The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-07-04
HUSBAND OF MRS, jerks
ONE OF JOHN SHERMAN'S W.T.
NESSES CONTRADICTING AN
DERSON.
What People Told Him About intimidation
AndersOn's PrOtest--The Sherman Letter
Webers Slgnature-The Private Busi-
ness that Called Mrs. jerks to Wash
inRtOn CITY,

ingtOn City.
Washington, June 2I.--Thos. H. Jenk:
was summoned by the Potter Commit
tee at the instance of John Sherman
counsel, Judge Shellabarger. He has
been in the city one week, and in close
and constant intercourse with the attor-
neys Of Sherman. His wife is also a
witness for John Sherman. She was
here last spring, and had two interviews
with Sherman then. These two witness
es are relied upon to break down Ander.
son, and prove the nonsexistence, as
we'll as the nonNwriting, Of the Sherman
letter, Thos. H. jerks was examined
to-day. He gave his testimony in chief
in answer to inquiries put by Mr.. Reed,
the Republican end of the committee.
He was Deputy United States Mar
shal, he said, for the Feliciana parishes
before and during the election of 1876,
but did not get to the parishes until two
days before the election. He visited a
number of polls on the day of election !;
was told by White that negroes, could vote
and by negroes that they did not dare to
vote. He saw no violence. There was
none on that day it was all previous.
Asked to give instances, he began with
the DID, stale stories of intimidation in
1875 the oft>told tale of the murder of
John Gair and his sister. The witness
knew absolutely nothing of his own
knowledge-only by hearsay.
There was an interesting debate by
Morrison, Nc Mahon, Reed, and Cox
concerning the relevancy of this testimo.
ny; but it was admitted subject to OBJ,
lection hereafter. Morrison said ems
phatically that, speaking for himself, he
wanted the inquiry to be as broad as the
truth itself he did not think, however,
that there was any use in having retailed
for the third or fourth time the story Of
Feliciana intimidation. If they did not
show that there was conspiracy on the
part Of the Republicans to prevent any
election there; if they did not show that
the Returning Board did not have juris,
diction, but knowingly acted on false
and forged protests and afidavlts ifthey
did not show conclusively that this was
the knowledge and approval of John
Sherman and other visiting statesmen
then they would fail to make out their
case. That was all there was of it. He
could not see what proof of intimidation
had to do with Sherman's defense. To
prove there were 100 murders in East
Feliciana would not relieve John Sher.
man of the guilt of encouraging two men
to allow forged protests to stand and let
a Presidential Election turn on the Feli>
cinnas, the vote of which was rejected in
this way by the Returning Board.
Up to last January, when Mrs. jerks
paid her visit to Washington, jerks and
Anderson acted together in a friendly
way. Since then they have not. Much
that was told by Anderson related to in
cidents occurring in Jenks's presence.
Totday Jenks contradicted Anderson in
these particulars. He affirmed the exis.
tence Of serious intimidation in the Fell
ciana parishes. He affirmed the valid.
ity of the jurat affixed to Anderson's
protest. Anderson said it was forged.
jerks says he saw Anderson make oath
to it. Jenks denies that the Sherman let
ter or Weber>Anderson agreement has
ever been alluded to by Anderson in the
numerous conversations they have had.
McMahon's cross>examination Of
jerks developed serious inconsistencies
in he outline put forward by the witness,
but led to no fiat contradiction. The
memory Of the witness developed an ex.
tremely facile tenacity and opacity, He
fixed absolutely the date when he first
heard of the Sherman letter, Jan. 6,
1873 but his memory was singularly
clouded as to the time his wife was in of.
fee, his conversations with her after her
return from visit to Donaldsonville and
a search in D. A. Weber's house for a
paper vaguely described by Anderson
according to Jenks as document" and
her statements to him on her return from
her visit to Washington, last winter.
The witness could fix the date neither of
the visit to Donaldsonville, nor of that to
Washington, and his attempt to conceal
the cause of the last visit was the most
serious Of the many serious blunders
made by him in presenting his story be-
fore the committee, after presenting it
in many interviews with Shellabarger,
Mr.. Sherman's counsel. jerks is some
what below the average Louisiana wit
ness in the matter Of brains. He has
been indicted, and has had other expe-
riences in the Grand Jury room, but they
do not appear to have given him that
ready familiarity with criminal law and
methods Of examination in criminal trials