The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-11

only baby brought there at the time was
named "Dietz Downing
The other side had raised a great fuss
about the Coloneis signing her examination
apers for the civil service, certifying that
she had a good moral character. There
was not any fussing or stewing or kicking
up dust along about that time" he went
on. Both of them were pursuing a course
of immortality agreeable to both, and were
telling any little lies that came alohg 10
help each other out. Every man in the court
has told lies about these little domestic
matters. If there were any who had not
they had better go out for a while, because
they were TOO sanctimonious for the place:
But the attorneys on the other side seemed
to think this case was like that of the old
preacher in Kentucky who was tried Tor
adultery with one of the sisters. The jury,
all men. returned a verdict finding the min
lister guilty and acquittinS the sister. MISS
POllard's testimony, from Wnlcn ne reau,
showed that she admitted they both lied.
In one instance she had called him out of
Chamberlain's TO help her out of a scrape,
"and Billy always came he said.
MRS. BLACKBURN.
Concerning Mrs. Blackburn, Mr.. Thomp-
son said that she was "a lovely old lady,"
but she was getting pretty well along in
years. "She's no longer a maiden gay" he
said. She would not tell anything that was
not so for the world, but the old lady
thought she had been imposed upon and
wanted TO put it to Colonel Breckenridge
dS HdIu DIS she COulOs 1udI . Ohly ANh"
nature. 1 don't blame her. 1 admire her
spirit. Why, / was afraid she would jump
down my throat, friZZeS and all, when L
began to examine her.
Tbs jury was not TO punish Colonel Breck-
inridge for immortality. All the great men
of the world had had their troubles with
women. When julius Caesar was not max
ing laws he was making love to Cleopatra:
David had put Uriah in the forefront or
battles because he had looked on the mans
wife and she was lovely. III there nave
been any great men who were not foho
of women, they were great hypocriteS, the
Colonel declared. There was Bonaparte,
Washington, all of them had. their AFFAIRS
of love as we'll as of Gar, and. he added,
Il don't see why this man, who is no worse
than the rest of us, only he has been dis
covered and we have not, should be pun
ished. unless we are to be hypocrites.'
If Colonel Breckenridge had been disposed
to lie he might have kept many. things to
his diScredit out of the case; only because
he would not play the part OF a hypocrite
and p~erjurer he was condemned "We~are
looking at this thing as men of the world
and common sense" the attorney said, go
ing on TO tell how the Colonel had pro-
vided for her. She had said that she pre-
ferred being Colonel ~Breckinridge'S mis-
tress to being jim Rhodes's wife, and why?
to work, vent into good society and had
intellectual companionship. why, 1 had
rather be, the mistress of a man Ike Col.
than to sleep all the days of my life beside
an omnibus. That was her choice, and L
think it was a good one" averred the de-
PENDANTS attorney.
Coming down to the death of Colonel
Breckinridge's wife, the attorney said:
Then and there a new ambition sprung
up in her. She said, Here Is the old man
L have swung on to for so long. He is
free, and now I'll make him marry me,
Colonel Breckenridge had never introduced
her to Mrs. Blackburn and the other ladies
in whose parlors she had left her slime,
and yet 1t was demanded that he should
go there and admit his relations with her.
No man would have done 1t. He would
have looked pretty assuming the role Of
the seraphim and cherubim driving her out
of the garden of Eden when she had got
there.
This is a common going-on all the time"
said Colonel Thompson, taking another
tack. only he is exposed and most of
them are not, and ii is a good thing. But
all of us have these relations with women
that is. all men-Just to show that they
are men. There may be some good fell
lows. only l never met them. They start
in to have a little fun with a woman, and
the first thing they know they have got
into eternal hell with her."
Here the court adjourned.