Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-04-14
CRUEL JOKE.
A Crowd of Women and Girls An.
swerIng am advertisement.
Published as a Hoax,
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
An advertisement of which the
following is copy, was published
yesterday morning:
wANTED-Four lady copyists; wages $40
per week. Apply to Cornelius Morrison, "
and SO Wall street.
additional information that any age
from fourteen to forty would suit,
appeard in a German newspaper.
Mr.. Morrison is member of the
firm of Wait, Creighton & MOrri-
son. Soon after the Office of the
firm was opened in the morning,
young girls and women began to
arrive in considerable numbers, in
answer to the advertisement. Many
of them were dressed in sealskin
saques, while others were poorly
clad and evidently in Strengthened
circumstances. Old ladies came
with their daughters in some in
stances, to see that all was proper.
The Office of the firm was filed in a
short time, and a great crowd of
men and boys began to gather near
it. The police were sent for and
the firm made an effort to stop the
women and girls at least a block
away from the Office, to save them
the modification of being made the
subject of laughter by about 1000
men and boys who were gathered
in the street. Many of the girls
were without sufficient means to
pay their car fare home, and the
firm discussed three OF four dollars
in that way. A number of the mer-
chants in the neighbOrhOOd were
very indignant at the so called
"ioke," and offered to make liberal
subscriptions toward prosecuting
the perpetrators of it. Mr.. Morri-
son in company with his counsel,
w. HI. Townley, called at the news
paper offices and secured deseript-
ion of the person who ordered the
advertisement inserted, and also
secured the original copies of it,.
The handwriting was apparently
that Of a clerk. A member of the
firm said that if the advertisement
had been for men or dogs he would
have thought nothing of it, but to
subject so many poor women to
such a heartless joke was something
that ought to be punished.
Later in the day Mr.. MORRISON
was apparently more inclin ed to
consider the matter in the light of a
Joke. He was found by Tribune
reporter about O'Clock in the after
noon seated at his desk, with a
stack of letters before him. 0, yes
he said, of course it was hoax. He
didn't want any copyists. He was
rather sorry he didn't because some
very handsome ladies had called.
His partner, Mr.. Creighton, had
been very polite to them all the
morning. He had gone home now;
it began to grow monotonous. Mr..
Creighton was married man and
knew how to receive them. 81
didn't get down till 10 O'clock"
said Mr.. Morrison, "and then l
found police guarding the doors
and crowd lining the sidewalk. L
believe the ladies began to arrive
at half-past 5 in the morning.
There have been about thousand
of them here. We stationed police
at Pearl street and two at the corner
here of Water and Wall streets to
keep the crowd back and to tell the
poor ladies that it was a hoax.
Such handsome ones, too! There
were a great many Germans among
them, and when they found it was
a hoax they spoke German could
not understand and bOlted out of
the door. This Office is forty feet
square and it was full of them.
MIR. Morrison then began to open
the letters before him. They were
about 100 of them. Some from Ray
Ridge, Jersey City and other places
all applying for positions. Mr..
Morrison made running comments
on them. "Here is one from
widow with three children. She
doesn't want the situation so much
as comfortable home. Dear, dear
If were a married man l might
know what to do. Here are two or
three with stamps inclOsed begging
for early attention. Here is one
saving she will call tomorrow
Good gracious! will tell Creigh-
ton to come down early and receive
her."
Presently Mr.. Morrison came
across a note written in a pretty
handwriting and containing the
that the writer was
blonde and had beautiful teeth and
never, no, never drank behind
bar. Mr.. Morrison sighed wearily
and handed 1t to his brother. Il
believe I know who wrote that"
said that gentleman, "and it is pro-
baby the same man who put in the