Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-07-18
MRS. AGNES d. JENKS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO
HAS BAFFLED ROOM FULL
OF LAWYERS.

ISOMETHiNG ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO
HAS BAFFLED ROOM FULL
OF LAWYERS.
Mrs. Agnes d. jerks was born in
Glasgow, Scotland, in 1s49. Her
maiden name was Murduch. She
came to this country when quite
young, and settled with her parents
near the town of Jackson, parish of
East Feliciana, La, in 1860. She
remained there till the fall of 1875,
when she went with her husband to
New Orleans, her present residence.
In 1870 she married Capt. Thos. A.
jerks, who had been a volunteer
officer in the United States navy. She
has become prominent as a witness
in the investigation into the frauds of
the presidential election through her
intense zeal, as she says, as partisan
of the republican party in Louisiana.
She and her husband were rewarded
for this by securing positions under
the government, which they hoped to
continue under the present admins
tration. Capt. jerks was Deputy
United States Marshal, and Mrs.
jerks, before her marriage, was for
two months a clerk in the treasurer's
office in the United States treasury
department at Washington. There
is nothing in politics that Mrs. jerks
would not do and defend if it main
tained ''the supremacy and dignity
of the party. She justified her con-
duct in her evidence and in conversa-
ton, in relation to the so-called Sher-
man-Anderson agreement, solely on
that ground, and is indignant if it is
placed on any Of ther. She regarded
Anderson as an intriguer, who would
resort almost to anything to benefit
himself, even at the expense of his
political friends. She had known
him in Feliciana for some time and
was determined to thwart his plans,
and she claims she has succeeded by
'sfooling him." as she terms it, with
the story that she possessed impor-
tant documents bearing on the count
of the returning board. She is sur
prised that any one could be deceived
by Anderson, and is greatly puzzled
to understand how Stanley Matthews
came to take so much stock in him.
Notwithstanding her feeling of con-
tempt for the present administration,
she is an admirer of all of the visiting
statesman holding office under it, es-
pecially Secretary Sherman. Her
zeal and interest in Louisiana politics
would rot be lessened except by the
very narrow limits which the republic
can party now occupy in that State
Mrs. jerks protests that none other
than political motive has controlled
her conduct during and since the
presidential election of 1876. When
asked for some incident OF her per-
sonal life, the fair political intriguante
tossed her heal back, and in a rich,
smooth voice, with a pretty accent,
replied: "Oh, don't know much
about myself. Brevity is the soul of
wit, you know, and my personal his
tory ought to be better for being
brief. She appears of course more
at ease in a parlor than IN commit
tee-room, though in speaking of poll
tics she shows the picturesque audac-
ity the she exhibited so often to the
committee. In personal appearance
Mrs. jerks, without being beautiful,
is handsome woman of the robust
demi-blonde type, Of medium height,
large and regular features, with a
clear, rich complexion, dark blue
eyes, with a we'll shaped head, COW
cred with luxuriant growth of hair,
neither light nor dark, which is parted
slightly on one side and done up in q
braid behind. She Is very graceful
in her movements and when she be-
comes interested in conversation her
face lights up instantly and her ac-
cent adds a charming edge to every
word she utters. She is a woman
for whom nature has done everything
and to whom education has contribu-
ted but little. Although she speaks
with an accent, she is not fluent
scholar, but speaks the French and the
Creole a little.-New York World.