The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-03
EDWARD S. STOKES DEAD
SLAYER OF THE NOTORIOUS Jim"
FISK DIES AT NEW YORK.
Once Noted SpecuIatOr. Whose Career
Was Full OF Adventure, Ro-
nance and Tragedy.

NEW YORK. Nov Edward s. Stokes,
who had been i'll for some time. died this
afternoon at the home of his sister. Mrs
McNutt He was very low ten days age,
but rallied only TO sink again He began
falling last midnight and his strenSth
slowly ebbed away TO the end this after
noon.
The life of Edward S. Stokes was one Of
the most remarkable and strenuous of any
passed in New York. In his sixty years
he lived more than a century. He was
known to "old timers" as the man who
killed Jim Fisk. and whose sensational
threats against jay Gould and the other
Erie Railroad managers were a worldwide
topic OF discussion thirty years ago. Stokes
was best known TO the present generation
as the proprietor of the Hoffman House,
his interest in which he sold out TO Ora
hams Polly. of Brooklyn. for 100000. Stokes
first became prominent in 1870 when he at
tracted attention in Wall street through
the friendship of Jim Fisk and Jay Gould.
He came into Wall street as a clerk in
a brokers' office. fresh from graduation in
a Philadelphia high school Fisk was at
tracted by his remarkably handsome per-
sonality, and used him in his stock deals.
The great Spectator had just installed the
famous Josie Mansfield In brown stone
palace at $50 West Twenty-third street
Fisk gave splendid receptions at the Mans
field house. Stokes always being guest,
and Fisk soon became jealous.
Stokes at that time was known as the
handsOmest man in New York, was the
partner of Jay Gould and at the time was
one of the men who controlled the money
| interests of the country. Stokes and FISK
were partners in the Brooklyn Oil Rein
| ing Company. Fisk thought ne could win
the fight over the woman by running Stokes
| financially. He started out TO do TINS. lie
| had his partner -eSted for alleged en-
IF
warrant was served in the Hoffman House.
| The woman then determined 10 help Stokes
| since Fisk had sighted her when he found
| that Stokes had been fooling him for more
| than year. She thereupon made the fight
of Stokes her own case. gave stokes all the
| letters and told him the business secrets
| which she had from Fisk. IL then became
a battle where some one must die.
Fisk lost the first suit and then Stokes
sued him for 100000 damages. Stokes
| threatened to print all of Ftsks letters TO
| Miss Mansfield unless the money was paid
| To add to the war material between the
| three Miss Mansfield went into court with
| papers which set forth that FISK owed her
| $4,000. Fisk got back the letters which
1 Miss Mansfield considered so valuable to
| him, but he paid a high price for them.
| She then had him arrested for the cash in
| debtedness, and after an exciting day IN
| this suit Miss Mansfield and Stokes went TO
| the home Fisk had given Miss Mansfield in
Twenty-third street. They We're at luncheon
when a messenger rushed in with the an
| nouncement that FISK had caused the issue
| of a bench warrant for Stokes on an in
| dictment by the grand jury. Then Stokes
! resolved to kill.
Stokes found Fisk at the Grand Central
| Hotel hour later and deliberately and
| coolly pulled a revolver and shot him. The
| chapters in New York's criminal practice
| Stokes hired the best counsel I'm the land
| His old father put his entire fortune at the
| ii 10 get verdict. Stokes stood for years
face to face with the scaffold, but on the
| thlrd trial ne was convicted OF man
1 I'M no fr1 ip
J leased from prison i'm 1887, having served
four years, President Cleveland restored
| but no one was able to restore his former
| vigOr and financial shrewdness.
| Stokes, Fisk and Miss Mansfield were
| three people from three different types
| Fisk was a Vermont Yankee who started
| his merchant life as peddler. His father
| was peddler, and both drove wagons over
| the hills, bartering tinware and cooking
utensils Tor cash or rags, which were
| turned into cash. Fisks peddling grew to
! be a wholesale venture. All his wagons
/ had pictures of himself and wife on the
outside. He was shrewd. The money which
| he saved gave him enough capital AT the
| beginning of the war TO make a successful
| bid for supplying underwear to the troops
| This earned him half a million dollars i'm
few months and gave him opportunity
| to make a corner in wool in the Boston
| market The next natural step was Wall
| street. Gould and Drew took him up and
Fisk was soon known as the prince of
| Erie" He entertained lavishly spent
| money lavishly and fell in with the actor
folk This led to Josephine Mansfield.
| Josephine Mansfield was shrewd-shrewd-
| er, because she had no ScrupleS, than Fisk.
| She was rosy-lipped and buxom. Fisk lost
| his head under the influence of her beau
| ~. Fisk's money was her money. He built
| her magnificent home. in which he spent
| more time than he did at his own home.
| bis wife educated woman, an heir
! ess and the mother of a daughter. He de-
| serted them and disgraced them until they
| left the cOuntry-unti the daughter died
| and the mother dropped from sight i'm her
| shame. Fisk cut all the bridges behind
| MIN in his fnfatuation. 1t was to Josie
| Mansfield's house he fled when Wall street
was plotting his financial ruin. He took
| Gould and Tweed with him to the place
| on the celebrated black Friday. and here
| the three money kings were concealed for
| more than seven days
| Stokes paid the penalty, did Fisk. lie
| was a man of education and birth-not a
! peddler as Fisk had been. Fisk took
! Stokes to Miss Mansfield and the woman
| at once began to scheme with Stokes
| to make money out of Fisk. Fisk began
| to suspect that the secrets i'm the financial
world which he told Miss Mansfield were
| being peddled by her to some one else's
| advantage. and he put q detective on the
| track of Stokes. The moment he became
! convinced of the treachery of the woman
| and the new taVOrite ne started out to ruin
| Stokes that she might then have no use
| for him. Miss Mansfield then came to the
| assistance of Stokes and the sensational
| war began. This war almost wrecked the
| fortunes of oil of them, save the savings
| of Miss Mansfield. She profited while all
| the others were losing.
| Miss Mansfield did exactly what might
| have been expected from her. with one of
her benefactors dead and the other in
| prison. She gave neither thought She
| went to Paris, remOrseless, gay, notorious
| Stokes lost her the moment he shot Fisk
| Fisk dead and Stokes in Jail, it was neces-
| sary for her TO seek new victims
| When Stokes came out of Sing Sing he
| was a white-haired man, but ne had lost
| none of his good looks. health or energy
| But he was bankrupt, aud. besides owed
| large sum TO his cousin. W. T.. d Stokes
| He met John W. Mackay who. attracted
| by his personality. lent him considerable
| money. With this he again became
| wealthy.
Stokes quarreed with Read and W. r
| D. Stokes. who had befriended him. and for
/ years has spent much of his time in law
| yers' offices and the courts. fighting suits
! brought against him or suing them
| Four months ago Stokes returned from
| Canada and went TO his home on West
| Seventy-ninth street. He became i'll and
/ delirious and frightened his attendants by
! his rawlings. At his request his sister. Mrs
/ Mary McNutt, was sent for and she took
/