The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-31

Washington, March 30. 30.-ConQFessman
Breckenridge continued his testimony
in the Circuit court today, telling an
entirely different story from that told
by Madeline Pollard of their nine years
of acquaintance. Major Butterw orth
started proceedings by showing the de-
fendant the little decorative basket
which the plaintiff claims was given her
by Col. Breckinridge with the remark:
6 Madeline, this was Issy's (meaning his
dead wife) and want you to have it."
Colonel Breckenridge said the basket
was given to his late wife by her sister,
Miss Desha, who had brought it from
Nantucket, and he had seen it last in
the furnished rooms he had taken when
his children went back to kentucky.
He denied that he gave it to Miss Pol
lard. He did not know she bad the
to how the basket came Into her
pc session.
Now Colonel" said Mr.. Butterworth,
Estate what took place on the second of
August, 1884, she aay after the carriage
ride with the plaintiff.
II entered the car for Lexington and
found the plaintiff sitting In it. She
with me. I spoke to her and our con-
versation resulted in an arrangement to
meet that evening in Lexington. We
agreed to meet at the house OF colored
woman named Sarah Guess. ! asked her
if there was any place In Lexington she
would like to go. She said we could go
to Sarah Guess's. l expressed surprise
that she knew Of this place, and she said
she had gone there on one occasion with
Mr. Rodes.n
The witness then told of going to the
house with the plaintiff on their arrival
in Lexington, which he said was sub
stantially as told by Miss Pollard. He
said he left Miss Pollard at the door,
promising to come back after going to
his home. He went home, took supper
with his family and returned to the
house of SarahGuess in less than an hour.
He,had made no such arrangement with
Sarah as Miss Pollard and Sarah testi-
fed to- He remained with the plaintiff
until about 1890, and plaintiff elected to
spend the night there instead of going to
a more respectable place. There were no
protestations of love and affection on
his part and no talk with the plaintiff
about helping her secure an education.
"What was there in her conversation
that made her appear mature young
woman?"
"She appeared to be woman fully
grown and matured."
"Did she ever say before you or to you
prior to the bringing of this suit, that
She was girl of seventeen or eighteen,
under twenty?"
"Never in any conversation: nave
examined the papers on which endorsed
her application for
Position Under the Civil Service,
in which she put herself down as having
been born November 80, 1866. I never
had any reason to doubt that she was
matured woman and nothing occurred to
make me think otherwise"
"When did you first learn she. had
come to Lexington to enter Sayre 1nstl-
tute?" '
"It was in the following October"
AS to Miss Hoyt and Mrs. Ketcham,
witness said that he never knew two
women more highly esteemed: He denied
the statement of Miss Pollard that she
received him at night in her room. at
Miss Hoyt's. .-.t
"Did you know that she was away
from Lexington in the spring of 1852"
This was the time Miss Pollard said
she was in the Norwood Founding
asylum.
II knew she was away, but where she
had gone did BOT know. Ths state
ment of the plaintiff that she wrote to
me from st. Joseph's Founding asylum
and addressed her letters to Margaret
Dillon, box Al, Lexington, KY, may be
true, but it was entirely without my
knowledge" 80
The witness said he never made any
arrangement with the plaintiff for send
ing letters to Mr.. Rodes through her
mother while she was in Cincinnati to
deceive Mr.. Rodes. He never inserted a
date in any of her letters, as she testified,
nor wsote a letter to her mother.
Continuing, Col. Areckinridge said: Il
did not tell her what to writ tie in blind
letter to Rodes dated New Orleans. I
never was in New Orleans in my life"
How did you get these letters of the
plaintiff to Rodes?"
"They came to me directly from my
partner, Mr.Skelby, who received them
Continued on Second Page.