The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-06-27

Mrs. Jeni1s, who has SO suddenly had fame
thrust npon her. is described by the New Orleans
Dispatch as follows:
Mrs jerks, the now famous witness, is Scotch
Irish by descent, and was born in the north OF
| Ireland. Her fathers name was Murdoch. and
he was drowned while in the confederate army,
near New Orleans Her mother was doctress
and practiced quite extensively among the poor
er class of politicians. The idea of her French
accent has created considerable fun here at the
Potter knowledge of orr Creole dialects She has
been Intimately associated for a number of
years with the prominent radical leaders in her
section of the state. and has the reputation of
being remarkably sound and enterprising.
In reference to her testimony, the Washington
correspondent of the New York Times of the
oath has the following:
A mere verbal report OF the examination of
Mrs. jerks yesterday gives but a faint idea of the
scene in which she played the leading role and
in which Butler and Mcmahon played sub-ordi-
nate parts. When Mr.. Butler addressed himself
to the task Of eliciting facts from her he soon
realized that he had engaged in a difficult enter
prise. She rep Gated many OF the questions put
to hef and then replied ,lf to them in somewhat
transgress the rules of propriety. She leaned
back in the chair she occupied beside Mr.. Butler,
interrogatories were made with irritating self
possession: When the questioning had gone on
closed up her fan. laid it on the table before her
and made the statement in which she exonera-
ted Mr. sherman She began: II wish to state
the adjective in an ironical senseJ and of the
country at large" Then she paused long time
anything more ?" Eyes, am going to say consid.
cradle more.'' Then there was another pause
After awhile she continued II distinctly and
entirely eXonerate Mr.. Secretary Sherman from
any completely Indirect or direct in the so-called
Anderson and Weber guarantee. If there is
crim1nallty in That document, if there is public
dishonor attached to it. / alone know the outgo
and the income Of it. No one else knows augRt
IN r t a 70 IT, ana 40 not think an compel
onerate Mr. Sherman, and also Mr., Anderson,
although l believe Anderson to be one of the
most sublime scoundrels on record, still, gen
tlemen. in the matter OF the guarantee he at
least, has been sincere. Iaward to him that lit
tle merit. He has always deemed it genuine
That is single ray oflight admitted in the dark
ness that surrounds him"
Der OF the committee, remarked, Nov let the
curtain drop. the act is finished" This was the
only deviation from the hooking tone in which
that she was under examination. Her accent and
pronunciation are strongly marked with the
she took Weber and Anderson's letter into Par
lor p OF the st. Charles HOTEL bit the ends of it,
and then could not think OF such an act Of disre-
spect as the presentation of such note to the
visiting statesmen" But, as she said an idea
struck her and when Butler pressed to know
an answer. and he got it." She did not then say,
as she afterward did, that she herself dictated
that letter to some one else and palmed it off on
Weber as genuine document, and whenever
Butler attempted to assume that he met by
sharp reminder that he must not impute to her
what she did not say. Finally. after two hours,
Butler retired from the contest with the clever
witness. rather crestfallen.
After the recess Mr.. Mcmahon tried his hand,
that she had herself dictated the so-called Sher-
gested that they were all tired and that the wit
ness must be, she repudiated the suggestion with
scorn, said that whoever else might be fatigued
she was not, and that she could keep it up all
Summer
The general purport of her testimony, extract
ed from the tortuous examination, was that Web |
er said Anderson wanted guarantees from the |
visiting statesmen" particularly Mr. Sherman;
that she indie nant that such an insult should
be offered the visiting gentlemen, and therefore
she resolved not to deliver Weber's note to Mr.. |
Sherman making the demand, having '.quite I'M |
consciously mutilated it by biting off end |
That she took the note to parlor P. st. Charles
Hotel, where the visiting statesmen were dis
emit that there the celebrated Sherman letter
was written at her dictation by some person
ter she gave to Weber, addressed to I'D. A. Web
er and James E. Anderson" leaving Weber to
In the coSr sne Of ar me nad
Anderson had written to her telling her that he
wanted documents that the dead beats" had
given him who came to Louisiana to see a fair
count. She did not understand from this that he
meant the so-called Sherman letter. She did not
know what letter he wanted until January last.
letter off Anderson's guaranteeing his dear
Tom, a cool thousand dollars if he would get
the Sherman epistle was read. This letter was
where the original letter was, but the presenta-
ton OF it would she said satisfy an that sher-
took large interest in politics knew that vast
interests were hanging in the balance. In an
swering one question she said that Anderson had
entered his protest in the Feliciana election, and
that the Democrats had offered him $4,000, and
that he was smitten with regrets OF conscience
that he ever entered protest, and wanted to
take it up"
When she called upon Mr. Sherman, in Wash
ington that gentleman would not see her pri-
vately, and she thought his refusal to do SO laid
the basis of the Potter investigation. She would
have made the explanation OF the letter then
InaC Sn6 now made to the committee, She |
Mr.. Matthews five or six times to find out if An
derson had spoken to him of any letter, as the
Sherman letter, and Matthews said he had not.
Anderson used to send her postal card nearly
every day, in the early part of the year. stating
that he had "treed" Mr.. Matthews, and inaulg-l
ing in boasts Of what he would do with his docu-
ments." She thought Anderson talked so much
that MI. Kellogg wanted to know what ocument
it was that Anderson was always talking about.
She could not enlighten him, because she did not
know herself. The only time she met Mr. Sher-
man he told her the country was tired OF Louisi-
ana matters.