Evening star., 1894-04-13
FOR MISS POLLARD
dudge Jere Wilson Commences the
Closing Argument.
4 CLOSE ANALYSIS OF TESTIMONY
Nothing, It is Claimed, Against
the Plaintiffs Character.
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT
4 CLOSE ANALYSIS OF TESTIMONY
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT

It Is the same old story of the Garden of
Eden 1t is the same old excuse that Ad.m
gave But, to the credit of rnankind he n
salo' Adam has been a man of had rsnuts
unto this day"
ms was the text Of Mr. Jere Wilson'S
endresS to the jury in the Pollard Rracl.,n-
ridge case today.
OpOh Ihls ne based a powerful argument.
ne IaShed the defendant with scatbing
words He showed up the conduct of Mr..
orechlnridge in what he considered To he
itS true light Mr.. Wilson's effort befora
4e Jury could hardly be called a speech In
.,ie sense that the word was applied to Mr..
"orIh address yesterday. There
ew attempts to soar on the pinions
VI ordtory-few pyrotechnic displays. On
the other hand, he criticised NJ p,,,.a-
~or'h severely for attempting to exc out a
Dad case with words and To decorate ., ,,,,,b
tne nowers of eloquence. Mr.. Wilson's ad-
oiess was rather in the nature of a disna a.
s.ona'e summing up OF the plaintiffs side
Of the case. S'Ae
mat there was no eloquence in what
ne nSld 10 say; by no means He parried
"e steer OF his opponents with steel. He
met COL Phil Thompson's Biblical ouo-
tauohs with other extracts from the Book
10 snow that vice is not to be extenuated
on any grounds. The fact that Solomon
was miscellaneous in his attentions to the
iaAr Sex ne did not consider was an argu-
ment Tor excusing Mr.. Breckinridge for
nisieadnS and delUding Miss Pollard The
case OF Absalom's sister was more in keep
ng, he thought. He met Mr.. Buttervortb,s
eciosy OF country girls. home and mother
with words of like praise But he did not
seem TO think that home and mother and
tne virtue Of country girls had anything
TO do with MIR. Breckinfidge's liability for
damages for violating his promise to marry
Miss Pollard.
MI Wilson devoted the entire morning
TO what he considered the material points
IN the case, the claim that the defendant
Dad betrayed the plaintiff and then had
promised to marry her. a promise which he
afterward repeated in the presence of other
people There were no references to the
much debated Wessie Brown letter, the
famous carriage ride and to other Incl
dents upon which the defense has laid par
ticular stress These he seemed to regard
as incidents that had no particular import
ance as bearing upon the case in ISSUE as
compared with the evidence given by Mrs.
Blackburn, Major Moore and Mr.. Claude
de la Roche Francis.
In short, IL was exactly the sort of a
speech that those who are familiar with Mr..
Wilson's methods expected he would make.
He took the ground that, devoid of an
verbal embellishments and wordy confusion,
the case was as simple as could be. He
maintained, with great deal of effect, be
1t said. that the plaintiff had proved con-
clusively that contract of marriage did
exist, contract which the defendant vio-
lated. and that the defense had failed utter
ly to show that Miss Pollard was a woman
Of HsNI ,I,-
Of the case
Mr.. Wilson talked all day. although at
times it was evidently an effort, as he was
suffering from bad case of sore throat and
hoarseness- Miss Pollard was not in the
court room today. There was a large crowd
present, both morning and afternoon, and
everything the speaker said was listened to
with the closest attention
Judge Wilson Begins for the Plain
ti6.
There was no delay this morning. bu.
Immediately upon the opening of court
Judge Wilson began the final address to the
jury After expressing his qualification
that the case was so near a close and that
the verdict would assuredly be in accord
ance with all the evidence in the case
Judge Wilson said that the defendant had
been heard upon the stand and through
his counsel and 1t now became his duty to
answer 1t was a startling statement of
his that this case with all its unpleasant
revelations ought never to have been be-
gun The defendant seemed to think that
the revelations of this case were polIutine
the moral atmosphere Of this community.
He did not wonder that the defendant wish
ed the case had never been instituted. 1t
was a remarkable statement of Mr. But
ter xoTth's that the cCUT sci for the plaintiff
must answer to the community for spread
ing this vile contagiOn.
Is there no redress in this world If what
the defendant himself has admitted on the
stand be true? Must they forego all re-
dress lest they spread a contagion? The
defendant cannot be killed for his crime
He canLot be confined in double-locked
cage to keep him from polluting the women
of the land. All that can be done is to
come before jury Of good men and seek
such redress as the law allows. Mr.. But
terworth had told them Of the interest at
tracted by this case in all other lands but
we must not forget that in England when
cases like this become offense in the
nostrils of the Anglo-Saxon people the
courts are opened for the trial of the Of
Tenders Many hav. chosen to flee from
Justice and retributiOn and seek a refuge
in foreign lands Bright intellects have
been dimmed- Bright stars have been
dragged down from the armament, as Mr.
Butterw Orth had so POLITICALLY expressed it.
Mr. Wilson said that he and his friend
Mr. Carlisle. were perfectly willing to an
swer for all the responsibility that might
rest upon them. He only wished that he
might speak in terms of such power as to
ring around the world in condemnation of
such acts as they had heard of. He would
ask his brother. Butterworth, what he
would do in a case like this?
'Suiting himself to the exigencies of his
case" said Mr.. Wilson. caustically. II pre-
pume he would say that the woman should
be turned out and the man sent to Con-
ereSs."
Pleading for WOmanhOO
Continuing. Mr.. Wilson said that he was
pleading not much for the woman as
Tor wOmanhood- He was speaking for a
better and a truer observance of the social
and moral law. 1t was wrong to say that
what destroys a woman only injuries a
man.
Il am pleading for the law that shall
reach all people alike. Brother Butter
worth spoke elOquently OF the virtue OF
The country girl. He said that they did not
peed chaperOnes to protect them. 1 should
hot have been surprised If in the next
breath he had said that gray-haired, forty
Seven-year-Old men cid not need a body
guard to ward of the wiles of these same
country girls / can well imagine the
mothers of this land reading in the news
papers that this case was near close
writing letters asking for the protection of
the American girls. writing even to me to
ask me to plead my very best for the safety
Of our daughters"
Mr.. Wilson then read to the jury just