The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-07-24
ROW RECALLS GOULDs TRAGEDY
Fisk.Stokes Sensation Suggested by
Differences in n. Y. Family.

of the Gould family are being brought
to public notice through an affidavit
fled against George j. Gould by his
brothers and sisters, charging him
with mismanag cement of the SSO,OOO,-
900 estate, of which the will of his
father the late Jay Gould made him
chief executor.
executor.
The mere mention of the Gould
family recalls to modern day readers
a long list of sensational marriages
and escapades of one sort and anoth-
er. To older readers also the name
spells luridness and sensationallsm,
but of another sort. To them 1t re-
calls the spectacular career OF Jay
Gould, the "buccaneer of finance. >
And one whose memory runs back to
the first decade after the civil war
the riotous days of railroad building
and wrecking, when fortunes were
amassed almost overnight by unscru-
pulous manipulators, who calmly
broke other men to make themselves
wealthy and were in turn broken and
looted by their fellow bootleggers
to them the name of Gould is al
ways linked with that of Fisk, and
one of the most sensational murder
trials of the last century, in which,
however, Gould was not concerned
as an actor.
Jim Fisk was Gould's partner and
a more daring pair never ran at
large through the 'big business dis
trict of New York. Fish was even
more spectacular than Gould. His
life, which ended at 81, was hectic
with the flush that goes with gamb-
ling in big stakes for the love Of it.
He won hugely, and lived like king
of the old regime. He denied HIM
self nothing that money could buy,
and he neither asked nor gave quar-
ter in battle. Strong in friendship
where it suited him, he was impla-
capble in his entities. And none
felt his venom more than those who
became his enemies after having been
his friends.
In that class was Edward S. Stokes,
tsNed" Handsome, virile and men,
Der of fine old family, Stokes pos
sessed many of the business and per-
sonal instincts of Fisk, and was not
averse to employing Fisk's methods
when he deemed it necessary. 1t was
that quality that caused Fisk to
choose him as frieuu and business
partner, and the same quality caused
him later on to become Fisk's most
bitter enemy, and still later his slay-
er.
The story of the killing has been
told many times since that day in
January, 1872, when Stokes met Fisk
on the stairway of the old Grand Gen.
trail Hotel and shot him because of
love for Josephine Mansfield, who had
Iured both away from the wives of
their youth. Fisk had first fell un-
der her spell and he lavished money
on her in uncounted thousands. Then
he introduced Stokes. Stokes was an
oil merchant whose already prosper
Gus business grew more prosperous
after he joined hands with Fisk. He
was few years younger than Fisk
and had education, breeding, money
and "a way with women" It was
not long before he began to supplant
Fisk, in the affections of the beauti-
full and mercurial Josephine.
Then the trouble began. Differ
ent versions of the causes that led in
a few months to situation in which
4 Stokes and Miss Mansfield on one
side and Fisk on the other were ar
Idy0u Ill IHS 6lttSlOSI 1iOSl11AIS "S1N
given in the several parties to the
quarrel in suits that engaged the
: courts for nearly year and produc-
ed tremendous sensation. Certain
it is, however. that Fisk broke with
his mistress said because OF
another woman and others because
he believed Stokes had deliberately
won her away from him, thus arous-
ing in Fisk a passion for revenge.
Josephine was credited with having
sensed in advance Fisk's purpose to
abandon her and it was believed that
she played Stokes to spite Fisk or
bring him again to her feet.
Anyway, the feud developed fu-
~ that nothing short of extermina-
tion of one side or the other could ap-
pease. Fisk had acquired great po-
litical power along with his wealth
and Stokes claimed Fisk was using
both to crush him and humiliate 90
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