Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/93

 *can securities then as prevalent as now. The wonderful financial operations of the Drew and Gould regimes in Erie could not have been possible but for the extraordinary fascination which the stock possessed for English capitalists. While Americans looked with more than suspicion on the Erie securities, England was possessed of an irresistible craze to get as many of them as possible. English capitalists would not take the United States bond even when selling below par, but they bought with avidity every share of Erie they could get hold of. At last, however, the eyes of the English stockholders were opened to the true condition of affairs, and under the lead of James McHenry they organized to get the control of the property. At this time Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, one of the heroes of Gettysburg, was Minister to Spain. He was engaged to lead the anti-Gould forces against the Erie strongholds. He did his work well, and it is said was paid a very big fee for his labors. He obtained a leave of absence from Madrid and returnd home to conduct the operations in person on the ground. This was the last of the Erie wars.

It should be recorded at this time, however, that the famous partnership of Gould and Fisk had been dissolved by death. Fisk, late in 1871, had been shot by Edward F. Stokes, and after a few days had died from the wound. He and Stokes had at one time been friends but had quarreled over business matters and about a woman—the beautiful, but notorious Josie Mansfield—and the quarrel led to the