American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-02-01
HumOrS Of An Assassin.

DOuDtleSS, SUOkeS naU cause OF grew
ance against Fisk, but the two men were
very much alike, though the victim had a
great deal more ability, and was, on the
whole, of better temper than the assassin.
The two quarreled about a coarse, but
snowy punk, and their quarrel led to bust
ness troubles, to various suits and count
er-suits. in which Stokes, having been
worsted, took the law into his own hands.
He had no more reason to slay Fisk than
Fisk had to Stay him but that he took
his foe unawares, and shot him in cold
blood, there is no rational doubt what
ever.
Stokes, from the outset, has trusted for
his vindicatiOn to the Odium Fisk's course
had excited; apparently assuming that
he had done the community great service
by removing the man whom it naturally
regarded as nuisance. Had he claimed
that he had suffered great wrongs from
Fisk, and, on meeting his antagonist, had
been carried away by passion, drawn his
revolver and fired, he would have ap-
preached truth, and adopted the wisest
course. Instead of that. however, he has
pretended all along that Fisk tried to shoot
him. and that, i'll returning the shot, he
acted merely in self-defense.
Stokes has varied and improved upon
this story from time to time, until, in the
evidence in his own behalf, he went 50 far
as to state, under oath, that Fisk fired at
him, and he fired back, but that he had no
idea he had hurt his enemy, even when
brought afterward into his presence.
All that is known of the muir
of the situation, plainly refute
this, and destroy whatever lingering faith
may have been held in the assassin's We
racity. 1t would have been far better for
him had he kept silent, and had his coun-
sci not attempted to prove so much more
than any sane man could be induced to be-
lieve.
Another mistake made by the defense
is, that they have accused everybody wish
ing TO see justice done, of being in the
pay of Jay Gould and the Erie Ring.
Stokes has pronounced each witness tes-
tifying against him as perjured, and each
lawyer on the ether side as having been
bribed to sacrifice him to corrupt and
revengeful organization. Not satisfied
with this, he pretends that he has been
made the scapegOat of his fellOw-murder-
ers, because he is respectable, and occu-
pies high social position,-a piece OF in
formation entirely novel to this commu-
nifty. 1t might be interesting to know
what his ideas of responsibility and high
social position are. AS far as ascertained,
his antecedents and associations have been
eminently disreputable. He has been the
cOnsOrt of cOurtesans and blacklegs, and
has never had position that would not
reflect serious discredit upon him. The
sole thing distinguishing him from the vi
lest and vulgarest ruffians is, that he
dresses well, and can read and write. He
is evidently Of the opinion that clothes
create the man; that a clean shirt produ-
ces clean character, and physical purity
an unstained conscience.
An excellent indication of the regard in
which he is held by one who would Or,li-
narily be the most lenient, is that his
wife, since the tragedy, has never had,
and never sought to have, tie least COM
munication with him. She was reported
at the time to be on her way home frOh
Europe, but she has not appeared here,
nor will she. If he were such an injured
saint and fashionably-attired cherub as he
represents himself, it is not likely that
the woman who had been his wife would
desert him in his extremity. The Sim pie
truth seems to be that he had driven her
away by hi. neglect and his relations with
such notorious wantons as Josephine
Mansfield.-N. y. Correspondence.