The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-12

monv ~ the witnesses for the defence
and IL n was not true II was within the
power az the plaintiff to disprove it. but
that had not been done. The alleged
forged letter. too, was undoubtedly in
the handwriting Of the plaintifr. When
she was asked 10 read II to the Jury she
said she would like to examine it. for
often when she could not recognize a
letter by the writing she would know IT
BY the contents. She did not want to
see the contents 10 know II IL was her
letter. She knew 4 was. She only want
ed IN see what vaz in IL to see IL II would
| hurt her case and as soon as she was
/ sura that II would she denied that she
! had ever written II. Furthermore. the
Authenticity OF the letter had been prov
| ed bv the exper.. and the plaintiff had
NOT even cast a 09ubt upon IL by bring
fnp exnert tesHr sny on the other side.
Mr. wilson had Id that it was easy 10
get expert testimony 10 prove anything
and vet they hae not brought any No
expert would ever risk his reputation
upon such a sfa'neni.
DRAMATIC CLIMAX.
Then came one OF the most eloquent
climaxes of the speech. After speaking
OF the glorious history and antecedents
OF the Breckinriige family, Mr.. Butter
worth rushed towards Air. Breckenridge,
and in dramatic tones told him that un-
less that letter was written by Miss
Pollard he was q. forger. Either you
have forgotten your glorious ancestry
and have turned a common forger or
else that woman Is liar"
Then. in a calmer tone, Mr. Butterworth
told the jury that II man Of the intelli-
gence Of Mr.. Breckinridge had undertaken
10 win his case by forged letter he
would have written such a letter as
would have clinched the matter beyond
a doubt. He would have cleared the
chasm. He was not such an unmitigat-
ed chump as ever to build up such
bridge as would only go half way across"
He would have hn.shed up the business
once for all.
Contrasting the statement Of Miss Poi
lard, that she Yves Al innocent girl when
she met Col. Brecknridge. with her own
testimony. Major Butterworth said that
If she was all she said she was then
there was some excuse for bringing the
suit. If what she says is true" he said
with eyes turned upwards and hards high
above his head, then / am in favor Of
Congress offering a premium to every
woman for pulling down a glttering star
in the political OF any other armament"
IRoNICAL AND HLOQUEsT.
With no attempt 10 disguise his irony.
he pictured Miss Pollard as she had
made herself appear al the meeting with
the defendant 1T Wesleyan College-a
poor, fiuttering little creature. who tried
and tried 10 tell this man Of her trouble
with Rhodessand was laughingly diverted
and made 10 tell of herself, and 10 listen
to a..
tained that if Miss Pollard had been all
she claimed. and II Col. Breckenridge
had made wrongful advances. he would
have been repulsed then in way that
would have kept him from further con-
duct Of that sort. There is that about
the virtuOus woman" he cried. which
chills every germ Of lascivious approach"
AS FOR the carriage ride that night. If
she were a virtuous woman at the first
approach Of lasciviOusress or his part
she would have cried land Major Butter
worth made a rush at the white-halred
defendant. and shook his fist in his face
shouting lie words % tones that could
have been heard block: Take me back,
YOU leper. You would not have gone twen-
~ feet with her" he shouted addressing
the defendantJ Il don't care anything
about your Establishments. she would have
run away from you, gone 10 her mother.
TO anybody. for protection. and so would
every Virtuous woman repulse such ap-
proaches'
Then Major Butterworth pictured the
little pricking pin OF conscience that we
may forget i'm the moment OF temptation,
but which comes back after we have
had "A good nights sleep with terrible
force, and keeps us straight. Miss Pol
f.pH haH a.fI .ffar tho d.fgndq
had attempted 10 take advantage Of her
one night and she resisted. she went
innocently 10 him the next day And II
she were yirtuous. he asked. could she
have done that without that pulling back
OF conscience
COMPARED TO DELILAH AND SAMPSON.
I'm the course Of his further argument
Major Butterworth compared the plain
tin 10 Delilah and Colonel Breckenridge
10 Sampson She got him in her ptwer
and led him hy a single hair, and when
she had shon him Of his locks. she
cried. Sampson. the Philistines are upon
YOU" and then be pulled down the tenn
ple Of his fame and accomplished his
ruin In all the Years Of the liaison, he
said. there had not been d memento, a
ring. anything. given her as mark OF
affection. save and except the little viii
low basket which had been the dead
wfe's. And she comes here for no other
purpose than 10 make his crime more
horrible. saving he brought it to her
with these words: Madeline TINS was
Issas. she cared for it, and | want you
to have it,"
MY God. Can il be that this man
can be monster enough 10 drag the name
of his dead wife. 20 bring a message from
her grave 10 this woman. his mistress?
Whatever William c. i. Breckenridge
may be guilty Of whatever his short
cominss. he could not be guilty of in /
sultine the memory of that dead wife |
with her grave clothes still clinging 20 |
her dead form. And this woman tells |
how In that carriage ride, when he was |
trying TO betray her. he spoke Of his |
dead wife his first Wife, and his dead |
little boy. and she takes them like a |
soul from the grave TO parade them |
before the world. | do not condone the |
OF this gray-haired man, | |
do not seek 10 extenuate his fault. but |
Is he the monster she has painted him? |
She tells us that she gave up her child |
after holding IL IN her arms two hours.
Did ever woman live who would do that?
Never No woman would let her child
be- taken from her breast. but would
pull back her child as If from the gates
II hell"
The JURORS PALPABLY AFFECTED.
The fervor and intensity displayed by
Major Butterworth at this point was felt
BY the Jurors and spectators. The Ohio
awyer marched back and forth. shout
ng and gesticulating. and illustrating
very idea by appropriate gestures.
Major Butterworth contended that the
description given by Louis Wilson" Miss
OF the man who betrayed her