The Washington times., 1901-11-03

| Stokes was convicted and sentenced td
be hanged on February y, 1873. On "A new
trial he was again convicted. and on Il
third trial was found guilty of murder IN
, the second degree He served four years
at Sing Sing
: When the Prince of Eric, as Fisk was
known i'm those days, took up Stokes he
recognized in him a peer in craft. But
Ned Stokes had I'm addition to his shrcwd-
ness charming person Even in his later
years the most Virulent of his thousands
of enemies called him a handsome man.
He possessed grace Of body End manner
and an actual beauty Of face that his aC-
quaintances of later years could rot i'm
agine.
" hen Fisk discovered that Stokes was
foremost in the affections Of Josie Mans
! field, hc stopped the womaus allowance.
started in to ruin Stokes in his Wall
| street SpeculatiOnS, and Disseminated
! against Stokes in the shipments of oil
| from the Pennsylvania regions. Stokes
understood all that was going on. yet the
| sturdy gamblers nerve never failed him.
Not ono OF his fellow boarders at the
Hoffman House saw him otherwise than
calm and perfectly composed Cassius NJ.
Eeed was the proprietor Of the Hoffman
House at the time. Stokes exercised his
fascination in the hotel on men and
women, save Mrs. Reed. the landlord $
! wife. She a fresh-heart ed Irish girl felt
an instructive aversion for this fine fell
low, with the smooth way. She warned
hSr husband against him. But Mr.. Reed
all right"
After Stokes shot Fisk the public looked
upon it as a coWardly murder, and
GIamored that Stokes should be hanged.
lie was held up for universal execration.
| Yet the outcry didn't disturb him as he
sat in his cell in the Tombs. He felt that
he was all right, and was certain that he
would never feel the rope, and with the
calmness of the gambler who draws
NTH card while a revolver shines across
the table, he continued his stock deals in
| Wall Street. His commissioner for these
speculations was Cassius NJ Reed who
Pitied and admired him. Stokes father
had bankrupted himself in defence of his
son; When the second trial came on Ed
Stokes was DennilesS. 1t was Cassius NJ
Reed who put up the money for the sec
ond trial, and relatives spent $50. 600 on the
third trial. 1t was w. E. d. Stokes. a
cousin of Edward S. Stokes 1t is said. who
/ induced his father to spend this S600do in
1 defence of Edward. For many years there
was bitter fight between the cousins.
! W. f.. D. and Edward Stokes, which was
MADE lad, Up at the deathbed of Stokes.
! Nhile in Sing Sing Stokes had "A cleri-
cal place. and he. had far more liberty
than the poor workingman. Stokes had a
comfortable cell with a great many books
tan1 ana pictures and bric-a-brack. Admit
lance was denied to no friend of his and
alihoush visitors were few. these faith
\ Lul= ones always brought things of com
Ior with them, good whisky and cigars
I ana sometimes case of champagne and
many deiicacies in the shape Of food.
ot9hes behavior in Sing Sing was ex-
tihplaiN, ana ne received the Usual com
mutation OF sentence, so that in 1876 he
stepped from the gate of Sing Sing free
Cssius NJ. Reed was waiting fo him and
Ehty returned to New YorE together
friends Stunned him But one man cIUpe
10 MIN, Reed, who took him to live af
the HOFFMAN, and advanced money to buy
itude '' i''9 Sia'-
Stokes maintained an impassfve front
IN the lace of daily sneers. At the time
M oL the FISK tragedy, Stokes wife took
thelr young child, a girl. abroad and re
NAMED there. There is no record of who
this MIS-, Stokes was. So had he harden
60 himself that when the news came from
Faris a number of years ago that his
! daughtsr WAS dead. he didn't shed a tear
A year Hassed, and Reed by persistence.
had swung Stokes back into partial recog-
milton among men a bout town Reed and
Stokes began to emabrk on the saa of /
finance, and when Stokes proposed the
foundation of the Asphalt Block Paving
Stokes had seen this paving process al
sing Sing and was confident that he
could make it great success. The zen
lure was a failure. Stokes then proposed
that they go into mining speculation Mr.
