The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-16
FISKS WIDOW HAS LOST ALL.
SHE LIVES IN POVERTY IN FRAME
HOUSE IN SOUTH BOSTON.
An Extraordinary stOry-What Has
Become of the Millions Left by the
Former King of Erie .-Did GouId
Grasp Everythings

When Col. James Fisk, Jr., shot down by
an assassin's pistol, died at the Grand
Central hotel. in New York, on January
6. 1872. he was currently reported to be
one Of the wealthiest men in New York.
When, three months later Mr.. James d.
Clark, the friend and business advisor of
the widowed Mrs. Fisk. filed an inven-
tory of the dead mans estate in the Office
Of the surrogate of New York, he ap-
praised its total value at s2.OO0.OOO.
To-day that widow is living in an hum
bic frame house in the tenement district
of Boston on an income of $50 a month.
And even that beggarly stipend is de
rived, not from her husbands estate but
from the property owned by her family
in Brattleboro, VT. Not one cent comes
from all the colossal fortune which Jim"
Fisk risked his fair fame TO gather to-
gether by the most audacious and stu
pendous achievements known to modern
finance.
The mystery is deepened when 1t is re-
membered that 1t was partly for her
sake that Jim" Fisk embarked in those
enterprises. Despite the stormy passions
that shook his mature years, she was his
his will he left her all his property real
and personal. subject only to a legacy of
100000 to his sister, Mrs. Mary ]. Hooker,
and to annuities to his father and mother
and couple of other relatives.
It is true that the court reduced the
appraised value of the items as filed by
Mr.. Clark to $3.50, 900. II is true, also, that
three successive fires, possibly of incendi-
airy origin, destroyed as many humble
homes that Mr.. Fisk had raised over
her head in the village of North Hatfield
Mass, whittier she had retired But ali
these houses were partially covered by in
surance, and the net total of her losses
did not amount to $4,000. The rest of the
great estate vanished in thin air, whittier
and exactly in what manner, none can say
not Mrs. Fisk, nor Mr.. Clark, nor her at
torney, James NJ. Ball. 1t vanished, that
is all they can say; how, they can only
surmise.
The superstitious might see in this a
Judgment of Providence. But that would
imply bad craftsmanship on the part OF
Providence. Fisks may have been an Ill
gotten wealth. But why visit the sins of
Fisk upon his innocent wife, an humble
minded Christian woman whom no one has
ever named but to praise2 And, above ALL
why impoverish this woman to enrich the
co-conspirator who had aided and abetted
Fisk who had climbed to fame and fortune
on Fisk's back, who after his death, houn-
ded his widow into poverty?
If the friends of Mrs. Fisk are to be be-
leved almost every dollar which was lost
by the Fisk estate went to swell the al
ready ample Golfers of Mr.. Jay Gould.
1t is an extraordinary story-so extraor-
binary that it must fain be true, for fiction
never dared to invent anything quite so
strange.
Mrs. Fisk is loath to talk. Her friends
are loath to talk. Yet enough has been
/,
at least of the facts.
At No. 573 East Eighth street. in South
Boston, l found the widow of the man
whose name was once in everyDody's
mouth. 1t is frame structure, situated in
a secluded quarter, which was once looked
upon as the coming residential suburb Of
the Hub. That was before the war. AT
present it is occupied almost entirely by
tenements and the humber homes of those
who are able TO afford even an humble
home The house is owned by a Mr. Bow
ker, who still retains portion for his own
use. Five rooms he let's TO Mrs. Fisk, and
to her sister, Mrs. Sanderson, for the
modest rental of SIT a month. Mrs. Sander
son also Is a widow, but of recent date.
Her husband died last winter of distress
ing complaint, which eliminated in insan-
lily. And here the two old ladies uncom-
plainingly and even cheerfully await the
call Of the Master. They have lived here
ever since Mrs. FislSs last home, in North
Hatfield was burned over her head, on
Christmas eve, 1892. But for their Brattle
boro property they would be absolutely
destitute.
Mrs. Fisk was Miss Lucy D. Moore be-
fore her marriage. She has brother,
Charles G. Moore, in New York. Until re-
Gently he was employed at the Victoria
hotel, and is now state official at Fire
Island.
Mrs Fisk was never beautiful but she
still has a face that inspires confidence
and has an attraction of its own. Her
natural goodness of heart evidently fasci-
mated the eccentric and turbulent soul to
whom fate had decreed that she should be
mated She always retained his respect
and held his best affection to the end.
She was his confidante always While he
was pursuing his stormy career in New
York, she was living in Chester square,
Boston. His nominal residence was at the
Grand Central hotel in New York. But he
never failed to write to her when absent
and every Saturday he took the train for
Boston and remained with her until Tues
day.
1t was on Saturday that Jim Fisk was
shot. She was telegraphed for, but did not
reach his bedside until all was over.
Somehow" she said, Il cannot believe
IN the will my husband made on his death
bed No. 1 do not mean that it was
ton. Nor would she say that it was the
result of undue influence. She only knows
that she had another Will in her possession
which was Initiated by the later one. On
the very last Tuesday that Col. Fisk was
with her he had mentioned this document,
and told her that it contained his final
wishes for the disposal of his property.
What its contents were she would not dis
close.
In fact, at the first Mrs. Fisk was un-
willing to talk at all, dreading recrudes-
cence of the scandals that had already
been sufficiently harped upon by the news
papers. Bit by bit few items of her story
came out only so much as she cared to
discuss.
No" she said. II have not cent Of
The property left by my husband. He
owned half interest in the Grand Cen
trail Opera house and in the adjacent
property in Twenty-third and Twenty
fourth streets. When l was at the New
York hotel. looking after the settlement
OF the estate with Mr.. George d. Clark
as my business adviser, Mr.. Gould called
upon us. He said that the Erie railroad
mad brought suit to recover all that
property, because II had been bought with
Ahe money made nv my husband and Mr.