The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-29
TOM jerks AND MRS. JENKs.

| Feiclana parishes had been quiet, peaceaDl'
and fair, that nevertheless he and Weaver, TIT
supervisors of those parishes, had been ''In
duccd" to file a false affidavit of intimidation il
order to throw out the vote of those parishc.
and thus save the state for Hayes; that after
wards they were inclined to recall that affidavit
and to prevent them from doing so some of the
republican visiting statesman, and notably
John Sherman, had had interviews with them
and had promised that they should be taken
care of by Hayes"-that is, should get good
fat offices after Hayess lnauguration-if they
That they agreed to do so if Sherman would
put his promise that they should be taken care
of in writing; that Sherman did so, and An
derson produced a copy of Sherman's promise
in writing to that effect saying the original
had been left with Weber, but he believed was
now in the possession of Mrs jerks. On the
copy being shown to Sherman he himself did
not deny but he might have written such, Il pa
per
Nothing could have been more damning
than the proof as it thus stood. Even if An.
derson was proved otherwise to be a notorious
scoundrel and liar, his testimony at least to
this extent stood fully corroborated by Sher.
mans own virtual admission of its truth.
But neither Sherman, Stanley Matthews or
Hayes and his administration could afford to
rest under the opprobrium of such proof, and
they began to cast about for means to break
its force. Anderson had named Mrs jerks as
the probable possessor of the fatal original
document, and this gave Sherman hint
Who was Mrs, jerks? She was the wife of
Thomas II. jerks, an employee In the New
Orleans custom house Her husband was
therefore completely under the administration
thumb and the wife naturally ought to be
also, The lovely pair were sent for and ar
lived in Washington about the 10Th They
arrived at in the morning and by they were
IN close counsel with Shellabarger and Wilson,
Sherman's counsel. They were kept strictly
in tow by the same attorneys, occasionally it is
alleged also meeting Sherman himself until
last Saturday, when they were supposed to be
sufficiently LOADED" to be safely fired OFF, at
the committee. Mrs. jerks was no stranger
either to John Sherman or the leading Wash.
ington politicians, She had been quite mt.
mate with the visiting statesman" at New
Orleans in the fall of 1876, and was well known
as an exceptionally sharp lobby woman at
Washington since then, Tom, the husband,
was of little account, and though he as well
as the wife had been summoned at the request
of Sherman's attorneys, his testimony was of
so little account that they were glad to get rid
Of him as soon AS possible They tried TO
prove by him that there had been intimidation
in the Feliciapa parishes, but when GROSS.
questioned he broke himself down be admit
ting that he had not been In either parish for
year and half before the election. He also
sworc that he had seen Anderson and Weaver
swear to and sign their affidavit of intimida.
ton and afterwards had to admit that he did
not see them swear.
But for week before she was called upon
the stand Sherman himself and all his intimate
friends had given out that Mrs. Jenkss testi.
mony would prove a perfect dcmolisher to
the Anderson lies, and Sherman's' complete
vindicatlon.
And now what was the evidence of this
womanY Lest we may be accused of stating it
unfairly, we cut the following summary of il
from the Ottawa Repubiican:
She said Dan Weber had become satisfied
that Anderson was unreliable, having been
offered $4,000 by the Democrats, and that he
wanted written guarantee from Sherman
that he would be taken care Of He handed
her note addressed to Sherman, then at the
st. Charles Hotel, and she volunteered To de
liver II. She bit a corner off OF the note
through carclessness, and was then ashamed
to deliver IT. Sherman was up stairs in his
room and she did not see him. but she went
into the parlor where were quite a number OF
visiting statesmen Then Il occurred to her
that she could write the guarantee herself, and
that 1t would have the same effect rs If il
written by Sherman. She refuses 10 say in
whose hand II was written, but says she die
tated II and handed II TO Weber Its probable
that Weber copied it, but he being dead she
refuses positively To say who wrote it, She /.
emphatic IN declaring that she is the only per
sun living WIN hnOWS the alpha ana omega
of the letter, and says if there is any guilt at
tached TO the author it all rests on her Sher
man she entirely exonerates, and Anderson too
Anderson, she says, may be a sublime scoun
drel, but in the matter of this letter he was de
ceived The letter was signed John Sherman
and, lest she might be charged with the for
gerry, she refuses TO give any further informa
ton.
Now bear in mind the situation. Anderson
had sworn that he and Weber hal met Sher
man in restaurant, and that they talked ovel
with him the matter of their false protes
against the Feliciana returns and secured from
HIM verbal promise that they should b,
taken care of" if they would stick to then
protest. Afterwards he and Weber talked IN,
matter over and came 10 the conclusion thai
they mus, have Sherman's promise in writing
So they joined in letter to Sherman asking