Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-04-05

and two witnesses for the plaintiff
were examined. Their testimony was
to show that no such person as Lena
Singleton had kept sporting house
in Lexington at the time Miss Pollard
is said to have been an inmate of such
a Woman'S house.
The deposition Of Mrs. William J.
Miller, of Memphis, who claimed that
she and Miss Pollard had been inmates
of Lena Singletons establishment, Oc-
cupied the court until the recess.
Then Mr.. Butterworth arose and
said: "Col. Breckenridge, will you take
ensued required all the efforts of the
bailiff to quiet the noise.
Col. Breckenridge had just finished
reciting a history of his life and fam
lily when Miss Pollard and Sister Ellis
entered, taking seats before the bar
to the right of the defendant, amid a
subdued rustling in the courtroom.
do you know the plalntifr?''
~ do"
when did you first meet her?'
Here the Col. told the story of the
meeting on a train between Lexington
and Frankfort in 1884.
II do not remember exactly. | re-
ceived a letter from her. l have lost
that letter, but the substance of it was
a request that [ would call ON her at
the college on some business of great
Importance.
1.-THE substance of the reply was that
it would be incOnvenient for me to
call at the college, but if [ could give
her any advice L would be glad to do
so, and if she was in Lexington she
might call"
did you receive another letter."
81 did"
us this the letter." asked Mr.. But
terworth, handing up the black bor-
dered epistle.
ut would be affectation for me to ex-
anime that. L am familiar with it."
This provoked tilt over the letter, Mr..
Wilson cOntending that it had not
been proven to have come from the
plaintiff, and Mr. ButterWorth assert
ing that unless the supreme court was
in error it was, on several grounds,
competent evidence. The letter was
finally admitted.
Returning to the visit at the Yves
leyan seminary, the defendant eX
planned that it was made while on a
business trip to Covington.
Il sent my name up" he said, was
invited into a room and in a few mo-
ments the plaintiff came down. We
shook hands. She said that she sup
posed she astonished me by the sub
stance of her Letter; that it was worse
than a divorce case. We took seats,
she on divan, l on a chair, in the
rear of the room.
She narrated the circumstances I'M
der which she had made an agreement
with Rhodes. Rhodes had fallen in
love with her, but she respected him
as an old man, but did not love him.
She wanted to know whether he could
compel her to marry him. l treated the
matter with some Ievity; said L knew
of no law in this day by which she
could be compelled to a specific per-
Torrance of the marriage contract.
She grew grave, looked as though
she felt like crying, took out a hand
kerchief, put it to her face and got up
and walked the room. l asked her if
her mother was alive. She said her
mother did not approve of the contract
and it had made unpleasantness in the
family. | spoke of her grandfather
and uncles, knowing them all. l
started to leave after some express
sions of sympathy, but she detained
me.
''She said Tt is much worse than
that, it is much worse than that. He
insisted on marrying me- I did not
want to be like Aunt Lou, with a
house full of children and unable to
educate them She put her handker-
chief to her face" (Here Col. Brock
inridge spoke very slowly and repro
duced the mournful tones which the
young woman might use in making
such a confession.
She said I gave him higher proof
than the contract Then I said she
ought to marry him anyway. She said
1 can't l have grown away from him.
[ know what other men are and his
very presence is offensive to me- re-
piled, You can't afford not to marry
him, young girl as you are
Then the conversation drifted away.
There was nothing more I could say.
She seemed to have said all that she
cared to.
The conversation drifted away" he
repeated refiectively, lingering the
Bible at hand. "AS I stood there with
my hat in my hand she said, I have
set my heart on becoming an author
ess.' [ said L don't see why you
can't do that, but you must remember
this is double life Here he as
sumed the stern tone of a moralist, of
a man stainless above reproach. re-
producing the paternal, advisory man
ner of counsel he said that he gave to
the young woman
"'This is double life [ said. Tt
may come up against you at any time.
He has you in his power A young
girl can't afford that. You should
marry him as soon as you cam
"Sha said: I won't do that now,
There is no danger of his l
giving me up
Then she spoke of an entertain S
ment at Vine street. She said there
was to be a cornetist play. She said,
in an entirely proper way, perfectly c
Breckenridge seemed
anxious to make assurance doubly [
sure on this point-"that we might
10 I -a1 IL L ! /