The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-06

LEXINGTON, Ky, May 5.-Colonel Will
lam c. p Breckenridge was greeted here
today by an audience of 5000 people, rep
resenting the voters of the Seventh con-
gressional district and many people from
the surrounding country. The speaking
was in the opera house and a half hour be-
fore Colonel Breckenridge arrived the aud
ltorium was full of people. When he ad-
vanced toward the stage from the rear en-
trance the audience stood up and yelled
wildly for five minutes. The colonel was
filed with emotion which shook
him from head TO foot. He made
the most powerful address ever
delivered TO Kentucky audience. When
he spoke of the Ministers Union in this
city, which took action against him, he
assumed the most defiant look and strained
every nerve in his body; his fists were
clinched and his expression was that of
brave man thoroughly enraged. He gave
the public press some very hard filings, and
when he said that he had no criticism for
the Judge who sat in the trial, fifty voices
shouted at once, 81 have; / have" The
reception was certainly enthusiastic, aud,
while every man in the house will not cast
his vote for Breckenridge, it was plainly to
be seen that he has mauy friends who in
tend to stand by him.
After reviewing his boyhood life in Lex
ington and his public services III the Con-
federate army and in congress, Colonel
Breckenridge said: Il do not wish this
district to conceive that / have any de-
Tense to make for what l have done and of
which have been guilty. Entangled by
weakness. by passion, by sin, in coils
which ii was almost impossible to break.
i did everything that was within my
power to prevent public scandal, except
the one thing which for no moment ever
entered my mind.
Your reelection of me can neither take
from nor add TO the punishment | have
suffered. IL has not been hypocrisy that
my life has not been consistently wrong:
/ knew the secret sin; l tried to atone for
IL In ways that Is not becoming in me To
more than allude TO. How many kind
words did this atopement produce TO 9TH
ers; how much of self control and how
much self-sacrifice; how much of earnest
ness and labor ia aid of good things and
TO good causesf When / came TO make a
public utterance under any circumstances
to my audience, how cautious was l that
no word of mine might tempt others to be
guilty as was guilty.
Now that exposure has come there is
an element of giadness IN it. ! care not
now what letters come in my mail; care
there is no skeleton there and can 90 into
the clear sunlight out of mystery aud
look up through the blue skies into The |
upper world with the feeling that there is
no cloud there. / am not afraid that from |
the horizon will suddenly come a clap of |
thunder and fash of lightning that will |
destroy me and mine. This is of the past |
L viii wear with me the scars, but will
not longer carry the dread. l will come
out of that storm, however long it may
last, In some respects conqueror. Sweet
domestic relations which l absolutely |
need, and out Of which have no life. are
mine.
1.-The extent OF my guilt was truthfully |
confessed by me to its uttermost bounda- |
rles, without Justification or palliation. |
TO that extent was guilty; beyond that |
/ was innocent. Whatever charge of any |
kind made against me by any person, not |
IN that solemn testimony, for |
he truth of which / appealed to God, is |
false. desire this acknowledgement and |
denial to be fully understood, that there |
may be no more misunderstanding here
after. la your presence today and in the !
presence OF the district ! repeat that for |
that sin, OF which l was guilty, |
have no justification, no palliation |
and ask no conformation. If |
some one in your midst can better do the |
work you want done than L, your repre-
sentative, choose him; choose one whose |
life has been stainless, whose morals your |
young men can initiate with profit, whose |
days have been pure and whose nights |
have been sinless, whose ability is ample, |
whose experience Is wide. When some |
one comes to write this history whatever |
blame may attach TO me, he may write of |
me that even with that blame he loved |
the poor, he toiled for his fellowmen, he |
labored for good causes; loyal to princi- |
pies, faithful 20 truth, devoted 10 you"
Brock Before the Church
LEXINGTON, KY. May 5.-This evening
at a meeting of the Mount Horeb church,
Of which Colonel Breckenridge is a mem |
Der, and over which his father once pre-
sided, be was summoned TO appear.
Mr.. Breckinridge confessed his guilt in
about the same way he testified in his suit
at Washington and prayed for forgive
ness, saying he repented and would live
Ii new life in the future, After p consul
tatiou he WAS forgiven and taken in to the
church again.
This is the second Kentucky statesman
who embraced religion In the past two
Joe Blackburn has confessed be-
Tore Moody, the evangelist, having been
This move, il is believed, will put Breck
lnridge in good standing with thechurch
people again
ANOTHER PROTEST