Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-03-30
D-BR ECKINRlDGE TRIAL.

Pollard Brecki1fldSe tr!al IN Washing
ton closed yesterday Colonel Breckin-
ridge was on the stand and had just
told of his going from Covington to the
Wesleyan College in Cincinnati where
he met Miss Pollard for the second
time.
81 sent my name up" he said, twas
invited into room, and in a few mo-
ments the plaintiff came down. We
shook hands. She said she supposed
she astonished me by the substance of
her letter; that it was worse than d.
yorce case. We took seats, she on
divan, | on Il chair, in the rear of the
room. She narrated the circumstances
under which she had made the agree
ment with Mr.. Rhodes. Until then l
had not known who her mother was.
| had known her father, but not whom
he married. AS soon as she told me
she was living with her aunt, Mrs.
York Keene, | knew who her mother
was, because her uncle, York Keene,
had been in my brothers regiment.
Because her father had died in strait
ened circumstances, and her life with
her aunt had not been pleasant, she
wanted to leave. Mr. Rhodes had fall
en- in love with her, but she had re-
spected him as an older man, but had
not loved him. She wanted to know
whether he could compel her to marry
him. 1 treated the matter with some
levity: said / knew of no law in this
day by which she could be compelled
to the specific performance of a mar
riage contract. She grew grave, look
ed as though she felt like crying. took
out her handkerchief put it to her
face, and | got up and walked the
room. had not seen her mother. l
never have, in fact, but she said her
mother had not approved of the con-
tract and it had made unpleasantness
in the family. spoke of her grand
father. I knew her grandfather and
her uncles. We had ceased to walk
the room. She was sitting on the di-
van, and | was standing beside her. l
started to leave after some expressions
of sympathy. but she detained me.
She said, the plaintiff did It's much
worse than that; it's much worse than
that. He insisted on marrying me.
didn't want to be like Aunt Lou, with
houseful of children aud I'M
able to educate them She put
her handkerchief to her face.
Sh, said I gave him a higher proof
than that contract Then | said she
ought to marry him, anyway. She
said i can't have grown away from
him. | know what other men are, and
his very presence is offensive to me.
replied You can't afford not to mar
ry him, young girl as you are Then
the conversation drifted away. There
was nothing more | could say. She
seemed to have said all she cared to. y
1.-The conversation drifted away" he
peated. ''As | stood there with my bat
in hand, she said, Il have set my heart
on becoming an authoress, said, i
don't see why YOU can't do that, but
YOU must remember that this double
life may come up against you at any
time. He has you in his power. 4 young
girl can't afford that. You should mar
ny him as soon as you can. She said,
4 won't do that now, anyway; no dan
ger OF his giving me up.
''Then she spoke of an entertainment
Oh Vine street. She said there WAS to
be concert there. | have been going
to Cincinnati ever since | was boy,
but never knew which one of the hills
Vine street was on. She said in an en-
tirely proper way, perfectly proper,
that we might ride. | asked if they
would let her go. She said she was a
summer boarder, and she knew of no
rule against it. Then a young man
came into the room whom | recognized
as Mr.. Brown, for, although ! did not
know he was connected with the school,
he had represented Jessamine county
in the legislature We shook hands,
and he said it would be perfectly proper
for us to go. Then took dinner at the
Burnett House. After dinner l walked
up to stable and selected carriage
without any particular thought about
what kind it was 1t was warm Au-
gust evening. There was quite little
group on the portico. Nothing was
said about closed carriage or about
my having a sore throat-no allusion
whatever, no excuse, nor any reason
for any excuse"
eve started in an entirely proper
way" he resumed. "Any excuse
would have been wholly out of place,
nor was any reason asked"
"How long were you at the college
that afternoon 2"
ooh, about an hour, or an hour and
a-halt There was light conversation
which deepened into terse, grave con-
versation, and afterward became light
again."
"Did you speak of going to Lexing-
ton the next day ?"
Nothing was said about going to
Lexington that day; and the next day,
when | started to Lexington, was sur
prised to find her on the train"
"Wllat do you know about any bo-
gus telegram"
81 never heard of any such telegram
until after this suit was brought. There
was no way I could have sent any bo-
gus telegram. This is entirely new to
me-"
"What do you know about her 60
ing to Sayre Institute, in Lexington"
81 knew nothing whatever of it I'M
til afterward. Nothing whatever in
any way"
"How long were you driving that
evening""
Il can't say, Butterworth. We got
back before the school clos ed-just
about ten o'clock