Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-04-19
MISS POLLARD WINS.
A VERDICT RENDERED IN THE
BREACH OF PROMISE CASE.
The Jury Thinks That Col. Breck-
inridge should Pay Miss Pollard
$I5,OO0-He VIII Appeal-Miss Pol
lar Suffers q Nervous Collapse.

jury, at 4:45 o'clock Saturday afternoon
III rot need a verdict for the plaintiff,
Madeline Pollard, for $4,000 damages
from Congressman w. g. L. Breckenridge
for breaking his contract to marry her,
thus ending the long and exciting Brack-
inridge-P Pollard breach of promise case.
Sensations had fairly crowded into the
last day of the trial. There had been
some OF the most dramatic scenes which
ever stirred the dingy little court room,
rocking as it was with the memories of
celebrated cases. There was an app Dach
to Il personal collision between Judge
Wilson II Charles Stoll during The
magnificent closing argument of the
Washington lawyer, followed by talk of
a duel, and Judge Bradley, in his charge
to the jury scored Col. Phil Thompson IS
a lawyer is seldom spoken of in court.
The jury retired at 3:07 p. M. The
hands of the clock stood at 4:30 when
thu jurors entered.
Almos. at this moment from the outer
door at the judges left was thrust the
slyery mead Of Congressman Breckin-
ridge, surveying the room for au instant
before he entered. Following him came
his scn, Desha, and Col. Phil Thompson.
No. one being present TO represent the
plaintiff, a bailiff was dispatched across
the street, and in five minutes Calderon
Carlisle arrived.
The clerk called the roll Of the jury,
then grumbled loudly an interrogatory
which, when interpreted, was: Gentle
men of the jury, have you agreed upon
your verdict"
I'VE have" responded Foreman Cole.
I'VE find for the plaintiff"
An inarticulate mLImur started. which
the bailiffs quickly hushed. 1t was mere
ly a mixture of vocal sound and crowd
ing, and which exercised no particul r.
sentiment except su :nris". Following
this was an awkward pause. Finll
the judge asked:
For how much?"
"Fifteen thousand dollars" answered
the foreman of the jury.
Another rustic like the first arose, bur
was speedily squelchcd. One man near
a window shouted to the crowd outside,
$4,000, plaintiff but he was not repri-
randed.
Co. breckenridge rose slowly TO his
feet. All those who saw his face say it
was nearly as white as his beard, but
lis voice was clear as rsUal, when he
spoke in a h~esitating way, saying: Il
don't know the practice of this court,
but | wish to give the usual notice of q
motion for a new trial"
He dropped il to a seat beside his son,
hardly less pale than himself. There was
nothing in the crowd but expressions of
approval and regrets that the amount was
not larger.
Nobody wanted to hear the formal adj
jour- ment. The Jurors filed out. Col.
Breckenridge pulled his SLOUGH hat over
his eyes and followed after them with
lis son in his wake, elbowing their way
across the hall to the marshals Office.
The jurors were just ahead Of him n
the outer office, arG he passed through
them to the green door before the private
Office. There was no handshaking III
congratulation or sy mpathy between the
colonel and any one else.
Miss Pollard was not in the court room
and her attorneys reported that she did
rot care to say anything about the YER
dict. When a messenger reached her
room with the news she exclaimed: "Oh,
isn't it good! Isn't it good!" and then
burst into sobs. Mi. Butter worth said:
Il don't care to say anything" and
walked deJectedly away toward his Office.
There Mrs. Breckenridge was awaiting
eI,Dts. There is no reason to believe the
RUIZ or that she is about to apply for a
divorce. Maj. B~utterworth charact arizes
the stories as wholly without foundation.
The case, he said, would BE- fought to a
finish, along every available and proper
lire. That Miss Pollard will be financial
ly bettered by the result of this case is
rot probable, because IL is well under
stood and has been said on trial, that
Col. Breckenridge has no property. He
las lived up to his income for years, and
although his wife has money, it does not
seem likely that she will care to expend
it to satisfy this judgment.
Col. Breckenridge, in an interview with
al Associated Press reporter, said he did
not intend to let the litigation end here.
If the motion for a new trial be denied
he will prosecute an appeal and exhaust
every possible legal remedy. He at
tributes the verdict to the power of pub
lie opinion which influenced the jury.
He said: 1.-THE plaintiff and 1 will each
live our respective lives, the public will
become more familiar with the facts and
the final judgment 1 will not fear to
meet" He characterized Judge Wilson's
speech as an utterly INSCRIPTIONS and
d~ishonorabie argument, full of false state
ments and SANDER. 1.-The verdict" said
he, has not weakened the ties that bind
my wife and children to me nor impaired
the friendship felt for me by my friends"
He remains a candidate for renomina-
ton for congress.
Miss Madeline Pollard is the most
talked-of person in Washington to-day.
Since the outcome of her long breach of
promise suit against Congressman Brock
ihr;6ge as might have been expected,
with a wont n of her temperament, the
long straii, of the trial eliminated in a
nervous collapse, and to-day Miss Pollard
is suffering from nervous prostration.
She was taken LIS night to the Proyi.
dence hospital, o Catholic Institution in
a quiet part of the city on Capitol Hill,
where she Is attended by the Sisters of
Charity. The attending physicians do not
anticipate any serious effects.