The San Francisco call., 1896-06-06
LILLIAN ASHLEY's STORY.
What She Knows and Does Not
Know of John Osborne.


Know of John Osborne.
John Osborne's testimony in the Ashley
Baldwin suit is most damaging to the
plaintiff, and every effort is being made
by her attorneys to break it down. Os-
borne testified on Thursday that he had
been on terms of intimacy with Miss
Ashley in 1887, during trip he made to
Boston, and went into vile details. Miss
Ashley last evening made the following
statement:
In the latter part of September or the first of
October, 1887, my mother and attended the
lar at Mystic Park, Medtord, Mass While
travelling from Vermont to Boston we stopped
at a small station-Caanan, N. Hand John
Osborne quoted a few lines of Scripture about
the happy land of Canaan in the Bible, and
addressed few remarks to my mother, telling
her he was from Salem, Or.
Conversation ensued at intervals between
my mother and Mr.. Osborne, and he OCCASION
ally addressed few remarks to me during the
ride of about 100 miles TO Boston. Before
leaving the train he asked my mother for
our address and begged to call on u.s. but my
mother answered that we had not decided
where we would stop. Mamma and l took
quarters at a comfortable hotel near Mystic
Park, where we remained during our entire
visit, with the exception of q few days, when
we visited in Bos ton.
One day we accidentally met Mr.. Osborne on
the street in Boston, and he asked where we
were stopping ana uTReQ q TO allow MIN
TO call on US. Mamma gave him our hotel ad-
dress near Mystic Park. He called on us there,
and also called while we visited in Boston,
taking as TO the theater once or twice, to the
Museum of Fine Arts and to the fair.
A few days later Mr.. Osborne astonished me
very much by telling me he had fallen madly
In love with me, and wis he'd me to become
his wife, to which replied very decidedly no.
This proposal was made one evening in the
hall when Mr.. Osborne was taking his leave. L
told my mother of it.
We returned to Royalton VT, to the home of
Mr.. and Mrs. Tenney, with whom we were
boarding, and soon after John Osborne came to
Royalton, took room at the Village Hotel,
called on US and persisted in paying me at
tention. GirlEke l accepted them, just to
make the village girls jealous. was only q
young schoolgirl, weighing about ITO pounds,
full OF fun and mischief. l drove with Mr..
Osborne once or twice, and he took me to
church soeials, prayer-meetings, singing
schools and concerts, such being the only en-
tertainments we had there.
After while Mr.. Osborne began to grow seri-
GUS, and urged me to marry him. When told
him that did not love him, and never could
he said he would teach me TO love him after
we were married. still said no, and ne went
back to Oregon telling me | would rue the
day so stubbornly refused him.
Mr.. Osborne told me in Vermont that he had
come East to set a wife; that he had fine
residence in Salem, Or, and was worth $4,000
besides Had he not believed that I could be
persuaded to change my mind and marry hi m
he would have married the daughter of his
name is Lillian Pearson. He took her out
some when he was in Boston, and she fell in
love with him, so he said. They had their pic :
lures taken together, he told me, but he ney er
showed me the picture.
never gave r. Osborne picture Of myself,