The morning call., 1894-03-31
HIS LIFE.
Colonel Breckinridge Still Telling
His Story.
The Congressman Had All He Could
Do to Keep Miss Pollard From
Shooting Him.

WASHINGTON, March 30.--1he Pollard
Breckinridge case was resumed this morn
ing, with the defendant again on the stand.
His examination by Butterworth began by
the exhibition of a work basket which be-
lOnged 10 his former wife. which Miss
Pollard asserted he gave her after his
wife's death. Breckinridge denied abso-
luteIy that he gave it TO her, or even knew
she had it until the trial opened. The Gil
cumstances OF their first visit to the house
of Sarah Guess, the colored woman al Lex
ington, were taken up and detailed.
In reply to a question as to the truth of
the statement by Miss Pollard that he had
on two occasions, after protestatiOns of
love, promised to marry her. Breckenridge
said: ST here is not scintilla of truth in
that statement-not a shred. Under no
circumstances and at no time was there
such a statement. Plaintiff never alluded
10 The possibility of it. Before the death
OF my wife no solitary word was uttered
that could be distorted into such thing"
The testimony then drifted into the cir
cumstances and conversations concerning
the efforts of the defendant 10 induce the
plaintiff 70 leave the city to prevent the
scandal which would certainly come soon
er or later if Miss Pollard remained in the
city. Then he related a conversation
when Miss Pollard had come to him in
distress because Mrs. Fillette aud another
lady had been talking about her, the wit
ness saying: Il told her that this was
what had always expected; that such
affairs always must come TO an end, and
urged her to go away, as she had promised
SO many times. and let the scandal blow
over. My name was not coupled with
that. but l said it would be if the thing
went on. Mrs. Flllette had not mentioned
my name; it was other parties. She said
that she could not nave such scandal
against her name; that she had revolver
with which she had intended to shoot her
self If such stories ever came out She
insisted That l must go TO Mrs. Black burn
and tell her the relations between US were
such that Mrs. Blackburn must stand by
her,"
Colonel Breckinridge said he had re-
fused at this time 20 do so. On several
occasions, the witness said, the plaintiff
had declared her intentions of committing
suicide, saying she had destroyed all her
manuscripts, including the manuscript of
novel she was writing, and that she had
given away her clothes. She had once
said to the witness that if he did not help
her out IN the matter she did not intend TO
allow him to livs-that she did not intend
TO bear the disgrace alone. lie had told
her there would be no difficulty about it if
she would leave Washington, as she had
promised, and that he would pay her ex-
penses wherever she went In one of these
con versations, when she was apparently
consoled, she got up and went into the
library and came back shortly and pointed
pistol at him, threatening to kill him.
BY strategy he had been enabled to take il
away from her before she could do any
harm. He kept the pistol. and IL was the
same weapon she had taken from his
valise and with which she attempted his
life in New York.
In March, 1898. he had met plaintiff In
Cincinnati in response to telegram from
her. She then had told him that she had
been Obliged. under Mrs. Blackburn
cross-examination, to represent that she
was engaged to him. He told her that ne
would go right back and say to Mrs. Black
burn that it was not true, but under her
opportunities proposed to keep his mouth
shut II she would leave the city.
Breckenridge denied that he confirmed
the story of the engagement on the occas-
sion OF visiting Mrs. Blackburn on Good
Friday, and then went into details Of The
attempt upon his life at the Hoffman House
in New York, and the circumstances OF
his recent marriage to Mrs. Wing