The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-06-29
THE STOKES
FISK. TRAGEDY
NEW YORK THRILLED
BY KILLING OF 35
YEARS AGO.
WAS ALSO OVER ACTRESS
Charmer Played One Friend
Against the Other.
WAS ALSO OVER ACTRESS

resembles in motive and detail the
murder of James Fisk jr., by Edward
Stokes thirty-hve years ago. The
principals in that famous New York
tragedy ir 1872 were jim Fisk. part
ner and warm friend OF Jay Gould
Edward S. Stokes. also a fnancier and
interested in business al one time with
Gould, and Josie Mansfield, an actress
for whose sake the murder was com
mitted
Fisk was a vermonter and start
ed business life as peddler He made
one-hplf million dollars in army con
tracts in the Civil war and then turned
to Wall street Stokes was known as
the handsomest man in New York He
formed partnership with Fisk and
Gould in the Brooklyn Oil Refining Co.
Ar Adventures in Real Life.
Then Josie Mansfield appeared 20
sever the ties OF business ana personal
friendship and pave the way for the
subsequent tragedy She was beauti-
ful and artful Fisk and Stokes both
tell in love with her and they became
bitter rivals.
financial duel began between the
two friends for the favor of the actress.
The Mansfield woman deceived Fisk
and used Stokes as a tool for explort-
ing money from his rival Fisk thought
hecould win the woman by ruinins
Stokes financially He had his part.
iner arrested for alleged embezzlement
of theeompanys funds Then the wo-
man openly espoused stokes's side
The enbezzlement charge against him
failed Then he suedFisk for 5000 200
damages. Stokes threatened TO print
all OF Fisks letters to the charmer un-
les5 the 100000 was paid. Fisk even.
tnally obtained the letters and the
suposition was that he paid high for
them
The Killer in Prison Four Years.
The next step in the legal duel was
the issuance Of bench warrant for the
arrest of Stokes on an Indictment by
the grand jury for hlackmail Then
Stokes resolved to xii Fl. X ANA he shot
him on the stairway Of the Grand Cen
tral hotel January 9Th. 1872 The le-
cal controversy over the murder made
chapters in New Yorlts criminal his
tory In his third tg.ai stokes was con.
lsicted Of manslalghter in the third
degree and served four years in pris-
on
The following detailed account ap-
peared in Haiper's Weekly, January
90. 1872.
"At -four o'clock Saturday afternoon.
January g. Fisk lett Jay Gould aud 9th
ers with whom he had been IN consul
tatlon at the Grand opera house, and
drove 10 theGrand Central hotel lie
passed in the ladies' entrance and
meeting John T. Redraold, a porter
asked him If lady. whom he named
was at home Receiving an affrma
tive reply. Fisk proceeded upstairs
Seven steps Up three is a small land
) ing, On reaching this FISK saw stoke.
standing at thehead Of the stairs lean
. ing on the end OF the balusters. Thr'
a was something in Stokess right hand
and Fisk saw the auzle Of pistol di
2 racfed tnwards him
Before ne could rtter word tn,
gun was discharged he ball strucl
him in the abdomen and passed inwar
). and downward The wclnded man nj
tered the exclamation. Oh and fel
s ON the landing lie arose, ana as h
did SO stokes fred again, the secon
shot passing through the heshy part q
the Lett arm short distance aboy
the elbow Fisk staggered and hmne
i partly around al though with the inter
ton Of seeking safety IN flight. and a
he did SO third shot was fired Thi
!. missed him. Thewoanded man reacae
d the short flight OF stairs. whore h
4 fen
I stokes's Attempted Flight.
j. "Ihe assa sin, throwing his pist'
!. into the ladies' Parlor, under sof
IS endeayored 10 gain the Mercer stre,
s entrance 10 the hotel and escape, bl
e was seized on the floor below and han
s. ed over TO the custody OF the polie
Having been locked Up in the static
house cell during the night. he was q
Sunday morning transferred TO n
h Tombs prison TO await theaction OF n
ie law
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