The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-28
ghe 99ailg Argus.
An Evasive Witness

| The lively Mrs. jerks does not ;-n.,
ON further acquaintance. Even her ;rraya
rent audacity and flippant tongue caase -
DC amusing when administered in 49,
aoses. Such exhibitions are d;ver,;esa =
cnieny because they are odd: thew hecome
49, as 5000 as the gloss of novelty
so "' naso On: That kind of pert flippancy is
| 81 laanL lu'he, it SO oVersteps the modesty
go hoou, mat amusement at its odditv
o Of. slses way to disgust with its violation
ptopl'ey' n woman who seems to
5bn 81 ~ making public spectacle of herself
"a quo uafihg lmpertinence of her REPLIES
81 ny Dandylng smart repartees
49, "a ineo under oath cannot be res
peceeo as candid witness, even when i.
r TL posssoie to extract from her the truth,
~ nis fi rs jerks not only parties questions
~ ~ neI hippancy, but when they are press.
ea upon her she plumply refuses to answer
n NJ .ne same easy freedom she would
n aetioe in a private circle of her EQUALS
n ,ns COMMITTEE INDUCES this slippery wit.
~ nel freaks because there is no DOW.
IT. 20 compel her to answer questions,
~ nc house not being in session the com
g. eahnot procure an order for arrest
i hn oon'empt' and she can make game of
lmpunity. WIN peilect
very little was elected from her vester-
a4 ueyono repetltlons of the same story
an9 cNasions which she presented on Sat
uiuay' ana yet the hours were not onite
nlsspent during which she was kent on the
witness chair. Yesterdays examination
served to divest her of the Sensational
prestlge which attended her first appear
ahce' ana to reduce her to real proportions
as aa intriguing. INSCRIPTIONS adventures
one adheres to her statement that She
oic.ated the socalled Sherman letter hnt
natiy refuses to tell who was her amannnns
siS, her motives In practising that fragrant
ceeep'ion Oh persons for whom she pro>
.essed friendship, or for the liberty She
.ooN win Mr.; Sherman in opening a nri-
s@'o ietteF addressed to him and sending
gu answer signed with his name. Her
refusal TO tell who was present in the room,
When the4answer was prepared precIn9as
Tue calling OF witnesses to contradict her
respecting the composition of the letter in
that place; but she was made to o,va
sueh an exhibition of her habits of mind
aho modes of expression as brings tba
w. 1tu''l VI her main statement iEto doubt
Ahe letter Is remarkably terse. heinz
co0ched ID the fewest words that conId
sumGe to convey the same meaning, where
as Mrs. jerks has shown herself to he an
eHosi'e' garrulous woman, who can hardly |
express herself at all without iDtroducino
some lrreievsnce, This being her intel, |
lectuai character how did it happen that
she was able, on sudden impulse. to eom-
pose letter so exactly 10 the styIe Of a |
trained ualned man OF business? The very Grst |
expression in the letter is one which No |
S'I would have been likely to usa
~, l ours of even date has been received |
L MS IS form of expression most unlikely |
10 have occurred to any woman. even in |
attempting 10 counterfeit the STYLE ne |
puoiic man. But those who Judge bv |
internal evidence would rest their on;n;0n
upon The general cast of the letter raIbar
tnan upon particular expressions It's
directness and business like condensation
Is quite alien to the habits of mind which
mrs. jerks has disclosed in this examina.
lion aud IN her published letters. IL is 50
nearly like what Mr.. Sherman might have
written that when he testified before The
committee he not only discovered no inter
1al evidence that it was not his, but stated
hat there were things in it which he might
ave written under similar circumstances
dow did this Eighty, erratic, loouacious
naepie OF woman succeed in conposing
uch letter?-N. T. Herald.