Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-10-19
JOSIE'S MANY DUPES
Some of the Men Ruined by
"The Mansfield"
SHE TRIED TO ENsNARE GOULD
But the Financier Was Too Wary, as
Was Also Tweed.


lions With Fisk and Stokes Only Epi-
sOdes in Her Career Her Letter to Cor
nelius Vanderbilt She Has a Double
NEW YORK, Oct. 19.-The recent mar
rage of JOSIE Mansfield, perhaps the
most wonderful achievement of her
most wonderful career, brings to light
the fact that New Workers and the
world at large have really Learned COM
paratively little of this notorious
woman. Her relations with Fisk and
Stokes are all that she is remem bered
by and yet these were only episodes in
her life
How many, even old New Workers,
know that the woman lived Bohemian
existence in a humble way in Fourth
street? Yet she was a finer looking
woman while on Fourth street than
she was later in her mansion on Twenty
third street. Among her early or Fourth
street lovers was one Cap Wallace
He was a dapper individual of medium
height, with carefully curled mustache
and a pair of expressive eyes. Rather
good-looking, he was d popular man
in his day of prosperity and enjoyed a
widely miscellaneous acquaintance.
He knew everybody and had "a
L
several transactions and he was a chum
of "Billy" Cook, one of the most eff
Gent of 'the Slaves of the Ring" AS
faro player he tor years ''bucked the
tiger" and came out ahead, and had a
quiet, cool way about him that rendered
him a favorite with women and specially
eedeared him to "Josie, p" who fell head
over ears " in love with him-for a
while.
She doted on Wallace forsor,a ,,,o,+bs
and kept boy in her neighborhood busy
carrying messages to and fro Wallace
did not care specially for the woman at
first, but she gradually fascinated him
! till he fell, like Fisk later on, a captive
to the SIRENS wiles. But by this time
she had tired of her conquest and soon
sought and found higher game.
Wallace had met his ia e. He had
really learned to love the woman and he
never fully recovered from her deser-
ton. He lost his head as we'll as his
heart. His nerve deserted him. He be-
came unlucky at play, bungled some
political jobs intrusted to his care, in
CURED the displeasure of the "Boss'' and
was deserted by his old cronies. He took
to drink and soon became a total physi-
cal and mental wreck and finally drifted
over to the island" and one night,
when Josie was with Fisk at an Academy
ball, Gal" Wallace died in the poor
house
A similar fate befeu another of Josie's
lovers This was young broker we'll
known down town as Matt" Bowen, a
little fellow full of dash and vim, with
curly hair and pleasing "off-hand'
manner The Mansfield took one of her
''crazes" for him. She was then in the
height of her prosperity, the acknowl-
edged mistress of Fisk and the friend
of Stokes And yet she was willing to
throw over'' both of these men for
Matt Bowen. But Bowen had sense
enough to see that it would never do to
antagonize openly the woman's two DO
tential admirers, SO he contented him
self with being, in the background, the
favored third, He curried favor with
Fisk and for a space all was we'll. But
the woman became imprudent and de-
monstrative, spite of Bowen's warnings,
and Fisk's suspicious were excited. He
set detectives to work and soon learned
that he had ample cause for his sus-
picions. Fisk kept his temper and bided
his time, meanwhile proce eding system
atically towards his revenge
He bought out Bowen and pretended
to have taken fancy to him. The I'M
suspecting Bowen, fattered at the pref
erence of the great fnancier, lived in a
FOOLS paradise awhile At Fisk's sug-
gestion he had borrowed all the money
he could and hypothecated every share
of stock and invested every cent he had
IN the world in a certain speculation
which Fisk assured him would make
him and his friends fortune. Then Fisk
put on the thum bscrews. The specula-
ton proved disastrous and Matt Bowen
was ruined. He took to drink, then to
the island-like his predecessor, Wallace.
But even before he died in disgrace, des-
titution and despair, "Josie" had al
ready forgotten him
But one thing she never Forgotten
own self-interest. The real cleverness of
Jay Gould was never shown more con-
spicuously than in his determined re-
sistance to the persistent allurement of
Fisk's mistress. He carefully avoided
her so far as he could without positively
offending Fisk. Her charms were
wasted upon Gould.
Once when Fisk was called away from
New York to Boston on business con-
nected with the steamboats,, Mansfield
took the opportunity to importune Gould
to dine with her.
To her surprise and delight Gould &C
cepted her pressing invitation. Every
preparation was made for that dinner
and Josie arrayed herself in the most
bewi+ching of toilets and probably saw
herself in her fond imaginings the mis-
tress of Fisk's master
But about o'clock on the afternoon
OF the day appointed for the dinner, a
special messenger came from Jay Gould,
bearing his regrets that business of the
utmost Importance prevented him from
keepins his engage nent.
From that day she detested the very
name of Gould and endeavored to sow
dissension between him and his col
league, Fisk.
The Mansfeld' likewise endeavored
to impress herself favorably on Tweed.
One bitterly cold morning Mansfield, in
her saalsSin sacque, rode in her well-aD-
pointed sleigh from Fisk's house, down
Twenty-third street to Fifth avenue, and
then up the avenue to the residence of
the Tam MANY Boss. where she was re.
ceived by the Boss himself
Her errant at this time was doubly
congenial. She wished, On her own ac-
count, to meet Tweed, and on FislS's Hc-
count, t sound Tweed on a matter
concernn which Fisk had recently df
tered with Jay Gould, difference which
she hers If had done her utmost 10
widen. But Tweed, spite of his suscan