Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-01-16
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A RUINED FAMILY.
me Career Of Edward stiles 0tOk les
His Relatives and Victims.

The Career Of Edward stiles Stokes
His Relatives and Victims.
IFrom the Chicago Tribune. Jan. III
In the year 1888, Edward H. Stokes,
. successful cloth merchant Of New
York, and nearly connected with some
OF the most prominent representatives
Of the wealth ana beneficence of that
city, retired from the business with
competency. Eight years previous he
had married Miss Stiles, daughter
of . leading Philadelphia, and, seek.
ing q 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,
after maternal relative. The lad was
boy OF unusual beauty and promise,
. quick. active mind, a generous and
loving dieposition--these traits being
remembered we'll, after the lapse Of
years by those who knew him at the
time. Two daughters and two other
sons were born in the period between
lS4O and 1850. The family is recalled
rs being rarely endowed with all that
ia needed to insure the happiness of a
household The home was one Of
wealth and luxury, the culture Of the
best.
Edward was educated at the Univer-
city, and took high rank AZ q scholar.
He went to New York at the age Of
II, to enter into the store of Samuel
Perry, on South Water street, an ex-
tensive cheese dealer. Perry failed
three years later, and young Stokes
made new partnership with q junior
of the collapsed house, and they, as
Stokes & Budlong, opened a cheese
store on Vesey street. They had ex-
cellent 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 Stokes was induced to
remove to New York, where he made
his Office with his son, though not
originally intending to become cntan-
gled in business. Such was the result,
however, and not only were the father
but other and prominent wealthy rela
tives, gradually but heavily involved
in the extended adventures of Stokes
& Budlong. The failure Of the Arm
followed, and father and son were
thrown into bankruptcy.
With the wreck Of his fortunes
young Stokes embarked next in the
| enterprise of establishing an oil refine
ry at Hunters Point. Three hundred
thousand dollars were expended in the
works, which were to be of the best
class, when the company tell into DIFF
ficultics, and at this jancture the bale
full light of Jim Fisk's countenance
comes into the story. Jim was in the
full tide of his operations with Erie
He held the advantage Eve wish il
were less employed by even more
scrupulous railway managers than hey
supplied by his corporation, in trans
portation and control of market, as
the Erie was the greatest thoronghfare
to the oil regions. A compact was
struck. Fisk entered into the refinery
company, reinforced its capital, and
with change of name, and heavy
drawbacks" on the Erie freight bills
the Hunters refinery sailed strongly
into successful competition. Stokes
| was secretary as well as partner. AT
one time his profits from the refinery
| gave him 81 900 per week.
| In 1864 Stokes married the daughter
of j. w. Southwick, a prominent fur.
niture dealer in New York, one of the
Oldest in his line in that city. A short
time since one OF orr oldest residents
| showed us set of furniture, we'd
ding outfit, brought to Chicago in 1886
bought of Mr.. Southwick, who is now
man Of immense wealth, and still in
active business in a great Broadway
establishment. The wedding of Stokes
with Miss Southworth seemed to lack
nothing that wealth, position and SO.
cial surroundings could bring to in.
sure happiness. They made their
sumptuous home in the Hoffman
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 Inns never been snr.
passed, and it somebody could have
slipped into Stokes mind this little pen
portrait, made 1900 years ago, of 10.
sephine Mansfield and her infamous
sisters. it might have spared commu.
nifty the fruits of the new acquaintance
Here are some Of the wise mans col
orings of his subject:
She licth In wait az for prey, and
increaseth the transgressions among
| men.
Her feet 60 down to death !; her steps
take hold on He'll.
He house inclincth into death, and
paths into the dead. None that &c
unto her return again.
He goeth after her straightwny, a.
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 be-
tween Fisk and Stokes followed. 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 dis
graceful relation with Mansfield be-
came more shameless, and the father
in-law. Sonthwick, sent his daughter
and her child to Europe early in 1871,
| to remove her from the scene OF the
scandal. Stokes, enraged at Fisk, used
his position as Secretary to collect $780,
600 from Devoe, an oil merchant,
which sum he held openly and defiant
ly as his share of the profits. Fisk
caused his arrest on criminal charge.
Stokes turned to his wealthy relatives.
No one Of them would bail him, and
lie was forced to make terms and sub
init, and refund the money. His rela-