Life, Adventures, Strange Career and Assassination of Col James Fisk..
Jealousy, Fraud Accusations and Murder: McDade 919 [Murder]. [Stokes, Edward S. (1841-1901)]. [Fisk, James, Jr. (1835-1872)]. Life, Adventures, Strange Career, And Assassination of Col. James Fisk, Jr. The Fisk-Stokes Tragedy. All about Miss Mansfield. Those Rich, Rare, And Racy Letters and Many Oddities Now for the First Time Made Public. Philadelphia: Published by Barclay & Co., [1872]. [ii], [19]-111, [1] pp. 12 full-page engraved woodcuts. Complete. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-3/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in pictorial wrappers. Binding slightly cocked, light soiling, rubbing to corners with light wear, spine ends abraded, wrappers just beginning to detach at ends. Moderate toning, light foxing to a few leaves. $1,500. * Only edition. "Jim Fisk...was a financial wonder in New York in 1872. Edward Stokes had been associated with him in the oil business, but they had become engaged in a bitter legal battle which originated when Stokes stole Fisk's mistress, Josie Mansfield. In retaliation Fisk had charged Stokes with embezzling oil company funds; Stokes replied with a charge of false imprisonment. Then Mansfield threatened to publish letters from Fisk revealing some of his transactions. On January 5 an injunction was issued restraining the publication of the letters; on the next day Josie Mansfield was exposed to a humiliating cross-examination in police court on her relations with Fisk. Stokes, in a rage, followed Fisk to the Broadway Central Hotel where he shot him on the stairs. After two trials the state could only convict Stokes of third-degree manslaughter" (McDade, annotation to 917). OCLC locates 11 copies, 2 in law libraries (Library of Congress, Yale). McDade, The Annals of Murder 919.
Price: $1,500.00
Book number 71284