Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-11-14

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tigTess beauty. She appeared in New
York, but did not succeed. She So
licited an audience with Jim" Fisk.
She was penniless then and only pos
sessed the clothes on her back. but
her skin was fair and lustrous as an
Easter lily. Her eyes were light, but
q luminous gray. They conquered
Fisk. He built her a palace at 1929
West Twenty-third street and there he
and his friends reveled night after
night, and there in time came Edward
S. Stokes.
Stokes was of good birth and breed
ing, a Wall street clerk of handsome
personality az rres, whom Fisk
took a fancy to OF day and made his
protege. Jay Gould also fancied
Stokes and aided him. The young
man was frequently at the Fisk man
sion where Josie" presided. He ana
Fisk became interested in an oil com
pany which furnished all the oil used
by the Erie company. Stokes man
aged the company. while Fisk gave
himself up to his infatuation for the
Mansfield woman. She was the rage
in New York, despite her character.
Mansfield bonnets, Mansfield dresses
Mansfield jewels were copied every
where.
Stokes came under the influence of
~ LD 10
loved her and Fisk became jealous
He learned that Mansfield had only
taken him on for his wealth. She
b0asted to him of her love for Stokes
Once Fisk became convinced that
Stokes had supplanted him in the
woman's affections he started to ruin
him. Stokes was arrested on Satur-
day night for embeZzling oil company
funds. He retaliated by having Fisk
arrested for conspiracy and false i'm
prisOnment. Fisk forced down the
stock Of the oil company and nearly
ruined Stokes financially. Miss Mans
field at once joined cause with Stokes
and gave him letters she had received
from Fisk which exposed the secrets
OF Tammany and the Erie ring.
Stokes held these over F'isks head.
Fisk paid $4,000 to get them back.
swears Fisk Must Die.
Fisk sued Stokes and Mansfield for
blackmail. He also sought the indict-
ment of both for the same offense,
Stokes, lounging at the home Of Josie
Mansfield heard Of this and imme-
diateIy swore that Fisk must die. II
has been alleged that Josie Mansfield
melted Stokes to seek out Fisk and
kill him. Stokes left her house the
afternoon of Jan. 6, 1872. He went to
the Grand Central hotel, where he
stationed himself in the corridor of
the parlor floor. He saw Fisk enter
and start upstairs. The latter was
seven steps up when he saw Stokes,
! his right arm resting on the standard
at the head Of the stairs, a pistol IN
his hand. Without speaking Stokes
| fired twice. The first bullet took eff
| feet in the abdomen, the second in
| the left arm. Fisk fell to the floor.
Stokes walked away, but was cap
| tured before he could leave the hotel.
Fisk was carried upstairs and Jay
| Could and Boss" Tweed came to his
| bedside He died the next day, but
Josie Mansfield was not with him. In
stead came his wife and his brothers,
and they remained with him to the
end.
Colonel Jim" Fisk was buried with
honors such as New York has be
slowed upon few men. Tweed blub
bered, and even Gould cried. Stokes
! remained in prison. He hired the best
counsel he could and was tried three
times. the last time being convicted
of manslaughter in the third degree
| Grover Cleveland pardoned him from
prison in 1917 after he had served
four years. Something Of his fortune
was left and on that he had lived
since.
The Mansfield woman fed to Bos
ton after Fisk's death. From there
she removed to Paris. In 1891 she
married Robert L. Reade, formerly OF
MINNEAPOLIS and New York. Since
then she has lived in comparative OBJ.
scurity. She is wealthy-most Of her
money came from Fisk and Stokes.
After Stokes killed Fisk the rela
i tions between the former and Josie
4 Mansfield ended. She deserted Stokes
and from that time to his death 1t Is
said he never mentioned her name.
After leaving prison Stokes went to
live at the Hoffman house In New