The Washington times., 1923-02-18
CHURCH SINGER
B|.AREs.RONANCE
| WITH POLLARD
IBaby-faced" Woman Tells of
Relations With Man Accused
of Staying Pretty Typist
sHoWEREO WITH GIFTS
Says Defendant Told Her Girl
Had Threatened Life-Doc-
tor States She Carried Gun

= RICHMOND, Va, Feb. IT,
Mrs. Bertha Beck, "the other
woman in the case" went on the
witness stand in the Pollard mur-
der trial this afternoon, admitting
many intimacies with Tom Pollard
and also that she knew he was a
married man and that he had been
intimate with Mrs. Thelma Rich
ardson, the woman he is charged
with killing on the night of De-
cember II.
GAVE HER PRESENTS.
Mrs. Beck made a sensational
Z witness and when it was an
nounced that she would go on the
; stand there was a great stir in
the court room. She is known as
; the 'tbaby-faced choir singer" She
was very, becomingly dressed in : a
dark suit and tailored hat and
answered the questions very
guardedly.
She said Pollard had given her
valuable presents, and when asked
by the Commonwealth if she thought
1t was right for her, married
woman, to accept presents from
@ married man, said, II don't know;
] guess it wasn't exactly the right
: thing to do"
She told Of automobile rides with
Pollard: of going with him to a
Petersburg hotel. She said she
knew Of his relations with his
stenographer. She said Pollard had
| told her that Mrs. Richardson had
threatened to kill him.
You were going around with
Pollard, married man, when you
/ were still. in the blessed state Of
matrimony yourself?" Attorney
Byrd asked.
$"I wouldn't call it blessed" was
Mrs. Beck's acid reply.
This caused such a demonstration
In court that Judge Richardson
started to clear the court room
but said he would give the spec
tators one more chance.
Mrs. Beck told of having lunch
with Pollard and another woman
two days before the murder and
that he proposed marriage to her,
but said he did it sjokingly.
What do you mean jokingly?"
asked A ttorney Byrd farzthE State.
II don't think a man would pro-
pose to a woman with a third party
present" she said.
Mrs. Beck said that since the Pol
lard trouble her husband has been
back to see her and asked her. to.
take him back. A divorce is pend
ing between them. She said he Of
fered to do anything in the world
- he could for. her, but that when he
left he took a part. of the house
: hold furniture with him.
E4TTSRANn M CTANn
More of the seamy side of the. case
came out today. when Dr. F. M.
Bennett went on the stand and told
of an operation he had performed
on Mrs. Richardson, and said Pol
lard paid for the operation. He
said the operation was made neces.
sary because of an illegal operation
that had been performed by some
unski1led person.
Another sensation was thrown
into the case when Herbert Richard
son, husband Of the murdered
woman, went on the stand and de-
clared he still loved the memory Of
his wife. and loved her up to the
time she died, even though he knew
Of her intimate relations with Pol
lard. He said. although he was
divorced from her he did not bring
action on statutory grounds be-
cause he was too much Of a man
to bring all those things out about
his wife,
Richardson said he paid his
wffe's funeral expenses and for the
removal of the body to Atlanta for
burial.
The defense tried to show that
Richardson had given his divorced
wife the pistol with which to kill
Pollard. The pistols figuring in
the, case were brought into court,
but Richardson was unable to iden-
tify either.
That Mrs. Richardson, carried a
small revolver in her handbag, a
week before she was shot, was the
testimony of DR.. Bennett.
That Mrs. Thelma Richardson,
pretty typist, killed in December
II last in scuffle with Thomas
Pollard, prominent real estate
dealer, carried small revolver in
her handbag a week before she
was shot, was the testimony to-
day of DIR. F. Mel. Bennett.
SAW GUN IN OFFICE
The physician said Mrs Richard
son, after consulting him in his
office about her condition, displayed
a revolver as she reached in her
handbag for paper bills. He show
ed the jury how she tried to hide
the pistol by coverin'' it with her
own hand.
The Commonwealth feels il scored
point refuting the testimony of
Robert Pollard, Toms brother, that
the Richardson woman did not ad
vance beyond the hallway on the
first floor of the apartment in
which Pollard lived. Mrs J. w
Jones, next door neighbor, said
she saw a woman running along
the hallway of Pollard's apartment
on the second floor shortly before
the shooting occurred on the front
lawn. She identified the woman al
Mrs. Richardson, through news
paper photographs.
Mrs. Jones described the woman
she saw as having bobbed, curll
hair. Coroner Whitfield, put OIL
the stand by the defense, said Mrs
Richardson's hair was neither curly
nor cut short But Mrs. Jones
insisted she could not have beer
mistaken.
That she heard Mrs. Richardson
screaming to Pollard Shoot me