Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-04-20
si5.OOo For Miss Pollard.

At last the end has come to the OdOr-
ferrous breach of promise case brought
by Miss Madeline Pollard against Con-
gresham w. c. p. Breckenridge, of
Kentucky, at Washington, ID. c. The
vile. disgusting testimony brought in
by the various witnesses of all degrees,
from the keeper of colored house Of
ill-fame to the widow Of member of
congress and the prominent defendant,
has been thrust before the people of
the whole country in the daily press.
The hot-blooded southern lawyers had
several passages-at-armS which came
near resulting in knock-down fights or
duels. And at last the end has come
and the blind goddess has given her
favor to Miss Pollard, of whom it is
not necessary to make mention.
The closing hours of the great case
were full of interest. ''Jere" Wilson,
the forceful Indiana lawyer, closed the
arguments and succeeded in pulling
the defense into shreds. Then digni-
fed Judge Bradley, who is to be highly
commended for his bearing through
the entire hearing, gave very pointed
charge To the jury, bearing principally
upon the point that sentiment, public
opinion or public wrong had moth
ing 10 90 WIN the case.
To sum IT all up, if a contract OF mar
riagc was not made, or If 1t was agreed
to with the understanding that 1T was
not TO be carried out, the verdict should
be for the defendant. If contract had
been made and broken they were TO
find for the plaintiff, awarding such
damages as they saw At. Their verdict
must be formed upon the preponder-
ance of evidence.
The Jury retired at 3:O7 o'clock. At
% minutes before o'clock there was n
rush toward the court room. Judge
Bradley and the jury entered at one
door. Col breckenridge, his son and
Col Phil Thompson at the other. There
was some delay in waiting for the other
parties and there wasan intense silence.
During the interval the jurors sat look
ing as solemn as the proverbial judges,
while Col. Thompson and the gray
haired defendant conferred in whis-
pers. Five minutes passed before At
torney Carlisle, representing Miss Pol
lard. entered. Judge Bradley requested
the people to refrain from demonstra-
tions. Then the verdict of $4,000 for
the plaintiff was announced. There
was no expression of approval or disap-
prevail from the crowd. Col Breckin-
ridge himself rose TO make motion
for new trial and the court adjourned.
The jury took fifteen ballots before
reaching their conclusion. The differ
ence was mainly over the amount OF
damages to be granted, and there was
but one man on the jury who favored
the defendant.
Col. Breckinridge was very cool
after the verdict had been rendered.
| He walked away with his counsel,
| talking with them, but declined To
speak for publication, as did his at
torneys. Miss Pollard, who was not
present at closing scenes, was somewhat
excited but not hysterical while await
ing the result, and, as woman always
does, broke into tears when she heard
it. She declined to be interviewed
and her attorneys said that she was
anxious to efface herself from the pub
lie sight as far as possible, now thai
the case had ended. That Miss Pollard
will not be financially bettcred by the
result of her case is probable, because
IL is well understood and has been saic
on trial that Col. breckenridge has M
property. He has lived up TO his in
come for years, and although his wife
has money, it does not seem likely tina
she will care TO eXpend IL to satisfy
this judgment.