The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-30

L
seemed to him that all this controversy
| was more show than substance. This
letter was published by the newspapers
and probably read by the jury. News
| paper enterprise was very good thing
| but it sometimes was carried too far.
| That was enterprise with a vengence.
| Anywhere else it would be punished as
contempt of court. 1t was contempt of
court, committed within the very pre-
cincts of the court where the copy was
made. He did not think the newspaper
men who secured the letter knew that
they were doing harm, but it
was an act of gross impropriety and he
hoped it would not be repeated. 1t it
were he would punish the offenders.
Major Butterworth
Read the Disputed Letter.
s'Wesleyan College, July 20, 1884.
ssDear Col Breckinridge.- letter
came to me Saturday. | am glad you
told me it would be inconvenient to come
out here to the college for if you had
gone to even such little trouble to
listen to what sometimes overburdens a
school girls mind, you might he in
clined to be provoked with yourself, A
preachers opinion of any little affair of
mine would cause premature gray hairs,
when your opinion might clear away all
doubts and fears and let me be quite
free hearted again. l think | have pre-
pared you for a divorce case, but listen,
it is worse than that. If certain person
would advance funds for my tuition here
at school for three years under the prom
Use that | marry him at the expiration OF
that time, could he do anything if /
would not marry him, but teach and re-
fund all he had advanced? know you
think, Why this deception? But to no
other terms will he agree. When girl
wants nothing but a good education and
the means to obtain such are denied her,
what is she to do but take the only
chance she is ever likely to have? /
liked your face, and | am sure [ would
like you if at any future time you are in
the city and would care to come around.
Remember home faces are always well
come.
~ am very respectfully yours,
''MADELINE POLLARD.
Col. Breckinridge resumed his testi-
mony. He said he was obliged to go to
Covington in will case. He went there
Friday morning, the first of August, be-
ing kept there until late dinner time, 2
to 2.30. AS Coyington had no comforta-
BILE hotel, he went over to Cincinnati.
Col. Breckinridge then told the story of
His Meeting With Miss Pollard
at Wesleyan college. II was standing
in the window when she came in,'' he
said. ''She shook hands and said she
supposed she rather astonished me by
her statement of the gravity of the case.
I said, jokingly, that l presumed it was
not SO grave as a divorce suit. We sat
down near the window looking out into
the street, she on a divan and l on a
chair. She tod me the circumstances
the first | heard of it. Up to this time
1 did not know who the mother of the
plaintiff was I knew who her father
was. She told me that she lived with an
aunt who had married York Keen. I
knew who she was then. [ said | had
known York Keen at school and subse
quently as soldier in the regiment of my
brother, Robert Breckenridge, and liked
him. She told me about Rodes. She
said she liked him and respected him.
They had made contract by which he
was to pay for her education on the con-
dition that she marry him. She said
that Rodes was pressing her for the mon
ey she owed him and unless she paid
him, he would compel her to marry him.
She asked me if Rodes could compel her
to marry him. told her knew of no
law which could compel her to marry
Rodes. I asked her why she did not
go to her mother about it. She said the
contract had caused much unpleasant
ness in her family, and she could not
bring it before her mother. l asked her
why she did not go to her grandfather or
uncle, and she said she could not She
spoke with such a grave face that | sus-
pected something more serious was the
cause of her refusal to marry him. She
drew out her handkerchief and acted in
very nervous way. [ walked over to
the window. She came over to the win
dow and, after standing there minute,
[ made motion as if to 90. Then she
said: "Oh, 1 have nobody to tell. !
don't know anybody except YOU |
paused then, and she said with an effort
L don't want to marry him. don't
want to have whole house full of chill
dren like mama and Aunt Lou, and re-
fused to marry him. Then
With Great Effort She Said,
there's another reason why should not
marry Mr.. Rodes. I have given him
higher proof that I intended to keep the
contract / looked at her and, after
pause, told her she should marry Rodes.
She said she could not do it. She had
now an education, and did not want to
bury herself. l said Rodes had her in
his power unless she married him. This
thing might come up again at any time.
She insisted that she should not marry
him, and said oh, we'll, he will always
want to marry me, anyhow, SO there's no
use for hurry
1.-THE conversation drifted to other
things. She said she had an ambition to
be an authoress and thought she had
some talent in that direction. Mention
was made of some concert were cor
netist was to play that night. She said
she would like to go. 1t was at place
on Vine street hill and as had never
been up there and wanted to see the in
clined railway, | said I would take her
and asked if she could get permission.
She said she could, and after asking me
to bring carriage, left the room. A
minute later young man came in and
said he had met me, and introduced
himself as Mr.. Brown, son of professor
of the college. He gave the required