Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-03-20
A CRUEL JOKE.
A Crowd of Women and Girls
Answering an Advertisement
Published as a Hoax.
New York Tribune. Is.

NeW lolh AElpuuot ~
An advertisement OF which the fol-
lowing is a copy, was published yester-
day morning:
WyANTED Four lady eopyists; wages $40
w per week. Apply to Cornelius Morrison,
81 and 50 Wall street.
A similar advertisement with the
additional information that any age
from fourteen to forty would suit, APP
peared in a German newspaper. Mr..
Morrison is member of the firm OF
Wait, Creighton Il Morrison. Soon
after the Office Of the firm was opened
in the morning, young girls and
women began to arrive in consid-
cradle numbers, in answer to the adj
vertisement. Many Of them were
dressed in sealskin sacques, while
others were poorly clad and evidently
in Strengthened circumstances. Old
ladies came with their daughters in
some instances, to see that all was
proper. The Office of the firm was
filled in short time, and 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 block
away from the Office, to save them the
modification OF being made the sub
ject 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, aud the firm
discussed three or four dollaas in that
way. A number of the merchants in
the neighborhood were very indignant
at the SO called Joke" and offered to
make liberal subscriptions toward
prosecuting the perpetrators OF it.
Mr.. Morrison in company with his
counsel, w. H. Townley, called at the
newspaper Offices and secured a de-
scription 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 bsen for
men or dogs he would have thought
nothing OF it, but to subject so many
poor women to such heartless joke
was something that ought to be pun
ished.
Later in the day Mr.. Morrison was
apparently more inclined to consider
the matter in the light of joke. He
was found by Tribune reporter about
4 clock in the afternoon seated at
his desk, with stack OF letters before
him. o, yes; he said, of course it was a
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. Il didn't got down till
10 o 'clock," said mr. Morrison, "and
then l found police guarding the doors
and crowd lining the sidewalk. | be
lieve the ladies began to arrive at half
past 5 in the morning. There have
been about a thousand of them here.
We stationed police at Pearl street
and two at our corner here of Water
and Wall streets to keep the crowd
back and to tell the poor ladies that
it was hoax. Such handsome ones,
tool There were a great many Ger
mans among them, and when they
found out il was a hoax they spoke
some German. | could not understand
and bolted out Of the door. This of.
fee is forty feet square and it was full
of them"
Mr.. Morrison then began to open
the letters before him. There were
about 100 of them. Some from Ray
Ridge, Jersey City and other places,
all applying for positions. Mr.. Nor.
rison made running comments on
them. Here is one from a widow
with three children. She doesn't
want the situation 80 much as a COM
Portable home. Dear, dearl If | we're
married man might know what to
do. Here are two or three with stamps
inclosed begging for early attention.
Here is one saying she will call to-
morrow Good graciousl l will tell
Creighton to come down early and
receive her"
Presently Mr.. Morrison came across
a note written in pretty handwriting
and containing the statement that the
writer was blonde and had beauti-
full teeth and never, no, never, drank
behind a bar. Mr.. Morrison sighed
YEARLY and handed it to his brother.
81 believe | know who wrote that, 7"
said that gentleman, land it is proba-
bly, the same man who put in the ad-
yertisement"