Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-04-12
POLLARD-BR ECkINRlDGE TRIAL.

POLLARD-bR EGklNRlDGh TRIAL.
After the GAZETTE's report of the Pol
lard Breckinlidge case closed in Wash
ington yesterday Mr.. Butterworth con-
tinued his argument for Col. Breckin-
ridge. Mr.. Butterworth said he himself
had as much at stake. He had daugh-
ter and a wife. He could not afford
that Justice should not be done. He
was not there to extenuate the conoucl
OF Col. Breckinridge ifhe did ne knew
the colonel would discharge him from
the case. The country had been solicit
Gus abouta sixteen-year-old school glri,
but there was no such person IN the
case. If she had been but sixteen, why
Rad not her mother not been called 10
,,roye il? If she had been but sixteen,
sbe was as much skilled in love-making
a. any woman he had ever known.
The other side had talked about the
fascination OF a silver tongue. He paid
Il tribute to the bravery of Col. Breck-
inridge, and declared that the jury
knew that such man was not bad at
heart. He was going on to describe
how. if Colonel Breckenridge smiled
people said he was monster; II he
looked grave. they said he was sham
ming. but if Miss Pollard laughed, they
said. Behold, she smiles even through
:. veil of tears" when Judge Bradley
interposed, saying, "Mr. Butterworth,
don, YOU think YOU had better conilne
yourselfto the evidence in the case?
This is all what you have heard out
side, and has no connection with the
ease.
Not at all nonplussed, the attorney
replied "Of course rs a judicial oliicer
these things would not affect your
honor. but want to show what things
influence mens minds.
He thep told the jury that the case
was for a s.,ecfc act, and verdict Tor
Col. BreckinrdGe would not mean thai
they condoned his conduct. After this
he spent an hour reading Miss Pollard :
early letters aud discussing the testi-
monv, TO show that when she met the
Kentucky Congressman she was not the
unsophisticated country girl she had
REPRESENTED herself to be.
Incidentally Mr.. Butterworth paid
tribute to Mary Anderson, as Ken
lucky giri. who, under the most ad
verse circumstances, had acquired the
srestcst prominence. Madeline Pol
lard. he said, had twined her hand
about Il ,Jar aud was trying to pull il
.lo~a. The stan! being W. c. p. Breckin
l:l-- What had taken place between
strla Had occurred many times before.
an ai:l m.nr times again. although il
ygs- to be regretted. Either that pivot
al letter the letter Miss Pollard alleges
is forgery, he asserted, had bee1'
written b. Madeline Pollard, or Vii
liam {. ?. Breckenridge. the worthy
successor Of the Clavs, the Bsc!.s, the
Blackburns, save for one lapse, was q
f3rger.
Tae chilling atmosphere which sur
rounds pure woman was painted with
apostrophes 10 mothers, sisters, sweet
hearts and wives, and then the occur
rences in that first carriage ride were re-
hearsed. The instinct of a vlrtuous
woman would have led her to say.
Sect out. YOU leper.'' MAO.
Butterworth shouted, rushing down
the aisle toward his client fierce
". But, no, she had arranged
to meet him the next day" He pound.
ed one of the jurors on the knee as he
reproduced with mixed metaphor the
still. small voice, crying loudly in the
name Of her mother to shrink back from
this man. The next day the Colonel
had taken her to an designation house.
Think OF it :" the lawyer shouted.
Il have thought of it," Judge Wilson
remarked to him.
Then Mr.. Butterworth slapped three
Jurors on the knee in succession as he
rehearsed Miss Pollard's description of
the Colonel's batteries. You leper! =
he shouted to the Colonel, "Why didn't
she fly away and leave you %
He told how Miss Pollard, after re-
sisting the Colonel in the carriage and
the Cincinnati designation house, had
felt ready to tackle him again at Sarah
Cess to travel 80 miles with him to re-
sist him. She did not want to marry him.
She knew of his wife and children.
She knew that it would ruin her, and
might ruin him and his daughters.
Mr.. Buttcrworth said that he was
willing to give Miss Pollard credit for
being a great genius in certain lines;
but The hardest part of her story to be-
lieve was that part of it that in that
half hour alone in the howell of Sarah
Cess. while the defendant had gone home
to his dinner, she had thought over the
whole matter, had given up life. honor,
friends and future and had decided to
enter into Colonel Breckinridge's life,
and Mr. Wilson would tell that to the
Jury as though he believed it. The
speaker told some funny stories about
his boyish escapades, and went on to
compare the plaintiff to Delilah, who
had got her hands in the hair of a Sam
son, and then had been willing to pull
down the temple over herself, to ac-
complish his ruin.
Further on he declared that there
was no memento of all those years OF
alleged affection save that little willow
basket so lately handled by the fingers
of his dead wife-brought into the
case for no other purpose than to make
his fault seem more abhorrent. W. C.
=. Breckenridge had never given to his
mistress the possessions of his wife
before her grave clothes had crumbled.
Il can forgive Won ANYTHING else" said