Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-11
AN AvENGlNG NEMESIS.

/ hOoul pun Aifss boWths ftNei htNHNN
to care. She said she had no friends, no
home; It was evident that she was telling
the truth.
She had been found in the hallway at
126 West Thlrty-second street early one
morning by policeman of the Thir-
teenth street station. She was uncon-
scious. Mrs Lucy Livingstone who lives
in the house. said she did not know any
thing about the woman. She had come
in to visit one Of the women who board
ell there the night before She had lett
about midnight But that didn't explain
how she had blel from slight wound
iu the bosom until she had become ex-
hausted, possibly from Toss of blood IL
had been done with the blade of pen
knife that lay ON the stone steps at her
side. Edith Wilton. upon whom Mrs,
Bowen had called. told the police that
the woman had come to her with note
from a Mrs. Elizabeth Cook, OF OrGnge,
Conn. and that she had asked for as
sistanee, some place to stay for the
night Miss Wilton had given her dol
lar
That was on the night of January 13.
Mrs Bowen was taken to the New York
hospital. where Miss Wilton paid her
board for week. The patient did not
get better-there seemed to be some sort
Of nervous trouble. mclancholia, or
something. that defed every effort of the
doctors. She was out Of her head part
of the time The superficial wounds in
her breast had been cured readily. She
had Odmitted,tOO, that she had stabbed
herself with her knife in a fit of de-
spOndcncy, after going out with the dol
lar which Miss Wilton had given her.
She refused perslstontly TO tell anything
more about herself other than that her
nnme was Mrs. Bowen and that she had
lost all the money and friends she ever
had. She had seen better DAYS
As Miss Wilton could not pay her
board longer in the hospital the woman
was sent to Bellevue II was there, al
most in the presence of death, that she
told who she was and n few of the
events of her remarkable career. for she
was none other thHn the beautiful Olga
Apherual of twenty years ago. the con-
fidante of Josie Mansfield and companion
of that adventures during the h1lycon
days of Fisk. and even later. when Josie
had to flee. first to Boston. then to Paris.
Olga Aphcrnal was really the one who
| first introduced Josie Mansfield to Jim
| Fisk. Some have claimed that distinc-
| ton for the actress Annie Wood, but
| Olga Aphernal told the nurses in Belle
| vue the part she took In II. Olga was
| then one Of the chorus girls over whom
| the town was raving. She had apart
ments with Josie Mansfield in a theatre
| cal boarding house in Bond street. An
ME Wood lived there too. Annie Wood,
then, was one Of the stage divinitics
| She was a prima donna. however and
never associated with Josie Mansfield
and Olga Aphernul. Indeed, the two
| young women were looked upon then
| lust ms two others have been Of later
years-two who have been adored by
most of the chappes, aud have occupied
flats together and gone to Europe to-
| gether
lin Fisk was the lion of the day.
| Aside from being tho Colonel Of the
Ninth Regiment, he owned several rail
roads. was Admiral Of the Sound steam
boat fleet. Prince of the Erie, as he was
called. and boosted that he held the
| whole state in the palm of his little
ieweled hand. He was the mogul Of the
Grand opera house, too, and thus was
acquainted with Annie Wood. who was
the reigning burleSduc divinity. Olga
had met him. but Josie hadn't One
morning he called upon Annie Wood re-
garding something TO do with the opera
house. Olga saw him in the parlor, and
told Josie 70. come down stairs with her.
Josie had been exceedingly DESTROYS of
meeting Fisk. She had dabbled a bit
with the stage, too. getting as far as the
second row of the chorus.
THE MEETING WITH FISK.
| I Ht ANo Nuulth went hbNn tlktlntI
aud entered the parlor. Mr.. Fisk arose
MS they appeared and bowed to Olga.
Then Olga introduced her friend. who
was then known as Mrs. Lawlor N1rs.
Helen Josephine Mansfield Lawlorl. to
the great Fisk. That night the two
occupied Flsk's box in the opera house.
The next night the woman who was soon
To rule New York city through her lover
(Fisbl had begun TO bind the ties which
were broken only by the bullet of Stokes
| With her sudden accession to power
and riches the fair Josephine took good
care TO reward her friend. Both Of them
gave up all ambitions they had nourished
for honors behind tho footlights Thoy
bad established themselves In the train
Of the cty's master: they We're as good
as princesses; money and power and
alteration all were theirs. Then came
the Twenty-thrd street palace. and there.
too, Olga Aphernal was the hostess
bosom friend.
But there came change. Olga dis.
pleased the queen. She was no longer
welcome in the palace where the grent
FISK held court. She sought the stage
again. but the influence Of Iosephine
Mansfield held the stage as everything
else. Then she sought other resorts less
respectable, There the Fisk Nemesis
scorned to pursue. her. She fell from
bad to worse; She was in her lowest
stage when Fisl; was shot in the Grand
Central hotel. Then Josie Mansfield sued
the executors Of Fisk's estate for 5000
600 which she claims he had borrowed
from her. She found Olga again. and
for a year The two We're as good friends
as ever. Olga, She thought. possibly
would be Of iuostimahlc value to her In
her suit. But the courts threw II o,tt
and she left for Boston, Olga with her
There they were recognized and hootej
OUT OF Town. Josie went to Paris, Olga
j