearly connected with some of the
most prominent representatives OF the
wealth md benehcence of that city, retired
from business with handsome competen-
cy. Eight years previous he bad married
a Miss Stiles, a daughter of leading Phila-
delphian, and, seeking home of ease and
elegance, Mr.. Stokes chose Philadelphia as
his future residence. There his eldest son
was born in 1889, and named Edward
Stiles, afler maternal relative. The lad
was boy ar unusual beauty and promise,
of quick, active mind, generous and low
ing dispostion-these traits being remem-
bered well after the lapse of years by those
who knew him at that time. Two daugh-
| ters and two other sons were born In the
period between 1910 and 1850 The family
| is recalled as being rarely endowed with
| all that seemed needed TO insure the happi-
ness of household. The home was one Of
wealth and luxury, the culture of the best.
| l edward was educated at the University,
| and took high rank as scholar. He went
| TO New York at the age OF II TO enter into
the store of Samuel Perry, on South Water
| street, an extensive cheese dealer. Perry
failed three years later, and young Stokes
! made new partnership with junior of
| the collapsed house, and they, as Stokes &
! Budong. opened cheese store on Vesey
street. They had excellent success, their
foreign shipping trade being very large.
calling Stokes to visit Europe several times
| during the next few seasons. About this
! time the senior 5 okes was induced to re-
move TO New York, where he made his of
flee with his.son, though not originally in
| tending to become entangied in business.
| Such was the result, however, and not only
were the father, but other and prominent
wealthy relatives, gradually but heavily
| involved in the extended ventures of Stokes
* Budlong. The failure of, the firm fol-
| lowed, and father and son were thrown in
to bankruptcy.
! With the wreck of his fortunes young
Stokes embarked next in the enterprise of
| establishing an oil refinery at Hunters
Point. Three hundred thousand dollars
| were expended in the works, which were
to be of The best class, when the company
fell. into difficulties, and at this juncture
James Fisk, Jr., comes into the story.
Fisk was in the full tide of his operations
with Erie He held the advantage sup
piled by his corporation, in transportation
and control of market, as the Erie was the
great thoroughfare to the oil regions. a
compact was struck, Fisk entered the re-
finery company, reinforced its capital, and
| with a change of name and heavy "draw
| backs" on the Erie freight bills, the Hunt
er's Point refinery sailed strongly into sue
| cesslul competition. Stokes was secretary
as well as partner At one time his profits
from the refinery gave him $1,000 per week.
In 1864 Stokes married the daughter of j.
| w. Southwick, a prominent furniture deal
erin New York, one of the oldest in his
line in that city. a short time since one of
| our oldest residents showed us a set of
| furniture, a wedding outfit brought to Chi
cago in 1886, bought of Mr.. Southwick, who
| is now a man of immense wealth, and still
in active business in great Broadway es-
tablshment The wedding of Stokes with
Miss Southwick seemed to lack nothing
that wealth, position land social surround
ings could bring to insure happiness. They
made their sumptuous home in the Hoff-
man House, and moved among the most
brilliant life of the metropolis.
The next scene in the drama brings the
infamous woman Mansfield into the plot.
solomon described her many centuries ago,
and we fear Solomon knew what he was
writing about. But his painting has never
been surpassed, and if somebody could
have slipped into Stokes mind this little
pen-pOrtrait, made two thousand years ago,
of Josephine Mansfield and her infamous
sisters, it might have sparedth communi-
tv the fruits of the new acquaintance. Here
are some Of the wise mans colorings of his
subject:
She lieth in wait as for prey, and increaseth the
transgressions among men.
Her feet go down to DEATH her steps take hold on
hell
Her house nclineth into death, and her paths into
the dead. None that 60 unto her return again.
He goeth after her straightway, as an OK goeth to
the slaughter.
She hath cast down many wounded, yea many
strong men have been slain by her.
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the
chambers of death.
The dead are there Her guests are in the depths Of
hell.
And just precisely that happened which
the Son of David predicted from the house
of the harlot the path turned downward.
A quarrel between Fisk and Stokes follow
ed. 1t was carried into affairs of business.
Fisk refused to allow the Hunters Point
concern to make dividend, and thus cut
off Stokes supplies. The disgraceful rela-
ton with Mansfield became more shame
less, and the father-in- law, Southwick, sent
his daughter and her child to Europe early
in 1871 to remove her from the scene of the
f scandal. Stokes, enraged at Fisk, used his
position as secretary to collect $4,000 from
Devoe, an oil merchant, which sum he held
openly and detiantly as his share of the
, profits. Fisk caused his arrest on a Grim
> iual charge. Stokes turned to his wealthy
4, relatives. No one of them would bail him,
and he was fore ed to make terms and sub
NIT and refund the money. His relations
r with Fisk were bitter, and out of the in
I tensity of the evil passions and criminali-
ties of his position with Mansfield grew muir
. der. Turn to solomon again, and there is
l no mystery in the chain of sequences. 1t
p is said that the same steamer that took out
to Europe the murder of Fisk by Stokes
carried divorce procured by her family
for his wife, who still remains abroad.
4 The story of family grief and reverses is
4 not all told. The senior Stokes, after thirty
years of retirement and enjoyment of a
luxurious home, is bankrupt and homeless
I | in his old age. One of the daughters died
D two weeks after marriage. The second
daughter. the wife of Mr.. Sutton, attach
ed herself so strongly to the fortunes of her
brother that her husband discarded her,
$ and she is in refuge with her aged and pen
+ niless parents. The second son, young
q man of great promise, died two months
ago of grief and shame at the family re-
e verses, and the whole tale of the innocent
a and suffering victims by this complication
of crime and shame Is not to be fully told
> without including some of the best known
and esteemed of New York families.