Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-23

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NO RECORD OF LOUISE WILSON
| Deponent was given 70 understand that
| plaintiff was In the asylum under the
!, lame OF Louise Wilson, but a careful ex-
animation OF the records in the presence
OF her lawyers failed TO find any such
name. Deponent told Miss Pollard that a
girl named Miss Bergwynn gave birth to
| n child In the.asylum May %. 1856. and she
| pointed out 10 the lawyers the name OF
| this young woman I'm the books Then
| Miss Pollard said: "Oh yes: that Is the
name | went by when was here. had
so many names that Il Is hard for me TO
remember them Miss Pollard called II
| "BurgOyne" though that was not the way
IT was in the book. No other child was
born in the asylum on May 90 1885
though an infant was brought to the
| house by n midwife that day. To the
! best belief of the deponent this Miss
| Bergwynn was not Miss Pollard but a
smaller woman. Probably more than 800
women had been IN the asylum since then.
| Miss Bergwynns child died I'm June. and
! when Miss Pollard saw the entry OF
! this death In the records she threw up her
hands. ana left the room. though over
| come by grief at the death Dcponent
! however. did not herself see any great
signs Of grief on Miss Pollard's part. No
| inquiry was ever received at the asylum
from Miss Pollard as 10 the fate Of any
! child OF hers. and the first she knew Of
| the death Of this child Of Miss Bergwynns
| was last December. when she was at the
! asylum with her lawyers. Miss Pollard
| was not at the asylum again after this
| December visit. but they did have n cali
! from one OF her lawyers-a Mr.. Malon.
AN OBJECTION SUSTAINED.
| Mr Carlisle objected to the deposition
| going into the matter OF Mr.. Mallon's visit.
| as II was altogether Irrelevant testimony.
| especially as the visit was not in the pres
/ ence of either party TO the suit
| Mr.. Stoll answered that II Judge Bradley
/ would only read the question and answer
! ne would allow its Introduction The Judge
! took the deposition. and after reading II
| over carefully, sustained the objection so
| iar as 1t referred to a conversation be-
| tween Mr.. Mallon and the sister, though Il
was allowed 10 go before the jury that the
| books were shown to Mr. Malon and de-
velOpcd nothing material.
II was also shown that Mr.. Mallon made
| copies Of records. Deponent further on
! stated TINT Miss Pollard claimed TO have
! presented to the sisters four volumes of
| Washington lrying's works. and claimed
| 70 find in one OF them n Christmas-card
| winch she had left there nearly nine years
! before
THE FAMOUS CHRISTMAS-CARD.
| This now famous Christmas-card was
! attached as a part Of the deposition and
was handed around and carefully exam
! med by all Of the members of the Jury 10
| So" whether the edges were really broken
as though II had rot been stored away in
| all these years. The card WAS a gayly-
colored one. with blue-silk fringe. of n
| style so popular a few years ago, and
now considered rather out Of date On 1t
was gaudy bunch Of flowers, with be-
meath IT the token, with loving Christ
mas greetings"
| The sister said that when she first saw
| this card in December. 1895 the outside
/ cover Of the card was rolled: now II wa.
! ilattenci out. Sine" then it had remained
! in the book, which depOncnt had locked in
/ the cupboard The book had been in the
/ cupboard during the nine years. They had
| been taken out "A good deal by inmates
| 20 read them. Nothing was said by Sister
| Augustin or Sister Agnes about the Christ
! mascara to Miss Pollard The books
| could hardly be said to have been much
used. rs the inmates OF the house were
| not, as a rule OF a class who read and
| appreciated Irvings works. Doponent was
sure that Dr Mary Street had never
treated patient IN the asylum: did not
| know any such physician, and did not
| remember her ever having come even To
| visit patient. On no occasion did n
! woman physician ever officiate at a child
| birth In the asylum. She did not remem-
! Der that there was ever patient who was
! known by one name ana received mail adj
J dressed Ia anotkss snsatass.~a -
! Patients AT the asylum always remain
until they are well and strong and rarely
| leave within sixteen days. This, she
thought, would be an unusually short
time. she did not remember that any pa
tleut from the asylum I'm the summer OF
lS| went in the carriage 10 the house
Of Dr. Belle Buchanan in Cincinnati. The
asylum owned no carriage. The article
| 10y Miss Pollard in the New York World
| was read to deponCnt. and she contra
| dicted a number Of minor details as TO
| Miss Pollard's alleged stay at the asylum
when she claimed to have gone there
yelled and remained So As to the chapel
| being on the right hand side Of the en-
| trance, the depOncnt said that such had
| been the case only for a brief period in
| l>l5-1i. Since 1881 ii had been in a build
! ing attached TO the main building
| Visitors TO patients were usually seen in
| the receptiOn-rOoms. and SO far as she
! could remember. none had ever gone TO
| the patients rooms. There was "A statue
| Of 81. Joseph I'm the chapel but she did
had Il defective eye. as Miss Pollard de-
| scribed it. The statue in the chapel At the
time the deposition was taken had two
| good eyes. Sister Augustn was also
asked as 10 the altar in the chapel. TO
! show that il was not at all as il had
been described by Miss Pollard. Some
discrepancies as to height and size were
brought out. but they Were not at all
striking.
Mr. Carlisle read the deposition so far
as IL contained the crOSS-eXaminauon OF
Sister Augustin. She did not remember
| Sister Agnes Reginas saying that there
were three women in the asylum who
were yelled. The deponent admitted that
she was not present when the conversa-
| ton took place that led - Miss Pollard's
! leaving the room in evident grief, and
| that this transIirod prior 10 Mr.. Car
| Isles going back 10 the rear room TO in
| spect the books.
MRS. SCHMIDTS DEPOSITION.
Mr. Ston next read the deposition OF
Mrs. Lena schmidt who had been
nurse in the Norwood Founding Asylum
for eighteen years. She did not remem-
| ber any patient there under the name
| OF Louise Wilson. and had never seen
| Madeline Pollard there except when she
came there with Messrs. Carlisle ana
| Johnson her attorneys. In December. 1895.
| Deponent was present during part of
| the conversation then held with the sis
tcrs. Deponent came down stairs TO see
Sister Agnes on some other business and
Sister Agnes told her to come in and
see this lady and see If she knew her
| Deponent looked at her and said she did
not think she had ever seen her. The de-
! uouent had tried her best TO see II she
| could remember such a person and could
not. The visiting lady claimed that she
remembered deponents face, but could
not remember her name. She heard Miss
Pollard say as 10 why she brought the
suit that Il did 1t for justice and to
disgrace Mr.. Brcckinridge.' She heard
her saw also that he should not keep up
In society. She heard Mr.. johnson say
something 10 the effect that Mr. Breck-
| inridge would have 10 stop making ad-
dresses in young ladies' schools Depo-
nent was not present, and did not near
any conversation about the death or
! child. In the spring Of 1885 deponent was
emploved in doing general chamberwork
ahout the institution and went about IN
an the rooms. She did not remember
auvbody who remained i'll her room
veiIed Deponent believed she would have
remembered anybody in that condition.
The deponent said that the bookcase in
tho sltting-room had been there nine or
Il