Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-17

/ OF lUS own ITCH anu powerful men. MIS-
1. Woodruff has excited the ire of tina.
press; she is at var with that society
and I, for one, refuse TO condemn her OF
their abuse. On the contrary, whel
every paper ia the North SO peTsistently
and so grossly abuses a woman, / shat
be the more inclined 70 believe she may
possess many good, if not really noble
qualities. Influenced by these feelings
when in Boston last September, with
my husband, I went 10 the Andrews
Hall where a convention wasg going ON,
and where Mrs. Woodruff was eXpecte,
to sneak. The hall was crammed and
damned with people. Some half a dozen
men were on the platform motions and
resolutions were going on. One or two
short addresses were made by different
members of the convention. We soon
discovered there was great impatience
for Mrs. WOOdhuHs appearance. Every
body seemed eager 10 hear her. All OF
a sudden, from a side door, a female
form flashed in, and flashed on the plat
form, and frOnted the eXpectant crowd.
Her movement was swift, her air and
expression high-wrOugnt, rs a tragic
queens when she PUSHES on the stage
before the footlights, surcharged with
impassiOned feeling. 4 sort of electric
shock swept over the assembly striking
it to a dead stiffness. as if waiting a
thunder-claD. We hadnot lOngtOw wait:
Il came, indeed, a thunder-clap. 1t did
not startle, il stunned rs. Mrs. Wood
hull tossed back her nair, in high tragic
style, and poured Out 4 torrent Of flame.
II made our flesh TO creep and our blood
to run cold. Its effect on smyself and
husband was a positive pain, partly
arising from the p%rofOundest pity for a
creature so wrOnged as she proclaimed
herself, and feeling those wrongs 50
keenly as she seemed to feel them, and
making that desperate fight with all
the great powers Of earth, rs 1t We're,
single-hanGed and alone. she made us
think of some hunted creature at BAY
with the world, a creature which had
tried TO escape its enemies, but, over
taken by them, had turned for a last de-
spairing and desperate struggle.
Before going into the matter Of her
address, that address for which she is
now in prison, I viii picture her appear
ance as well as I can. She is about
thirty-fOur or five years old, Of medium,
or q little under medium size. Her fea-
lures are delicate and clear cut, the nose
slightly acquiline. Her skin smooth
and pale, except when under the excite
ment Of speaking, then two crimson
spots burn on her cheeks, and in her
eyes is a lurid light. Her hair is dark
brown, short and wavy. Her dress
perfectly plain, Of fine material, made
up sufficiently in the mode TO escape an
old-time appearance, yet without am
effort at effect. When in repOse her
manners are composed and dignified.
When speaking she has all the action
and fervor of a tragic actress. She might
be called handsome, but that one sees in
her aspect and her eyes, she has suffered
more than her share Of the sorrows of
humanity. In looking Oh her, we do
not think to admire, we only feel for
her the p~rOfOundest pity. At least that
Is the way she affected me Her face,
the saddest 1 eveT saw, tells OF wrecked
hopes, and a cruel battle with life. This
particular speech for the utteTance and
printing Of which she is now in Jail, was
indeed u%nequalled for audacity and
boldness; it was a daring denUnciation
of the vices and crimes Of the highest,
the richest, the most powerful of the
rich and powerful In that country. The
papers call it obscene; it may have been
every word false for anything / know,
but il certainly was not obscene. There
was not an obscene word Or description
in il. 1t was tiercely denunciatOry. fiery
and scandalous, but not obscene. The
paper in which the accusations of that
speech are restatcd, I have not, but IN
the New York Ir567nleO OF November 9th.
her lawyer states that he has read the
paper from first 10 last, and that it does
not contain n obscene word. That
lawyer also states, that the men Mrs.
