, 1873-01-12
m1,a Stokes-FiSk Tragedy---A
Very Munchausen OF
Murderers.
sunerstitions Of an Assassin---Odd
and Even Upon the
GalloWs.
Journalistic FalsiGcrs---A Superla-
tiyely Literary Staff
Is Throat-cutting an Innocent
Recreation
From Our Q,r7l Correspondent.

From Our 0,r7, Corresponde,s.
NEW yoEK, Jan. ., 1873.
1fEdcerd s. Stokes should be hanged, rs he
.crtai liz deserves to be By all legal cnactments.
ho riu owe his execution very largely to tho
.o,,se he las seen fit to take since the day OF
The assassination. Instead Of showing somo
dorree Of regret, OF expressing even eight con-
trsiou. for the murder, he has, from the first,
continued to justify himself, and to insist that
he has committed an act emitting linn to tho
highest praise.
HU1loRs OF AN ASSASSIN.
Doubtless, Stokes had cause OF grievance
.cxinst Fisk, but tho two men were very much
alike. though the victim had . groat deal moro
,bii1tv. and wa., on the whole, Of better tenn
ne, than tho assassin. Tho two qunrreled
,hout coarse, but shony punk,
and their quarrel led to business
tronbles, to various suits and counter-suits, in
xhich Stokes, having been worsted, took the
1sv into his own hands. He had no moro reason
to s1ay Fisk than Fisk Ind to alay him but
that lie took his foe unawarcs, aud shot him
in cold blood, there is no rational doubt what
ever.
Stokes, from tho outset, has trusted for his vim
dica.ion to the odium Fiek's courso had e1cit-
Cd; apparently assuming that he had doro the
community great service by removing tho man
whom it naturally regarded as nuisance. Had
ho claimed TINT hc had suffered great wrongs
from Fisk, and, on meeting his antagonist, had
been carried away by passion, drawn his reTol-
yer and fred, he would have approached truth,
ard adopted the wisest course. Instead OF
that, however, he has pretended all along that
Fisk tried to shoot him, and that, in returning
the shot, lie acted merely in solf-defence. -
Stokes has varied and improved upon this sstory
from time to time, until, in the evidence in his
own behalf, he went 30 fur as to stRte, under
catt, that Fisk fired at him, and he fired back,
but that be had no idea he had hurt his enemy,
even when brought aftcrward into his presence.
All that is known Of the murder, as well as tho
circumstances Of the situation, plainly refute
this, and destroy whatover lingering faith may
have been held in the assassin's yeracity. 1t
would have been far better for him had he kept
tilent. and had his counsel not attempted to
move 30 much more than any Hano man could be
Induced to believe.
ANOTHER MISTAKE
made By tho defence is, that they have accused
everybody wishing to see justice done, OF being
in the ray of Jay Gould and tho Erie Ring.
Stokes has pronounced each witness testl-
tying against him, as perjured, and
each lawyer on the other side as
having been bribed to sacrifice him to cor
rupt and reyengeful organization. Not satisfied
with this. he preteuds that he has been made the
scapcgoat Of his fel1ow-murderers, because he
il respectable. and occupies high social posi-
tion,-a piece of information entirely novel TO
this community. 1t might be Interesting to
know what his ideas Of responsibility and high
social position are. As fnr as ascertained, his
sntecedents aud associations have been erni-
nently disreputable, Flo has boen the consort
position that would not reflect serious discredit
upon him. The solo thing distinguishing him
frcm tho yilest and yulgarest rufhnns is, that ho
dresses we'll, and can road and write. He is evil
IDENTIFY Of the option that clothes create the
man; that clean shirt produces clean charac-
ter, and physical purity an unstained conscience.
An EXCELLENT INDICATION
Of the regard in which he ia held by one who
would ordinarily be most lenient, is that his
wife, since the tragedy, has never had, and new
hin. She was reported at the time to be on her
wny homo from Europe, but she has not ap-
psared here, nor will she. II he were such an
injured eaint and fashionably -nttired cherub as
he represents himself, it is not likely that the
woman who had been his wife would desert him
in his extremity. The simple truth seems to bo
that he had driven her away by his neglect and
his relations with such notorious wantons as
Josephine Mansfield.
sTo6Es' pnETESCE
that Fisk had pistol. and discharged it Just as
he went into tho hotel. from tho foot Of the
stairs at tis areh-enemy. standine on the land
inr nboyc. is trnngpareutly falso 10 any ono 1t
ali nconainted With the circumstances
Of the situation. The private en-
trance to the Grand centra al is quit,
prohabi|ity did nat SOC nor have any Thought Of
tis xasasain gtnndinr above. and Commanding
the nos;t;on. nntjl he IVES rnortally shot: II the
condemned nrisoner meet the fate he merits. he
win have the bitter satisfaction Of knowing that
be las literally lied himself to the gallows. He
hanged. # suicide viii prevent It, and imagine,
should ho surrender hope, that he will find
means to keep his word.
aoRruAnY wAoEns.
Among tho sporting community, bets a1e
freely rnado On 6tokes' chances. Large odds
aro offered against bis EXECUTION, aud vsgers
arc laid even that, If be fail to get new
trinI he will perish bv his own hand The
murderer, q rambler by instinct "a
well rs association, has the supersti-
tions of his cIase. md Is not little troubled by
the singular coincidence that he was sentenced