Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-12

- 81
people had nothing. Mr.. Butterwo,.n ,SS
that In few minutes he would take 'nas
up and make nm invoice OF VIVA, sne
had herself in the way OF love ana GU
gagements. ,,.....
"And all this" continued Mr.. Butter
worth. was written by this woman
months before she met william "
Breckenridge. a star that she - now Wy
ing TO drag down from the nrmament
and make herself be seen by the world.
because she has her grasp ugnt aDou'
the star"
Then he took occasion to pay announcer
glowing tribute to the inherent virtue VI
American women, and he hopea ina. 'nu
day would never come when we s""i
have to intrust II to the guardianship ot
chaperons and male relatives. In view .,
the confidence and trust that are p'aceu
in our women always. he Thought vely
remarkable that the plaintin rea"
were unwilling that she should go ou'
alone and that even proposals OF mar
rage had TO be made In the presence vi
others.
DEFENDANT NOT LED AsTRAf.
An insinuation. hint. had gore ou.
over the country that the defendaht IN
this case had claimed that he had been
led astray by the girl. Nothing couio DE
farther from the truth. 1t was SIMPLY 90
the defendant himself had adnnitteu.
There was no struggle no protest IL Mss
simply that there were two peopie VIZ
were together and who were potn WINS
to violate Gods law for the sake OF sfau-
flying their passions. 1t was son'e.inne
to be greatly .deplored. but IL was soni.
thing that has occurred time anu ASA"
In the past, and will occur In tne iu'u,
The only way to prevent IL ID 10 IN
cuIcate in our children such an idea OF
morality that everything OF the sort "ou'u
be utterly repugnant TO them. -
At the time of this meeting the pam
tin was 20 years OF age, instead vi ~
Instead OF being an innocent anu sune
less GIRL she was one who hau 'i'''e"
many and devious paths. g..
All this had been proved ny
the testimony OF the witnesses iot
the defence, and IL was noe
true II was within the power Oh ene
plaintiff to disprove II. but that had not
been done. The alleged forged letter, too
was undoubtedly in the handwriting OF the
plaintiff. When she was asked to READ
IL TO the jury she said she would IKE
to examine Ii, for often when she couiu
not recognize a letter by the wrltlns she
would know 1t by the contents. she ala
not want to see the contents TO know
II 1t was her letter. She knew IL was:
She only wanted TO see what was III IL
to see II II would hurt her case, ana as
soon as she was sure that 1t wouid' she
denied that she had ever written II.
Furthermore, the authenticity OF the letter
had been proved by the experts ana the
plaintiff had not even cast "a doubt upon
IL by bringing expert testimony on the
other side. Mr.. Wilson had said that IL
was easy to get expert testimony 10
prove anything, and yet they had not
brought any. No expert would ever risk
his reputation upon such statement.
Then came one of the most eloquent
climaxes OF the speech. After speaking
of the glorious history and antecedents
of the Breckenridge family, Mr.. Butter
worth rushed towards Mr.. Breckenridge,
and in dramatic tones. told him that UNI
less that letter was written by Miss Pol
lard he was a forger. EITHER you nave
forgotten your glorious ancestry ana nave
turned a common forger or else that
woman is liar
Then, in a calmer tone, Mr.. Butter
worth told the jury that If man OF the
intelligence of Mr.. Breckenridge mad un-
dertaken 10 win his case by a forged
letter, he would have written such
letter as would have clinched the matter
beyond a doubt He would have cleared
the chasm. He was mot such an unmlti-.
gated chump as ever to build up such
bridge az would only go half way across
He would have finished up the business
once for all.
Contrasting the statement of Miss Pol
lard that she was an innocent girl when
she met Breckenridge with her own testL
mony, Major Butterworth said If she was
all she said she was, then there was
some excuse for bringing the suit. II
what she says is true" he said, with eyes
a arI nd hal nd ffh
his head, then / am in favor OF Con-
gress offering a premium to every woman
for pulling down glittering star in the
political or any other armament"
BUTTERWORTHIAN IRONY.
With no attempt to disguise his irony,
he pictured Miss Pollard as she had made
herself appear at the meeting with the
defendant at Wesleyan College-a poor,
huttering little creature, who tried and
tried to tell this p1an OF her trouble with
Rodes, and was laughingly diverted and
made to tell OF herself and TO listen 10
batteries Major Butterworth maintained
that If Miss Pollard had been all she
claimed and II Colonel Breckenridge had
made wrongful advances he would have
been repulsed In q way that would have
kept him from further conduct of that
sort. There Is that about the virtuous
germ Of improper approach"
- for the carriage-ride that night. II
she were a yirtuous woman, al the first
approach OF improperly on his part she
would have cried (and Major Butterwortb
made a rush at the white-haired defend
ant, and shook his fist in his face. shout
ing his words In tones that could have
been heard a block: TAKE me back.
you leper.' You would not have gone
twenty feet with her" he shouted. lad
dressing the defendant IT don't care
anything about your blandishments-sbe
would have run away from you-gone to
her mother-to somebody for protection
and so would every virtuous woman re-
pulse such approaches"
Then Major Butterworth pictured the
little pricking pin of conscience that we
may forget In the moment Of tempta-
ton, but which comes back after we have
mad good nights sleep, with terrible
force, and keeps US straight Miss Pol
lard had said that after the defendant had
attempted 10 take advantage of her, and
she had resisted. she went innocently to
him the next day. And II she were vir-
tuous, he asked, could she have done that
without that pulling back Of conscience?
DELILAH AND SAMSON.
In the course of his further argument
Major Butterworth compared the plaintiff
to Delilah and Colonel Breckenridge to
Samson; she got him in her power and
led him by single hair; and when she
had shorn him Of his locks, she cried:
Samson. the Philstines are upon you"
and then he pulled down the temple Of
his fame. and accomplished his ruin.
In all the years of the relationship, he
said, there had not been a memento, a
ring. anything given her as a mark
OF affection, save and except the little
willow basket which had been the dead
wife's. And she comes here for no other
purpose than TO make his crime more
horrible, saying he brought it to her with
these words: Madeline this was Issa's:
she cared for It, and l want you to have
it,
Can 1t be that this man Is monster
enough to drag the name of his dead
wife-to bring a message from her grave
to this woman? Whatever William c. z.
Breckenridge may be guilty of. whatever
his shortcomings, he could not be guilty
of insulting the memory of that dead
wife, with her grave-clothes still cinging
TO her dead form. And this woman tells
how in that carriage ride. when he was
trying to lead her astray. he spoke OF his
dead wife (his first wife) and Of his dead