Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-01-08
A EXPLODED.
The Practical IOke which Madame Ienks
Played Upon Three Well Known
Gentlemen.
Nev Orlean. ? cayune.l

New Orleans P~ieayune.l
As will be seen by a reference {,
the proceedings of the Potter commit
tee on yesterday, published in another
column, Mrs. Agnes d. jerks ha.
committed one of those little excen.
tricities which have done 50 much /,
give her a national reputation.
The story runs, as told by these wit
nesses before the committee, that OF
the 18th day of September last Mrs
jerks Unexpectedly appeared at the
establishment of Messrs. Elkin q Co
and informed Mr.. H.. W. Lloyd, one
of the statesmen, that she desired t.
inspect some carpets, mating, etc.
with a view to the purchase of what.
ever might suit her delicate fancy. II
would seem Mr.. Lloyd at once recog-
niEed his fair customer, probably from
the portraits of her published in the
illustrated papers, but nothing daunted
by this knowledge, he displayed to her
criticising gaze all his valuable stock
of goods. Apparently, Mrs. jerks
was much gratifed by what she saw,
and before taking her departure, in
formed the jealous salesman she would
return in a few days and make some
purchases.
When Mira. jerks left, Mr.. Lloyd
retired to the back portion of the store
and entered into an animated CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Thos. L. Raymond, a
fellow employe, the subject discussed,
no doubt, being the visit of Mrs.
jerks. TweLty minutes after Mrs.
jerks had departed from the store.
the fourth person in the comedy about
to be enacted appeared-Mr. Maloney.
another attache of the Elkin estab-
lishment.
Nh. Msloney, while engaged in re-
placing the goods which had been
shown to Mrs. jerks, discovered.
strangely enough, an envelope behind
a bale of mating, the said envelope
being directed to Mrs. Agnes D.
jerks" 1t never occurred to Mr..
Msloney that if the envelope had been
accidentally dropped it would have
been in front instead Of behind the
bale Of mattings, inasmuch as it Would
have been impossible for a person to
drop the package without putting a
hand half way round the mating.
Mr.. Maloney, convinced that he had
made a diseoyeryat least equal to any
thing of Edison's, informed his col
leagues, Raymond and Lloyd, of what
he had done in the following enthusi-
astic words
See here, boysl I've found a bo-
nanza-here's a document addressed to
Mrs. jerks"
To relieve the strain upon the read
er's curiosity, it must be mentioned. in
parenthesis, this "bonanza" of Mr..
Maloney has yielded him exactly two
dollars, the amount the sergeant-at-
arms handed over to him yesterday in
consideration Of his attendance on the
Potter committee.
After Messrs. Lloyd, Raymond and
Maloney had examined the mysterious
documents found in Mrs. jerks en-
velope, these gentlemen we're con-
WINGED they were in possession of the
most startling information. What
they found in the envelope consisted
of sundries and various notes and tele-
grams from individuals to Mrs. jerks
and her husband. The most impor-
tant document, though, was one word
ed precisely like the original, s~o-called
Sherman letter." and moreover had
appended to it the talismanic name
John Sherman"
To shorten the story, it is only nee
essary to add the discoveries, think
ing themselves in possession Of the
Sherman letter" had it photo
graphed, and sent to Nh. Potter a
batch of afidayits relating the whole
occurrence.
On yesterday they told their tale to
the Potter committee, and, although
each of the three gentlemen is most
modest in bearing, it was quite evil
dent to a disinterested observer that
they were satisfied their announce
mshts would create a genuine national
sensation. Probably they were not far
wrong in their supposition, but the
sensation will not arise from their dis
cOYerles, but from the discovery of the
committee that the three gentlemen
were the victims of a practical joke
Of Nine jerks.
The whole affair was turned into a
farce, when Chairman Potter an
nounced that the so-called Sherman
letter produced was spurious and of
no political value whatever.
Thus another sensation has been ex-
ploded.