The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-30

jury might examine it and determine
whether the plaintiff wrote 1t or not.
Judge Wilson argued against the ad-
mission OF the letter as evidence and
threw ridicule upon expert testimony.
Judge Bradley decided to admit the
letter to evidence on the statement of
the defendant that he received it and
had mentioned it to the plaintiff with
out contradiction or correction on her
part and also on testimony of experts.
He would have admitted it, he said, on
testimony of experts alone.
Judge Bradley then said that it was
contempt Of court upon the part of the
newspaper reporters in getting the
letter and publishing it, and said that
suoh contempt should be punished in
the future. Major Butterworth then
read the disputed letter.
Colonel Breckinridge resumed his
interrupted story of his meeting with
Miss Pollard at Wesleyan College. II
was standing in a window when she
came in, she shook hands and said she
supposed she rather astonished me by
her statement Of the gravity of the case.
said, jokingly, that presumed it WAS
not 80 grave as divorce suit.
I'VE sat down near window looking
out into the streets, she on a divan and
or chair. She then told me the cir.
3,
and that WAS the first time b ard Of it.
Up to this time, did not know who the
mother OF the plaintiff WAS, but knew
who her father was.
She then told me about Rhodes. She
said she liked him and respected him.
They had made contract by which he
was TO pay for her education on condi
ton that she should marry him. She
said Rhodes was pressing her for the
money she owed him and that unless
she paid him he would compel her to
marry him. She asked IL Rhodes could
com pei her to marry him.
told her that I knew of no law
which would compel her to marry
Rhodes asked her why she did not
go to her mother about it and she said
the contract had caused much unpleas :
antness in her family and she could not
bring IL before her mother. l asked her
why sho did not go to her grandfather
or her uncle, but she said she could not.
She spoke with such u grave face that
L suspo cted something moro serious was
the cause of her refusal to marry him.
She drew out her handkerchief and
acted in very nervous way and
walked over to the window. She came
over to the window and after she was
standing there a minute | made q mo-
nobody to tell. 1 don't know anybody
except you"
II paused, and then she said with an
effort, i don't want to marry him;
don't want to have whole house full
OF children like mamma and Aunt Lou,
and I refused to marry him. Then,
with great effort, she said: There is
another reason why should marry Mr..
Rhodes; l have given him a higher
proof that l intended to keep my con-
tract
81 looked at her and then, after a
pause, told her that she should marry
Rhodes. She said she could not do 1t.
She had now an education and did not
want to bury herself. I said that Rhod es
had her in his power and that unless
she married him this thing might come
up against her at any time. She in
sisted that she could not marry him.
Colonel Breckenridge then went on to
tell q, to how Miss Pollard had sug-
gested that a concert was to occur that
evening ana that he had invited her TO
attend after she had secured permission.
lie had gotten the first carriage he
could find. He denied that no said
anything about having throat trouble
and had Cotton closed carriage for
that reason.
did you make any protestations of
affection or make any love to the plain
till on that ride?" asked Maj. Butter
worth.
"None whatever"
"Did you go hear the concert that
night?"
No, we did not. When we had driven
little way we came to two roads that
diverged and the driver took the left
hand road at her order"
How did you come to take that left
hand road?"
1.-The night was pretty warm, l had a
headache and when we came TO the d.
worrying roads, she said perhaps / would
like to drive out in the cool instead of
going into the hot gas light of the con-
cert room"
81 SAID l did not know much about
music and did not care, so when we
came to the diverging roads. she told
the driver to turn to the left. The
windows were OPEN"
'Ssste, Colonel, just what took place
in that carriage ride" l cannot repeat
exactly what was said. After we ad
turned to the left and had ridden some
distance, should say fifteen or twenty
minutes, maybe little longer, sne was
talking about her desire to become an
authoress, and said something about
George Eliot
During the conversation she took off
her hat and leaned forward to put it on
the front seat and l put my arms
around her. There was no protes tations
of love on my part, so far as 1 can re-
collect. There Was no offer Of love, no
artifice and nothing, except | put my
arm around her and drew her to me.
Colonel Breckenridge then in a
straightforward way admitted his guilt,
which was accomplished with willing