Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1884-02-06
AN OILY SWINDLERl
Capt. jerks, the Bogus Pension
Agent.

Captain J. W. jerks, not he who
was made famous by his connection
with the Horse Marines" but the
pension swindler, bigamist and beat
who now languishes in the Lancaster
Jail, seems to have led an adventure
some life such as is not general.
vouchsafed to ordinary mortals. jerks
was arrested at Marietta on the morn
ing of November 2Ist last, by special
examiner of the Pension Department.
for obtaining money under false pre-
tense in connection with the collection
of pension claims, falsely representing
himself to be an employee of the Pen
sion Department, a Government de-
tective, etc. The rascal bad been oper
ating in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
and the au horities were busily engag-
ed in tracking him. His method Of
operations was to secure the names OF
pensioners from the lists printed in the
newspapers, visit the pensioners and
by his smooth talk induce them to per-
NIT him to endeavor to secure for them
an increase of pension, for which
service be onlv asked a trifie-general'y
several dollars--in advance. Ofcourse.
when the money was advanced to him
that was the last heard of it and jerks.
Occasionally he assumed the role of q
detective, and with big silver star on
bis breast, demanded the pension papers
OF poor widows, and when they refused
to give him money for bis inspection Of
the papers he bad the gall to write
across the pension certificates the word
"annulled." This generally brought
his victims to terms, and secured the
return of the papers that jerks had
taken from them. When caught at
Marietta jerks was in the act of de-
manding money from female pension
er, but had not yet received the cash
The law OF Pennsylvania is such that
no charge could be preferred against
the rascal because he bad not yet re-
ceived the money However, that was
of no advantage to the festive jerks
On his person was found huge re-
volver, and further search resulted In
bringing to light a murderous knife
which he had concealed. That was
sufficient. He was tried in the Lancast-
er courts and convicted on charge of
carrying concealed weapons. The
court sentenced him to seventy days in
Jail, and this sentence has almost ex-
pired, but jerks will only be set free
to walk into worse trap. While he
was awaiting trial in Lancaster county
the Governor of New Jersey made a
requisition for HIM on a charge of
fraudulently obtaining money in that
State, and it is said that there are
twenty-seven cases against the gay
Captain. When he gets q taste of
Jersey justice he will know what Be-
verify is. Gov Pattison has honored
the requisition from New Jer sey's Gov
ernor, and the prisoner will not walk
out of Lancaster prison free man.
This is not all of the trouble in store
for jerks. The United States Com
missioner of Philadelphia also desires
to have him before the court on a very
serious charge, said to be the eIasing
or canceling of the Secretary OF the In
terior's name on pension paper.
After jerks arrest inquiries were set
on foot regarding him, and it was found
that he had been operating in New
York, Ohio, Indiana. Iowa. Maryland,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois.
He had many names, among them
Captain J. w. jerks" ""A. c. Webb" "
"Owhen pc Burleigh, ,""Moore, ""Ilif"
and Captain Jones" He is about
FIVE feet five inches in height, has
brown hair, moustache and chin wbisk-
ers of sandy or light brown color,
weighs about l30 pounds, has small
feet, dropping eye lids and defect in
one eve. On his left arm are a num-
ber of India ink marks, as follows: In
a rude-sbaped cross are the initials %.
TT with the da'e 1881" beneath.
Underneath this is star and heart
with "Co Fn in letters.