Life, Trial and Conviction of Edward Stokes, For the Assassination...
The Infamous "Gilded Age" Murder of Jim Fisk [Trial]. Stokes, Edward [1841-1901], Defendant. Life, Trial and Conviction of Edward Stokes; For the Assassination of Jas. Fisk, Jr. To Which is Added, The Life and Eventful Career of Josephine Mansfield. The Interesting Trial. Many Secrets Now for the First Time Made Public. Philadelphia: Published by Barclay & Co., [1873]. [ii], 19-111, [1] pp. 12 full-page woodcuts. Complete. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-3/4"; 23.5 x 14.6 cm). Stab-stitched pamphlet in pictorial wrappers. Light soiling and a few faint dampstains and minor tears to wrappers, spine abraded, moderate wear to corners of wrappers and text block. Moderate toning to interior, corners of some leaves dog-eared, faint stains to a few leaves. $750. * Only edition, Philadelphia Issue: Published shortly after the conclusion of the second trial. Barclay concurrently issued this work with a Cleveland imprint (Great Western Publishing Company). "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..." This classic Barclay sensation pamphlet captures one of the most notorious crimes of New York's Gilded Age-a volatile cocktail of corporate espionage, blackmail, and romantic betrayal. After a bitter falling out over the Erie Railroad-backed oil business and the affections of Josie Mansfield, Fisk and Stokes engaged in a flurry of litigious retaliation, including charges of embezzlement and false imprisonment. The boiling point was reached on January 6, 1872, following a humiliating police court cross-examination of Mansfield regarding her relations with Fisk and the threatened publication of his financial secrets. In a fury, Stokes tracked the flamboyant "Jubilee Jim" to the Broadway Central Hotel and fatally shot him on the grand staircase. Following two sensational trials, a high-powered defense team managed to mitigate the charge, resulting in a controversial conviction for third-degree manslaughter. The twelve dramatic, full-page woodcuts vividly illustrate the protagonists, the assassination scene, and the subsequent courtroom theater, characteristic of Barclay's highly sought-after true crime publications. This Barclay account was published af.
Price: $750.00
Book number 71294