The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-03-29
BRECKINRIDGE- POLLARD,
THE DAY CONSUMED IN TAKING
EXPERT TESTIMONY.
Experts Testify That the Letter Madeline
Denies Was Written by Her, and
Also That the Christmas Card
Was of Recent Date.

|
WASHINGTON, March 27.-The de.
fense in the Breckinridge-Po Pollard
trial took new tack today and ven-
tu1ed upon the troubled sea of expert
testimoney. Two witnesses well
known in Washington, DIR. E. M.
Shelter, the deputy coroner of the
District of Columbia, and Mr.. Edwin
B. Hay, an attorney, who is some
thing of IA local Chauncey Depew, ap..
peared for the Kentucky congress-
man, and their statements were
directed to the contention that Made
line Pollard penned the black. borde er-
ed letter written in 1884, which she
has most emphatically dlsavowed
twice over on the witness stand.
Great stress is laid by the defense on
the authenticity of this letter, not
because 1t runs counter to the testi-
mony OF the plaintiff that Colonel
Breckinridge first called at the
Wesleyan academy of his own vOli-
tion, but because they think ifshe can
be proven false in one important arti
Gle, her whole statement will be
impeached. The signature to the
letter also goes to support the state.
ment OF the defense on minor detail
viz, that Miss Pollard had adopted
at that time the middle name of
Breekinridge.
| This letter which has figured SO
spicuOusly in the case and which
The defense will fight to get before the
Jury, is as follows:
| WESLEYAN COLLEGE, July 20, 1884.
Dear Colonel BreC kinridge:
Your letter came to me Saturday. [
am glad you told me it would be in
convenient to come over to the COL
lege, for if you had gone to ever such
a little trouble to listen to what some-
times overburdens a schoolgirls mind
you might be provoked with yourself.
A preachers opinion of many little
affairs of mine would cause premature
| gray hairs, where your opinion might
clear away all doubts and fears and
let me be quite free. hearted again. L
think l have prepared you for di-
vOrce case, but listen; it is worse than
that. If a certain person should ad-
vance funds for my tuition here at
school for three years, under the
promise that | marry him at the expi.
ration of the time, could he do any
thing if l would not marry him
bul teachers refund all he had ad-
vaneed? l know you think: Why
| the deception? BuG on no other terms
will he agree. hen q girl wants
nothing but good education, and
means to obtain such are denied her,
what is she to do but take tho only
chance she is ever likely to have? L
liked your face and am sure [ would
like you, and if at any future time
you're in need and would care to
come around, remember that home
faces are always welcome.
am very respectfully yours,
| MADELINE B POLLARD
| For the first time today the keen
cross. examining power of Judge Jere
| Wilson, whose work has been awaited
with interest by his fellow lawyers,
was brought into play. 1t was first
exercised on Major Moore, the chief
| of police, who was called back to dig
pute some of Miss Pollard's state.
ments regarding the interviews in his
office, during which Col. Breckinridge
repeated his promises to marry her
aud afterwards, Mr.. Wilson stirred
up such cloud of verbal dust around
the expert testimony of DR.. Schaeffer
that the spectators hardly knew
whether the letter purported TO have
come from the plaintiff to the defen
dant or the reverse Tomorrow bids
fair to be the great day Of the tria!,
for unless the cross examination of
two intervening witnesses is two lorg
drawn the silver.tounged orator him.
self will mount rostrum in a role in
which he never figured before.
Attorney Butterworth of Colonel
Breckinridge's counsel kept the cir
| cult court waiting for quarter Of an
hour and then failed to appear at the
first session OF court today. Finally
the defense called to the witness stand
Chiet of Police Major Moore, in whose
office there had been two promises
made by Colonel Breckinridge to
marry Miss Pollard on May 13 and II,
| 1898. II was proposed to contradict
| by him some f Miss PollaTd's state
ments regard lg those interviews,
| Major Moore Geuied that at either Of
the two interviews Colonel Breckin-
ridge had sai0: "rhis is one of life's
tragedies" or that he had said any.
thing about Mise Pollard bearing two
children or being pregnant In neither
interview had Colonel Breckinridge
said: "5he knew he was married
man when she took me-" Nor had
Miss Pollard said: eyes, 1 gave mys
self to him
Chow long did the interview last?"
asked Judge Wilson in CROSS examina-
tion.
"Fifteen or twenty minutes"
"a great deal was said that you
| don't remember.
"Yes cir" Answering further