Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-07-08
A SCENE IN COURT.
Trial Of Mrs. T.. A. Pollard for Assault
upon DR.. Moore, OF Baltimore-Her
Conviction and Sentence.
From the Baltimore Sun, June 20.


From the Baltimore Snn, June %. vi
1t will be remembered that on the 2StI
OF January, 1868, Mrs. Maria N. Pollard
wife OF Z. A. Pollard. was arrested in thi.
! city on charge of shooting with intent te
kill DR.. Geo. A Moore, a druggist, doine
business on the corner of Hanover and Hi
streets. After remaining in Jail for some
days, she was discharged on her own
recognizance to appear when wanted
In the meantime the Grand Jury found an
indictment against the lady for common
assault The case has been postponed
from term to term, and the community
seemed to have lost sight of it entirely'
but 1t having been set for trial Yesterday.
Mrs. Pollard, who has been sojourning in
Washington, was notified of the fact, and ON
the opening of the Criminal Court yester-
day morning she made her appearance, nc
companied by male friend.
The lady was richly habited in a thin
dress of dark material, cut very low at the
neck, SO as to exhibit to the best advantage
ofaH unusually well developed bust, but her
face was so thickly vailed that very few
knew her in the densely crowded court
room even after she had taken seat in
the witness. box, although many curious
eyes were turned toward the spot in which
she sat When, however, the case of
Moore Us. Pollard was called. Mrs. Pol
lard, accompanied by John Wills. ESQ.
left the witness box and took seat among
the lawyers, and she at once became the
great object of attention, as much on ac
count of the preEio rs notoriety of her case
as for the present style of dress assumed
by her on this occasion. As the lady was
without counsel, Mr.. Wills so informed the
Court and Judge Gilmore directed him to
conduct the defence
The case was put upon trial before the
Court, jury being waived. DR.. Geo. A.
Moore and his two assistants then gave
their evidence. The physicians who at
tended DIR. Moore followed, and testified
as to the extent of the wound inflicted by
the pistol ball, which passed through DE-
Moore's wrist, doing injury to the muscles
that will last through life
Mr.. Wills cross-questioned the Witnessed
and then, by permission of the Court, took
the stand and detailed his professional con-
nection with Mrs. Pollard, giving it as his
deliberate judgement that at the time of the
commission of the alleged assault the ac-
cused was not of sound mind.
The counsel for the prisoner then asked
Judge Gilmore if he would listen to a state-
ment from the accused, which request the
Judge said he would grant only provided
Mr.. Knott. the states attorney.-Fand Mr..
Milton Whitney, counsel for DIR. Moore, did
not object. These gentlemen having sip-
nifed their willingness, Mrs Pollard was
led to the witness stand by Mr.. Wills, and
after removing the thick green veil that en-
veloped her face. she proceeded to detail to
the court the history OF the wrongs she
claimed to have received at the hands of f.
A Pollard, led on and encouraged, as she
alleged, by DIR. Moore. She concluded a
rather lengthy story by stating that inc 4 by
inch she bad been deprived by these men
of all she possessed except her honor, and
that could only be taken with her life She
also stated that she bore no relationship
whatever to NJ Pollard, his treatment of
her having been of such q character rs to /
compel her to apply for q divorce, which
was now pending. She did not deuv
the assault charged, but claimed that DR.. |
Moore had denied having had any knowl- |
edge of the whereabouts of Pollard: that |
he had told her he had not seen him for
although she had seen him enter
and depart from Moore's house only the |
night previously, and his constant inter
ference between her husband and herself !
had driven her to frenzy. Judge Gilmore |
then reviewed the case, and finally con-
cluded by declaring the witness guilty of
common assault as charged in the indict-
ment, and sentenced her to be confined in /
Jail for thirty days.
Upon this announcement a scene follow
ed not often witnessed in a court of Justice. |
Mrs. Pollard rose with outstretched hands. |
and in frenzied manner cried out, ssOh. |
Judge, do not send me to prison T. she I
then fell on her knees and again appealed I
to the Judge, saying, "For the sake of my
more than orphaned children, do not de-
prive them of the protection of mother"
She than sank with her head on the knees
Of Mr.. Wills, her counsel, uttering hyster-
lcal sobs, until Messrs. Irwin and Carter, l
Deputy Wardens of the Jail, appeared, |
and, as deiicately as possible, removed her |
to the Office ofthe Clerk ofthe Court. Judge /
Gilmore was evidently much moved, but |
his equinamity, and the business
Of the Court proceeded. In the meantime /
Mrs. Pollard went on with her excited out
cries in the Clerks Office, and succeeded in |
attracting considerable crowd. When /
the court adjourned, Deputy Warden Irwin |
the prisoner. Amid her contin-
ued excitement, to hack standing on Lex
lngton street, and accompanied by the gen.
tleman who came with her from Washing !
ton, she was conveyed to jail, where she