NNT,.IhrsH hae 90, rr.,vf-s aa.rra.I rF 1,a
rible vices, dare not meet those charges
openly, and sc revenge themselves by
throwing Mrs. w. in prison on a charge
of Obscenity. Obscenity is the meanest,
the most disgusting offense q human can
commit. People naturally shrink from
the very word. To hear one of my "
sex charged with it, is a pain and NOR
LITIGATION. For this reason, while the
whole world seems united to condemn
that unfortunate woman, / wish 30 lift
from her some Of the load unjustiy laid
on her. Every Northern paper calls
her speech on September Ilth, obscene,
though it was not that; it was such as
would inevitably u the rage Of many
rich and powerful men, 1t was, in fact,
a declaration of war against those men.
Of course they will use their power b
crush her to the earth.
Mrs. WOOdhullis speech poured out a
stream of hame; il bleWOver the shocked
audience like a hot-blast. Editors,
teachers, preachers she spared not. She
rudely tore aside the cloak Of religion
and morality and high responsibility,
which she said enWTapped those high
and mighty men, and held up their So
cial sins and inigBiues to the glare Of
day. Ard we al %shuddered as we look
ed. And those high and mighty Boston
men shuddered and gUaked too, for they
seemed to dread she would seize their
names and hold up their vices TO be
gazed at by the world. Mrs. Woodruff
did not go for those editors, teachers and
preachers, in any indefiDate, gingerly 1
way. She called out their anne boldly, f.
and stated Of what they were guilty.
Henry Ward Beeoher suffered severely.
She said he was one Of the worlds wOr-
shipped-he was in fact a living lie; he
preached aChrist-like purity Oflife-Qnd
he preached u eUeTy Sunday TO his mis-
~fresses, members Of his church, sitting al
their pens ROBBED ht silks and sdtiBs and
high responsibility! She said for ten
wears Beeeher had carried ON a criminal
intimacy with Mrs. Tilt0n, a member Of
his church and was the fatherof some Of
her children. She said society was a
whited sepulcher, fair without, rotten
within, fun Of hypOcracies and shams.
She believed il her mission to show up
the shams to uncover the hypocrisies.
When she had finished off Beecher she
back to Boston and ifsed some Of
Us editors high in the air, and scOrcbed
them with her fiery accusations. These,
she cried, were the worlds high and holy;
hfnk gn1 hofrF -. #uFnah tho hana of
her garments. 50 high and holy they
the right to east stones on her.
Then, in the most impassioned accents,
she demanded ifthere was a single inn
maculate being in that hall, he should
rise TO his feetand cast on her the stones,
Whereupon, right in the middle of the
hall, up from the dense crowd, 8 forlorn,
seedy looking fellow, with a small car
petbag In his hand, rose TO his feet, and
every eye was turned on him. Mrs. Z
Woodruff paused, and for a moment
surveyed the forlorn figure, clai ming 10
be Immaculate. Perhaps she thought
had the stones IN his caTpetbag.
Whether because Of the immacUlateness,
or because Of the stones i cannot say,
but that Boston audience would not toll
crate the aImmaculatev a single in
slant. First il broke into a shout Of de-
risive laughter, then il Kissed like a
thousand snakes, then it howled "Put
him OUT Put him OUT" The astonished
a~Immaculate'' covered down in his
seat, and Mrs. WIS herysfaIae went on,
until she suddenly stopped, and flashed
from the platform and out at the side
d0orjust as swiftly as she bad flashed IN.
And everybody sat as If asto1nded.
This is as strictly accurate as ] can pic
that scene. twas bitter, burning,
damaging, but not IA one iota obscene.
Mrs. Woodruff IS making war OF rich
and powerful men. The New York
Tribune reporter says one Of these men
told him he meant 10 ''Tafn nor to tho
earth, u % took eyely hour ~ hfs tyc,
ana cUcry dollar Of his ~JorfUse.n fMr.
Woodruff has lied on these men, il is
their business to ~proaccute her for slam
Ter. They injEFe their own cause when
hey throw her in jail on a false accusa-
ion. nwnat I have written be obscene,
hen wa her speech obscene. Above :