Articles on rumors concerning James Fisk, Jr. and his associates

““Rumors have been afloat for several days past to the effect that Mr. Samuel N. Pike, the builder of the Opera House at the corner of Eighth-avenue and Twenty-third-street, had foreclosed his mortgage retained in the sale to James Fisk, Jr. It was stated that Mr. Pike had received thus far only the first payment of $150,000 cash, and that frequent failures on the part of Mr. Fisk to make further payments had compelled him, most reluctantly, to demand the return of his property. We are glad to say that the reports are unfounded. Mr. Pike states that he received $350,000 on the first payment, and is not anxious to get the house in his hands again; his great mistake was in ever building it.

“The facts in the case of the sudden closing of the Opera House, doubtless much to the disgust of the author and translator of ‘Patrie,’ and the star of the future, Mr. Fechter, are as follows: Mr. Fisk’s theatrical ventures have not been successful; on the contrary, to use his own language, his losses have been so heavy in his theatrical adventures elsewhere that, in spite of the fact that the Opera House is filled every night, he is compelled to close it; and Saturday night will witness the last performance therein.”

“The managers of Fisk, Jr., who recently were so unceremoniously ousted from the gilded Fifth Avenue theatre [sic], by the ‘Count of Erie,’ completely disgusted with theatrical affairs and more particularly with opéra bouffe, have taken kindly to other and more lucrative vocations. The sprightly Birgfled is now raising asparagus near Philadelphia, the gentlemanly Bagley is raising horses, and Morrisey, the twinkling Starr of opéra bouffe, is raising the ‘necessary’ by catering to other people’s necessities in the wine and fruit line.”

“The Grand Opera House remains in the blissful suspense of agonizing ‘uncertainty.’ Manager Fisk is already sorry for having withdrawn ‘Patrie’ just as that piece was commencing to attract large and paying audiences, and with this regret, which comes too late, we fear, ‘the great wizard’ experiences a yearning to revive the heroic drama, which it is understood he will do at any early day. In the meantime, the theatre in question, it is rumored, will be reopened for a short season by Miss Lucille Western, who will make her re-entrée on the Metropolitan boards in a series of her famous ‘East Lynne’ personations.”

“A Rumor has been current the past week that the abrupt closing of the Grand Opera House was owing to the foreclosing of the mortgage held by Mr. S. N. Pike for the property sold by him to Mr. Fisk; that Mr. Fisk had paid only $150,000 cash, and that the many theatrical enterprises of Mr. Fisk having proved failures, he was unable to make any more payments. These reports are all unfounded, so we are informed upon the authority of Mr. Pike, who says that he received for the first payment $350,000, and that he is not anxious to regain possession of the house.”