The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-14
Mr.. Wilson Thinks from Brock
inridge's Character,
One Can't Tell Whether He Lies
or Not.
THE DEFENSE OF ADAM
Is What Breckinridge'S Excuse
is Styled.

speech OF MAYOR Ben ButterWOrIh In
the Pollard Breckinridge case was
surpassed yesterday by the greater
argument of Judge Jere M. Wilson,
who began the final summary for the
plaintiff. He disclaimed all intention
to deal in oratory, and yet he was able
to use oratory of the most effectual
kind. 1.-The defense of ADAM" was
what he called Colonel Breckinridge's
position, and to the credit of hui
manity, he said. Adam had always
been deemed a coward and a crav en-
He did not attempt to assert his
client was free from fault, but
that just as far as she had strayed
from the path of womanly virtue, she
had been led by this man. On two or
three important points he drew the
logical deduction from the evidence
which surprised even the lawyers
He has long right arm tipped with
an accusing index finger, which serves
to drive his deductions home. That
long bOny finger several times
levelled the denunciation at Colonel
Breckenridge, which made the Ken
lucky orator shift restlessly in his
chair 1t was a terrible arraignment
to which he was subjected and he
would have been something more or
less human should he not have shown
the effect of it as he did. Judge Will
son will continue for an indefinite
time to-day and then Judge Bradley
will deliver his charge to the jury,
and the trial will be ended when a
verdict is announced.
Mr.. Wilson commented on the cir
cumstance that no witnesses had
been brought from Kentucky to testi-
fy regarding the general character of
the defe nGant, as a man who kept his
contracts and was chaste- On the
other hand, everyone from Kentucky
VI - IL
concerning the character of Madeline
Pollard, had said she was woman,
from girlhOOd, of the greatest refine
ment, of the best associates, and APP
parently of the highest character. 1t
had been said in defense that this
bright, scintillating, effervescing
defendant could not afford to associ-
ate with a character surrounded
by such an atmosphere The innO-
cent schoolgirl letters written in the
confidence of youthful frie ndship had
been raked up. Mr.. Butterworth had
read them; had pointed to word here
and there and said there was some
thing mysterious about them. Mr..
Wilson did not know how those let
tiers had been secured by the defense
it might have been by trickery-but
if Owen Robertson had given them up
knowing the use to which they were
to be put, 'the was whelp," Mr.. Will
son declared
Mr. Wilson attacked the credibi1ity
of the defendant fiercely- He has
been equally guilty with my CLIENT
declared the lawyer, ''even more so,
for he had taken a solemn vow to
heaven and she had not He had
broken that vow by his own confession
before he ever met Madeline Pollard.
He had admitted he knew Sarah Goss,
knew the character of her house and
had been there before he went with
Madeline Pollard. He had lived a lie
for ten years; his life had been that of
faithlessness to the most sacred OBJ
legations of life. He had lived life of
duplicity, of hypocrisy, such as you
can't coin words to express the length
and breadth of. He tells you he went
to Mrs. Blackburn Intentionally to de-
ceive her; he tells you he went to
Moore to tell him lie.
tSWhen he attempts to blacken the
testimony of my client l want to
measure his testimony by the rules of
law. How do you know he is not
telling this story to deceive you? The
proba bility is that he is doing it, for
he is now in the tolls; he is brought
to bay, and in his extremity he
asks you to believe such story
on his unsupported word. The man
is stepped and soaked in depravity
and original sin 1 want the world to
know that whatever of slime is on her
comes from this defendant 1t is the
trail of the serpent over her life.
wish all mothers of the land could see
this woman in her true light They
would open their hearts to her; their
sympathies would swell up for her.
She would be, if not excused, under
stood as not being the author of this
unprotected mans ruin, but as in
jured by his Vaccinations"
Mr.. Wilson expressed a wish that he
had the tongue of the defendant or
his learned counsel that he might
properly pay tribute to the noble
sister from the house of Refuge where
Madeline Pollard was sheltered, who
had supported her through her ordeal
and with an application to Sister Ellis
of Scriptural promise that 'sin my
fathers house mansions ,,