Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-01
Imaginary Scene at the Investigation
Sweating Over the Sherman Letter.

Mr.. POTTERY: Well, Mr.. McMahon,
this Sherman letter business is not
banning out very well. What's best
to dor
McMAHoN-I declare, Pot, I'm al
loss to know. There must have been
Sherman letter. This whole in
vestigation will be dumped if we
cannot prove that letter genuine
PoTTER-'How do we stand? Let's
see Anderson swears the letter W q
have is the letter, and Sherman
thinks he didn't write it, and Mrs.
Jenks sWears she wrote it for a put
up job on Anderson and Weber. AS
lawyer, taking into account who
Sherman is and what a liar Ander-
son is, it seems TO me the preponder-
ance of testimony is against the
theory that John Sherman wrote
that letter. Mr.. Butler, what say
you? You have the reputation of
being something of a lawyer, l am
told
BUTLER We'll. som ething, | may
say without Boosting / can tell
you, gentlemen, that you must do
better than this, or you are dished,
and will become a laughing stock.
Call Weber's brother he may know
(Enter SURVIVING Weber)
BUTLER Mr.. Weber, what know
you about the Sherman letter? Re.
member now, you are under OATH
WEBER Yes, there was such q
letter.
BLTLER-' How do you know?'
WEBER, seen it,
BUTLER-syes, you saw it. Where?'
WEBER-'Among my brothers. pa
pers.'
BUTLER-'This is the letter, isn't
it2, (holding up the letter..
WEBER No, l destroyed the let
ter
BUTLER. Destroyed itp Thunder
and Moses What made You de-
stroy il?' (Aside to Poter) ('This
settles the Anderson letter, by the
holy gambogee.O Well, Weber,
why ola you destroy ItI
WEBER-'To save my brothers.
reputation
BUTLER (closes one eye and rests
his head on his hand, the other eye
looking out of the window and gaz-
ing vacantly at Arlington Hoights)
We'll, well, well--to think that
brothers. affection should lead to
such a disaster, and that brother an
ordinary Louisiana politician TITS
very strange. | don't understand.
If there was q genuine letter, what
need for the jerks to forge false
one? That would be unnecessary
folly, and from what little [ have
seen of that woman's mental acu-
men, | should say she is not wo-
man to commit forgery when there
was genuine paper, whioh answered
all the purposes of forged one. No,
that's not the sort of woman she
is "OPENS 'tother eye). Gentlemen.
my idea is that Weber's statement
confirms the story of Mrs. jerks to
such degree that we will have TO
admit that the letter we have is not
genuine, and as something Of law
YER as my friend Potter facetitIous-
" puts it, we shall not be ablo to
establish much of a fraud on paper
proved to have been forged, nor on
q paper that has been destroyed by
our own man. | would say further
that, as Weber was engaged in his
most repentant mood in the effort to
expose the most damnable fraud ia
history, the destruction OF the only
paper which could prove it does not
comport with the general character
of these Louisiana politicians and
that . man who was so utterly heed
less of his own reputation should be
so tender of a brother, whose reputa-
ton was not likely to be canvessed
anyhow. is as great morsel TO me
as that Sunset Cox should ever i'm
agire that to shy brick at my head
was, under any circumstances, Q safe
operation
PoTTER-'l think | will take trip
to New York and see Tilden. This |
Investigation is smashed unless the
old man can devise way out. But
l know what he'll do: he'll advise
US to cry Eliza Pinkston T
Mrs. jerks (plying her fan 10Th
great uigor and smiling at Bitler)-
Gentlemen, you are lovely birds. |
How many weeks have you been
setting on added eggs, and the
whole country looking on and laugh |
ing? You call yourself q widow,
Mr.. Butler. How do you like the
incubating process? Will your chick
en- be q healthy one, dye think2
Pretty birds, all Of ye. shall al
ways remember you ALL (Tosses
her head and faunts out).
BUTLER Quitting both hands on his |
hips as he rises)-.GentlemeD, l feel
like throwing q brick at somebody