Shooting of Janes Fisk.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 121, 5 March 1872, Page 7

Shooting of Janes Fisk.

Everyone has heard of James Fisk, jun., I of New York. He operated, as it is called, in Erie Bonds, ami, with the aid of bribed judges, got the railway into his own bauds. He was the modern millionaire of New York, j < and lived in defiance of the laws of God and ;: man. His amours, debaucheries, and ex-! 1 cesses might have placed him side by side; with Phillippe of Orleans ; his acquisitive-!' ness and monetary shrewdness with the first; '■ Rothschild. Some time since a Miss Mans-j' field, who alleged herself to have been a vie- i tim to his passion as well as to his greed, published damaging letters concerning him, and commenced, in connection with a man named Stokes, a suit against him in the haw courts for libel. After the proceedings in the Court on Jan, G had terminated, the lawyers engaged in the case came down town and proceeded to lunch at Delmonico's. John R. Fellows, assistant district attorney, Counsellor Spencer, Stokes, and one ort.vo others, formed a party.- They had just ordered their oysters, and were enjoying the ' meal, when Judge Barnard came in and com-1 | municated the fact that the Oyer and Ter-; | miner Court had found the indictment against I Stokes, when, without a word, Stokes rose I hurriedly from his seat and left the room. Stokes, on leaving Delmonico's, at once | j proceeded to the Grand Central Hotel, where ; | by some means he had ascertained Fisk was : j to call, and, passing through the private en- ■ : trance, ascended the stairs. Fisk soon after | drove up in his carriage to the ladies' en- | trance, passed through the outer door, and : asked the doorkeeper if Mrs Morse was in, ! and was answered in the negative. He then ! requested the doorkeeper to sec if her daughI ter was in, and, on his being answered Yes, j they both proceeded upstairs, Fisk in ad- ] vance. Seven steps from the street, there is ! a small landing ; reaching this, Fisk happened j to look upward, and there saw Stokes stand-! I ing at the head of the stairs, with a pistol in ! I his hand. He rested the pistol oii the ban-! nister, and, taking deliberate aim, fired, j : Fit,k fell upon the landing, uttering the j simple exclamation "Oh," but immediately 1 j got upon his feet again, and as he did so, : ; Stokes fired again. Then he staggered, turned : | as if to take refuge in Might, and, partially j sliding, reached the bottom of the stairs, where he fell. Stokes, after firing the second shot, walked I leisurely awav, threw his pistol upon the sofa in the ladies' parlour, went down stairs, and attempted to make his escape ; but he j was stopped by some of the men connected I with the hotel, who detained him until the ! police arrived. The following telegraphic messages from New York to San Francisco, give details in ! connection with the subsequent events : Charles S. Spencer, one of Fisk's lawyers, I stated in a crowd at the Grand Central Hotel ! that Stokes had already obtained 50,0 DL) dollars from Fisk ; and that, waiting the issue of his last attempt, he had, like a coward, shot Fisk. He said that when Stokes left the Court he was perfectly cool and collected. Many friends and acquaintances of Fisk are at his hotel ; Win, M. Tweed aid Jay i Gould are among the number. F.sk is calm j and collected, and able to converse. About 19 p.m. the Coroner heard the statement of j Fisk as to the shooting. About half-pas'. 0, he was engaged with his lawyer, D. D. Field, making his will. Fink's statement to the Coroner is to the ; effect that he had come to the hotel, and was '' 1 making inquiries as to whether Miss Morse i were in, and being answered in the aflirma- ' tive, he proceeded up the stair.-;. When on | the first lauding, he saw a fi ish, and felt | something strike him upon the abdomen. i Before falling he recognised Stokes as his assailant. He did not again sec Stokes until , [ he was brought before him to identify him. , | The evidence of the boys in the hall was . I corroborative. The statement of the wounded man being j 1 taken, the jury came to a verdict that Fisk had met his injuries at the hands of Edward ! S. Stokes. , January 7. —A few minutes before eleven | o'clock this morning, James Fisk, jun., ex- | pired. News of his death spread rapidly, and everywhere produced a profound sensa- . tion of deep regret. At a quarter past seven 'iMrs Fisk arrived. She was at first ao 1 - . i mitted into the ante-room, and soon after- ! wards into the bedroom. She was terribly ; ■ agitated at the sight of her husband. The . scene was the most heartrending that had yet i taken place, and those present could not snpj press their emotion. At half-past ten. Fisk i j lay scarcely aware that any were ministering |j to him. He turned his face to the wall, no- , ; ticed no one, and ceased breathing at a quar- . j ter to eleven. [ j Some 50,000 people viewed the remains of .Fisk before their removal from the Opera J House. The body was dressed in "the uniform ,lof a colonel. His cap and sword lav on the [ | top of the casket. Large numbers of promi- , nent citizens joined the immense assemblage .; which viewed the remains. Between one and , two o'clock the procession formed. The catam falquo with the body was brought, out, and . i the procession Started at two o'clock from the I Grand Opera House, the streets and avenues ' i being jammed with at least 150,099 people. . j The Ninth Regiment was in full force. The . : scene was magnificent and impressive. TJe- [; nunciations of the murderer were hearil in ! all places. The procession was over a mile ': i long.