Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-05-27

| llltenln street, anu W tutlr lhhihk wy
name OF Lawson, Nothing was saiS
about marriage and they laughed
at the trick which they had played
upon Mrs. Beams. He called upor
them at the St. James where they wer,
living under the name of Mr.. anc
Mrs. Lawson; and there, he further
testified, the plaintiff said that Mr.
Brinkley was not we'll, was splitting
blood, and had become repugnani
70 her In subsequent interview in
Memphis she told Mr.. Hunt that if he
regarded himself as friend OF Mr..
Brinkley's, he would advise him to
agree to her terms. Mr.. Hunt replied
that he had understood that Mr..
Brinkley had agreed to give her a
house aud lot aud 500 month. She
then said that 500 month would not
nav her dressmaker. She wanted one
of Mr.. Brinkley's blocks OF buildings.
Mr.. Hunt also testified that she asked
him to testify in her favor when upon
the stand at her trial.
Hugh l.. Brinkley, the defendant, tes-
tilted that he lived in Arkansas, but was
native of Memphis, and had lived
there the greater portion of his life. He
stated that his connection with the plain
tiff had been entirely meretricie1s, and
that he had never proposed to her to
become his wife, nor had the subject of
marriage ever been mentioned betweeR
them. They had taken the name Of
Lawson, which was hia middle name,
because he did not wish to be tconbled
by the usual dseemforts OF third-rate
boarding houses. He branded oil the
previous testimony, in regard to the Of
fer of marriage, the ring and cross
stories, as utterly false and without
word of truth.
THE DIAMOND WIDOW.
After the conclusion of the cross-eK-
animation, the plaintiff s counsel obtain
ed leave to defer the redirect examina.
ton. and called James McElrath, Chief
of Police at St. Paul, Mimi, who testi-
fed that in December, 1867, he knew the
plaintiff. He met her at the lnterns-
tional Hotel, St. Paul. She mentioned
a telegram and letter sent him, and ex
plained that man named Clark, a night
Waterman in the Park Place Hotel, and
a Captain c. ]. Brotherston had con-
spired to blackmsil her while she was
living in the hotel. Clark came to her
and demanded $4,000 as the price of
withholding a declaration that he had
seen Captain Brotherston in her room at
night. The Captain feigned great indig-
nation, and professed desire to shoot
Clark The plaintiff known there as
Mrs. II. Lawson, became alarmed, and
begged the irate Captain not TO do any
thing which would involve her in q
scandal When his paroxysm Of fury
subsidized he said there were but two horns
to the dilemma; Clark must either be shot
or paid. While preferring the shooting
alternative, he was willing to admit that
after all the payment Of the money de-
manded might be the safest course TO
save the lady's reputation. He would
silence the scoundrelly Clark from his
own purse readily, but unfortunately
his remittances from New Bedford,
Mass, were delayed, and at the moment
he had not the means. Mrs. Lawson
met this difficulty by putting in his
hands diamond jewelry worth between
three and four thousand dollars, and
directing him to raise the necessary
money on them. A day or two after
ward Clark made another demand for
hush money, and to comply with it Mrs.
Lawson's diamond breastpin and ear
rings went into the possession OF Capt.
Brotherston, who represented that he
would soon redeem the jewelry, but adj
vised that meanwhile Mrs. Lawson should
avoid further persecution by going to
Wis, where the gallant
Captain would restore to her the pawned
Jewels as soon as his delayed remlttances
came to hand. She started TO Milwaukee,
but investigation convinced her that
Captain Brotherston was fraud OF the |
first water, and she returned TO st. Paul
to get the aid Of the witness in an at
tempt to recover her property.
The part OF MeGrath's testimony most |
damaging to the plaintiff was his decla-
ration that when he expostulatcd with |
her about the foolish way in which she
had parted with her diamonds, she said,
. 1t is too true to resist" On cross
ne admitted that her words
would bear the construction that she
thought it undeniable that she had been
'oolish. Witness said the plaintiff was
known in st. Paul as the diamond
widow from Louisiana.
Augustus j. Burbank, an elderly gem
.leman from Flora, Boone county, Hi
lois, testified that he had met the plain
iff on the cars going from St. Paul to
Milwaukee. While occupying the same
eat, she confded to him her trouble
Ibout the diamonds, and he advised her
o stop at Prairie du Chen and telegraph
O New Bedford and St. Paul for further
She accepted the advice,
md the witness wrote kilograms and let
ers, concerted between them, which
esulted in the recovery of the diamonds
It an expense of something over $500.
When through with this witness the
.ourt adjourned.