Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-11-08
Death of Edward s. Stokes, Who Shot
James Fisk, jr.

Edward s. Stokes died in New York
city Saturday afternoon after a pro-
tracted illness from Bright's disease. Mr..
Stokes was formerly proprietor of the
Hoffman House, and had been prominent
in various affairs in New York city, but
he was best known as the man who shot
James Fisk. jr., in Jan. 1872. Stokes was
born in Philadelphia in 1871. During his
college days he was an athlete and
sportsman of note. When scarcely q he
went to New York city and organized a
firm, which was noted for it's bold and
successful operations on the produce ex-
change. In 1865 he built an oil refinery
in Brooklyn. and acquired wealth, which,
with his fine personal appearance and
natural gifts, gave him great personal
popularity. Financial troubles came,
and Stokes lost all his money. 1t is said
to have been through the help of Fisk
that Stokes got a new start, and once
more made large sums in the oil bust
ness and in Wall street. He became
intimately associated with Fisk and Jay
Gould and Stokes and Fisk became close
personal friends. This was in the days
when Fisk and Gould were in control of
the Erie railroad. and when Fisk was
the colonel of the ninth New York regi-
ment, which, with his operations in Wall
street. his new grand opera house,
his well-advertised steamboat line and
his princely entertaining, made him the
talk of the city. Finally the two men
quarrelled BY some it was said that
the quarrel began over Stokes's attention
to the woman, Helen Josephine Mans
field. then under Fisk's protection, and
her final desertion of Fisk for Stokes
Stokes always claimed that Fisk had
injured and tried to ruin him financially.
After considerable litigation between
Fisk and Stokes and counter charges of
30 -iO Gfal-nC hnf clr IN ho
stairway of the Grand Central hotel, now
the Broadway Central. on Saturday, jan
uary 6. 1872. The murder was the sensa-
ton of the time. Fisk lived until the
the next morning. and Stokes gave him
self up a few minutes after the shooting.
He was detained in the Toombs and had
three trials. The first resulted in dis
agreement and the second in a conviction
of murder in the first degree. Stokes was
sentenced to be hanged. Subsequently,
on the granting of a new trial by the
court of appeals, Stokes was tried for the
third time The verdict was guilty of
manslaughter in the third degree. Stokes
was sentenced to four years in the PEN
itentary. The Mansfield woman went
abroad Stokes's defence was that he
had shot in self defence after Fisk had
drawn a revolver from his pocket There
was some evidence to bear this out,
though 1t was vigorously contradicted.
stokes served TOUR years, from 1915 TO
1877 and then returned to New York. He
was restored to citizenship by Grover
Cleveland on December 1, 1884. After his
return to New York Stokes became
prominent in various business enterprises,
among them the management of the
Hoffman House. He became involved in
litigation with his cousin, w. E. D.
Stokes, over the Hoffman House and the
case was fought through the courts with
great bitterness for several years. Stokes
finally sold his interest and for the past
few years had not been actively in bust
ness. He was a man of splendid per-
sonal appearance and retained many
friends to the last. 1t is related that
while in prison for the murder of Fisk
he met Richard Croker and John ].
Scannell who were awaiting trial on
charges similar to his own and the trio
formed a friendship which lasted to the
end. In the closing days of the life of
. Stokes woman, who gave the name OF
Rosamond Barclay, advanced the claim
that she was married to him.