The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-16
The verdict in the P oIIard Case.

The Verdict in the p ollard Case.
The verdict in the Pollard Breckin-
ridge case is a most shocking peryer-
sion of justice and an outrage on
sound public policy. Such an out
come of such a trial is simply setting
a premium on harlotry.
In saying this, we undertake In no
respect to apologize for the conduct
of the defendant. Just what the
degree of his wrong doing really is no
man can truly say, in view OF all the
false atmosphere that surrounds the
case. But even on his W showing
he has fallen far below even the ordin-
airy conventional standard of morals
of men of the world. Giving him
every possible allowance, he remains
a reckless and unscupulous sensualist
of a very low type. Therefore. In 80
| far as the verdict affects him we have
no desire to complain OF it. He
| deserves all the punishment that 1T
conveys.
But 1t is in its relation to the con-
| duct of Miss Pollard, and in its con-
seauenr effect upon public morals
that we complain against it. Taking
this woman on the average effect OF
all the evidence produced on the trial,
we cannot but think there are much
better women beating hemp at Snake
Hill; but even taking her on her
version of the facts, we cannot see
that she was anything but a full par
taceps eYiminis with her paramour.
By common consent, We are aceus-
toned to regard a promise to marry
as some extenuation for the error OF
an innocent girl; but IL we are to ex-
tend the operation of such a promise
to a case wherein the recipient knows
the man making it to be married, we
may as well expunge the Seventh
Commandment, break all our codes Of
law and morals. and relegate the
words, virtue. confluence, modesty
and faith to the lumber roo OF used
up antiquities. Even where no posi-
tive guilt is the result, it must seem
horrible to any r1ght-minded person,
that a girl should entertain a promise
of marriage dependent upon the death
of a living 1t is q form
of speculation in futures which
is in itself sufficient to damn
the one who INDUCES in 1t beyond re-
demption. But when it is further
more made the excuse for prolonged
years of wanton conduct. it becomes
a horror such as even a District OF
Columbia jury might shudder at.
Add to this all the other receptions
that Miss Pollard confessed to; take
her fast and loose relations with other
men, her begging letters, her impos-
lures upon scores of respectable men
and women; finally take her frantic
display of maliee against her associate
in crime, her demand for vengeance
because he had not gratified all her
exactions, and we think there VI
was paraded before the people of this
or any other country q more impu-
dent adventures or one less deserv-
ing of the support of the law or the
sympathy of the decent, virtue loving
public.
But now we have her a heroine on
our hands. A jury afflicted with
moral strabismus has found a verdict
which guarantees her sweetness and
purity and ratifies the moral force OF
the monstrous contract IN which she
based her suit. Let US hear no o
of the bad example of story paper
heroines; Let US not be preached to
any more regarding the miasmatic
atmosphere of the yellow covered
French novel. There is nothing in
print to sap the principles of young
men and women, nothing to deprave
their standard of conduct, nothing to
misdirect their aspirations equal to
this atrocious finding OF twelve
modern American citizens-aH church
members, we believe-who have Off
cially and with all the authority OF our
courts, ruled that total lack Of moral
principle in young ON Ia a mis-
fortune, not a fault, that w~antonneas
shall have its pay, and that ''viadioa-
tionn and sympathy shall be the re-
ward Of her who shall expose the
spots on her own soul TO the Disguised
world, for the sake Of disclosing the
leprosy Of him who has sinned with
her.
There is one redeeming feature In
the situation. 1t cannot be believed
that this verdict will stand. 1t Is hard
on the public that the whole ahpini-
nation should be gone over again
but 1t is better so than that thif
monstrous evil should be ratified.
AT.E0 MKENZTE HOME AGAIN.