The Osceola times., 1882-02-25
STOKES AS A H0TEL-KEEPER.
The Gorgeous Style in which F!sk's Muir
dercr Plays the Part of Nine Host.
n. Y. Traveller.

! Conduct, character and antecedents
count for but little in this city where
wealth is in question. That is, man
may have robbed a bank, committed
murder, been in Jail, and under the
| shadow of the gallows, but, so long as
/ he has abundance of the worlds means,
people are, for the most part, willing to
/ forget and forgive his record, and take
/ him into confidence and favor. One Of
/ the leading hotels in New York, the
| Hoffman house, is now owned for the
greater part, by Edward S. Stokes, who
murdered Fisk after as cool and deliber-
ate fashion as ever marked a hired
. Italian assassin with the stiletto. He
lay in wait for his victim till he caught
him alone in an uuguarded and unsls-
pecting moment, and shot him down
without word of warning, as if he were
a dog. lie was duly sentenced to be
hanged, received a new trial and spent
four years in Sing Sing in partial expia
ton of his crime He subsequently went
to the Far West 20 the mining regions
Of the Rocky mountains, and accumu-
lated a great deal Of money, which he
concluded he could invest and spend TO
better advantage in New York than any
where else. As proprietor of promn-
ent hotel, where he was bound to come
in contact with large number and
variety of people, he believed he could
rehabiitate his character and reputa-
ton, aud make money at the same time
lie selected the Hoffman house for his
investment, and since he has become
part or chief owner he has made a com
plete transformation Of its interior. lie
paid special attention to the remodel
ing Of the bar.rOom, and here the pc
culiar taste Of Stokes, whose beau ideal
of purity and lovcliness was the sensual
and voluptuous Josie Mansfield, display
ed itself in full. He has certainly made
it one Of the most imposing bar.rooNls
in the city, and has his reward in at
tracing thereto all the fast men, young
and old, about town. The approach t.
the bar-room from the hall way of the
hotel is through yestibule, tlanked on
either side lust at the entrance, by two
large gilt bronze basins filed with earth
from which springs a luxurious growth
of plants. In the center of the entrance,
mounted on a red pedestal with glide
mouldings, is a huge vase Of light bronze
with green tendrils twining round its
arms. Inside the the Vestlbule, facing
each other from either side, are two
black marble statues, representing Il
male and female Nubian slave with
great thick lips and broad, dilated nos
trils, and each bearing on its head a
basket Of natural flowers. On the walls
are suspended various curiosites "A
bears head, with the handle Of cham
payne ice-bucket fastened in its mouth;
a sledge and a pair of oars, Between
the two entrances from the yestbule to
the bedroom is a tall mirror rising from
a table, the legs of which are formed Of
buffalo horns and the top covered with a
buffalo hide Passing into the bar-room,
the eve Is struck with the loftiness of
the ceiling, the spaciousncss and the
great display of color. ON the left hand
is the oyster counter. and from the
wall behind project the huge antlers Of
an elk, llanked by small antlers Of young
deer. On the right is an open space
leading to the billiard tables. In the
center of the high, square room runs the
bar, the back Of which ascends almost
to the ceiling IN fancifully carved woods,
principally walnut and birdseye maple.
A bewildering array Of ornaments covers
the steps and projections in the wood
work behind the bar. Here is beau
tiful bronze statue Of = female diver. with
the faintest kind of covering over her
body and in the act of plunging into the
water Here is statuette in terra Gotta
of q lady Of the court Of Louis XIV; on
the other side is a monkey in very
comical attitude. Then there are silver
tankards and miniature casks Of wine
made out of rosewood or mahogany, and
hooped with silver, and, in fact, an end
less variety Of things that keep the eye
engaged. At the other aide of the bar,
occupying Just half the entire room. are
five billiard tables, with all the neces.
sary appurtences in the bnst possible
style. The floor is Carpeted richly. The
west wall is impanelled with mirrors
the light from the Twenty-fourth street:
side comes through artistic designs in
cathedral glass; the ceiling and walls are
a blaze of prismatic tints, mingled with
gold. In the billiard room hangs large
oil painting, representing the struggle of
ashepherd's dog with wolves. Near by
is a bronze statue Of a female gypsy
juggler. Facing the bar are tables and
easy chairs. On the wall opposite, to the
left hand, Is a picture of a Russian mail
carrier tearing at wild rate over the
snow covered steppes in a sleigh. Next
to that, and in the middle. is a large
picture, with most elaborate frame,
called The Vision of Faust'-jut the
sort Of picture that man like Stokes
might be expected to select for his bar
room. In place Of the The Vision of
Faust" it should be called "The Vision
of Stokes,' being that OF multitude of
nude Josie Mansiields in the most las /.
civiouS attitudes that it is possible for
an artist to contrivc. The painting has |
no pretentions TO be called work of art |
for the drawing is out of proportion and |
and unnatural, but it answers all the .
purposes for which Stokes bought it. 1t 1
to the prurient fancy of his
PATRONS, who throng around the picture /
and slake their lustful appetites by feast
ing their eyes upon all its suggestive |
features. Faust is represented reposing .
on bank and wrapt in slumber, and in |
his vision he beholds throng of maid /
ems disporting themselves naked, after |
the most wanton fashion. The blase |
men about town never tire of gazing on |
this indecent exhibition provided for |
them by Josie Mansicld's quondam cav |
aier, Edward ;. Stokes. To the right of
this are two other pictures-one of |
quartette of monks helping themselves |
to a good dinner in the season of Lent.
when they are supposed to be starving:
also picture called "Ftienne"-a lady
and her lover in a rural situation. Be
youd the picture is a life size marble
statue of Eve, standing on a pedestal in
front of a mirror, so that her whole naked
figure is brought into view at glance
1t is not Eve as she departed from Eden.