Reed agreed. Stokes grew regularly for
expenses upon Reed. In the West Stokes
met John w. Mackay. and Mr.. aIackay
TOOK fancy to the specuator from the /
East.
In conjunction with Cassius N. Reed. |
stokes bought mine from Mackay. !
which he placed in London and Paris al
a proit OF nearly S2,090. 900. This mine
was known as the Victorine silver mine. /
Shortly after that Reed and Stokes be- /
came partners in the Hoffman House
JChn w Mackay was also a partner
1he barTocm was gorgeoUsly fitted UP
with paintings and marble statues Bou-
guereau's Satyr and Nymphs" and other
paintings fanlDIIS the world over were
purchased. Fine tapestries which were
made especially for Napoleon / were pur-
chased Most OF the treasures, It is said,
We're sold by the late Miss Catherine
Nclfe, whose home was at Twenty-fourth
street ana Madison Avenue.
ne Holman House became the rcc0g-
Ilzed quarters, practically speaking OF
Tammany Hall, and upstate Democratic
politicians. Meanwhile Stokes was act
ing as Mackays agent IN buying up the
stock OF the Bankers and Merchants
Telegraph Company. which the capitalist
wanted to merge 80 another cOrpo..-
u1n- Stokes became a stOckhclder in the
no" defunct Madison Square Bank and
chairman OF its Executive Committee.
stoke transactions with Mackay in the
Ba mixers and Merchants Telegraph Com
pany w're not satisfactory to Mr. Mack
aEr ana ne brought many suits against
MI Stokes Reed and Stokes began TO
quarrel Reed saying that he could not |
get an accounting from the Hoffman
House bouk&SeeDer. who, IL was said at !
the time, was partial to Stokes. Finally
+. compromise was reached by the forma-
ton of the Hoffman House Company
Reed took 10000 worth Of stock and
Stokes SlgN.GD0 worth.
The partners continued TO quarrel and
finally Reed found himself on the outside
the third floor OF a TWenty-third Street !
lodging house. Then he began to sue
Stokes for an accounting. including
money loaned in the days when Stokes
was in the Tombs under sentence of |
OF limitations
Mr.. Stokes was always in litigation. At
one time he had Roscoe Ccnkling and |
Robert G. Ingersol for his lawyers He |
invariably quarreIed with his counsel He |
never seemed TO be really haDpv unless |
ne was IN legal contention. First he
Guarrcled with Fisk. his original bene-
factor. Next he quarTel-d with Cassius | !
N. Reed, and afterward with w +. d.
stokes. cousin. whose father advanced |
the money for one Of Stokes trials Then
h. quarreled with John W. Mackay. an |
other benefactOr, and so on through the
list
when Stokes was taken sick this last
line woman, who SAYS her maiden name 5
s Rosamond LangdOn Barclay. turned up
'nd claimed TO be married TO Stokes She ! q
said she first met Mr.. Stokes when she !
was little girl. Her father. Size satG. {
VAS Charles Barclay, an EnElishmau, and \
friend of Mr.. Stokes. She said she was j
'ducated at Pennington, Conn, and that !
%rlve years ago she renewed her ac- 4
iualntancc with Mr. Stokes. She said the \
other day: ;,
Mr. Stokes and ! were married on Oc- =
.ober ". 1871, at Shipments Point Canada +
Jy an Eplscopaliau minister whose name ! s
don't remember. He was stoupiuls al | I
Mr. Stokes was not in good health and | q
he wished to provide for me and arrange
matters so that should he become serious o
y i'll I would have the right to visit him | 4
ven though our marriage was not made d
public" ,.
on the return Of MIR Stokea TO N>w h
Ork this last time. he was an occupant | n
If the house in which Miss Barclay lived | f