The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-30
M. G. ?. BREoKINRInaF.

terworth. He said he was born in Balti-
more Sc years ago, and moved to Ken
lucky. He married, he said, March II,
1869. His first wife died in April, 1860,
just after the birth of a child. He en-
tered the Confederate service under
provisional order by General John FL.
pany in Georgetown, KY. He proceeded
through the various grades until he be-
came colonel of the 9th cavalry. The
defendant said he was married the sec
ond time to Miss Desha, in Lexington,
September 10, 1861, the marriage being
hastened so that Colonel Breckenridge
could go into the war. He had four liv-
ing children, two of whom were in
America. After speaking of his law and
public career, he said he first saw the
plaintiff on the train from Covington to
Lexington. He thought it was the latter
part of April, in 1884 cit was cool
morning. he said, land / had my over
coat. went to get it, and saw the plain
tiff sitting near the door. She bowed in
perfectly proper manner. I stopped
and said, Young people grow up so rap
idly nowadays, that cannot remember
you.' She said, 'But.I know you; am
Madeline Breckinridge Pollard; my fa-
Uu6f WAS SuCu oil IoI VI COAa ~.
Brecinridge that he put Breckenridge in
my name. If l had been boy he would
have called me John She said she knew
DIR. Dudley in Lexington, whom knew.
1 asked her where she was going, and
she said to Frankfort to see her sister,
who was.ill. We chatted a few minutes
and said l hoped her sister would be
better, and then passed out of the car.
She sent me letter
Telling Me to Come to See Her
about legal matter. do not know
where the letter is I wrote her, but have
a very distinct recollection that [ told
the business, or would call on me if in
Kentucky, would be glad to help her,"
ibid you receive any other letter from
her?''
Eyes"
s'Was it this one?" said Major Butter
worth, handing the defendant the alleged
forged note, dated July 20, 1884.
Judge Wilson objected to having this
writing placed in evidence, and Major
Butterworth passed it over for the time.
Col. Breckinridge said the next time
he aaw Miss Pollard was at the Wesleyan
University, Cincinnati. He had gone to
CoHngton on law business. He remem-
bered this letter and went across the
river to see the writer. Col. Breckin-
ridge said he was shown into room at
the college on the left side of the hall,
and sent up his card. when Miss Pol
lard came down. he continued, ''she said
almost Immediately: L suppose you
were surprised to receive such letter
from school grip | said laughingly
that supposed she had somewhat ex-
aggerated things when she thought the
matter worse than divorce case.'
This is quotation from the alleged
forged letter, and Major Butterworth
made an appeal to the judge to admit
the dubious letter to evidence. He con-
tended that it was similar in penman-
ship according to the testimony of ex-
perts to the admitted writing of the
plaintiff. He said the defense proposed
toloffer this writing that the jury
might examine and determine whether
the plaintiff wrote it,
Judge Wilson said that here was a case
where the defense was trying to bring
into the case as evidence a paper, the
authenticity of which was disputed. In
making this demand, the defence placed
it on the ground that the case was SINH
lar to that of other papers in the plain
tiff's handwriting, the authenticity of
which was admitted by the plaintiff. The
question was whether the testimony of
Two So-called Experts
should be considered as more valuable
than the positive declaration of the
plaintiff that she did not write the letter.
"Its thing in the experience of lawyers
and laymen," said Judge Wilson, 'that
nothing is more utterly worthless, more
utterly unworthy of credence, more de-
crepit, more unable to stand upon
crutches, than this so-called expert testi-
mony." He quoted the decisions of
various judges to show how little weight