The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-04

ly come sooner 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.
F'illette and another lady had been talk
ing about her, the witness saying:
II told her that. this was what had
always. expected; that such affairs al
ways must come to an end, and urged
her to go away. as she had promised so
many times and to let the scandal blow
over. My name was not coupled with
that. but / said it would be if the thing
went on. Mrs. Fillette had not men
toned my name; it was other parties.
She said that she could not have such a
scandal against her name: that she had
revolver with which she had intended
TO shoot herself If such stories ever came
out. made light of that. She told me
afterward that she had gone TO Mrs.
Blackburn; that Mrs. Blackburn had
talked with Mrs. F1llette and found that
the charges did not affect the chastity
of the plaintiff; that she was charged
with being an adventuress; that Il was
said she lived by her wits. had no means
Of support and did not pay her debts;
she insisted that 1 must go to Mrs
Blackburn and tell Mrs. Blackburn that
the relations between us were such that
Mrs. Blackburn must stand by her
Col. Breckenridge said she had refused
at this time to do so. He denied also
that he had ever sent a message to Mrs.
Blackburn by the plaintiff and asserted
that on this occasion he positively re-
fused to have anything to say to Mrs.
Blackburn in the matter.
She Threatened Suicide.
On several occasions. the witness said.
the plaintiff had declared her intention
10 commit suicide, saying that she had
destroyed all her manuscripts INCLUDING
the manuscript of a novel she was writ
ing), and that she had given away her
clothes. She had once said to the wit
ness that if he did not help her out in
the matter she did not intend to let
him live-that she did not intend to bear
the disgrace alone. He had told her
there would be no difficulty about it If
she would leave Washington, as she had
so often promised. and that he would pay
her expenses wherever she went. In one
Of these conversations. when she had
apparently consented, 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 it was the same
weapon she had taken from his travelling
bag with which she attempted his life
in New York City. That scene. he said,
was followed by an almost immediate
revulsion on the part of the plaintiff. She
broke into flood of hysterical tears and
declared that she had not really meant
to kill him.
He Took the Revolver.
He had taken the revolver away from
Miss Pollard and that night she had
come to his house with young man and
left note expressing her regret at what
had occurred. When he next saw her
two or three days afterward, she had
proposed again to leave the city, and
he again offered to pay her expenses. Re
ferring to his interview with Mrs Black
burn regarding the scandal against Miss
Pollard he said it differed from Mrs.
Blackburn's He thought she had
opened the interview by saying she did
not know what Miss Pollard had wanted
to call for. He asked Mrs. Blackburn to
urge her to go away, which that lady had
promised 10 do, and he had spoken kind
ly of the young woman. He supposed
when he left Washington. March 13, 1893
that their relations had ended; that Miss
Pollard was going away to study and
lead an honorable life while he provided
for her. Later in March he had met her
in Cincinnati in response TO a telegram
from her She then had told him that
she had been obliged, under Mrs Black
burns cross-examination, to represent
that she was engaged TO him. He told
her that he would go right back and say
to Mrs. Blackburn that it was not true,
but under her opportunities, promised
TO keep his mouth shut If she would
leave the city Returning to Washing
ton March 81 he had received a call from
Miss Pollard before breakfast. He said
II agreed then if she would go away l
would put myself in the power Of the
plaintiff and Mrs. Blackburn and pre-
tend there was an engagelBe / said:
You have put me where there is no
alternative but TO put myself in your
power and trust you or TO submit to a
scene in the hotel office or street; per-
haps, have an attempt made on my life
on the streets
May interpose at this point" sug-
gested Mr.. Wilson. and he went on to
say that there had been no plea of CO.
ersion put in by the defense.
The reply by Mr.. Butterworth was that
there had been no agreement. but only
the semblance of one, to preserve what
was of more value than life. under COM
pulsion as effectual as loaded pistol
He did not care what the duress or
coerscion was called.
The legal sparring became very warm,
Mr. Wilson declaring that they might
show IL they could that an agreement
was made under duress.
Il said that there must be no misun-
dcrstanding between us" continued the
colonel, when the lawyers had subsidized,
re1lnQlnS nef lndI lTOIu the INST liuu
said there could be no marriage, but
any thing short of that which 1 could do
TO save those who loved me 1 would do;
that she could not trust me, because,
knowing the relations 1 had had with
her while had such a happy family she
would always suspect me of having sim
liar relations with other women. re-
minded her that she had not come TO
me a maiden: that l had not seduced
her"
The Visit to Mrs. Blackburn.
Col Breckenridge gave his version Of
the visit to Mrs. Blackburn, which oc-
CURED on Good Friday. according to
Mrs Blackburn, and several days later
according to the witness. With the
plaintiff he had gone TO Mrs. Black
burns hotel dhe Portland). but Mrs.
Blackburn refused to see them. Leav-
ing him in the public parlor Miss Pollard
had gone up to Mrs. Blackburn's apart
ments. and in a short time he received
a message from the elevator boy, saying
that Mrs. Blackburn had consented TO
see him.
He found Miss Pollard waiting on the
landing outside Mrs. Blackburn's room,
and she said that Mrs. Blackburn want
ed witness to confirm what she Miss
Pollard had just told her. Witness said
to Mrs Blackburn that she had been eX-
tremely kind and that so long as the
plaintiff had her as a friend she needed
nothing else, but in her distress he had
offered the protection of his name, and
that with Mrs. Blackburn's friendship
and the protection of his name the plain
tiff could we'll afford to despise what