The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-15
THE BROOKLYN AFFAIR.
Cross-Examination Of Mr.. Beecher.
Interesting Developments.
Beecher's Explanation of His
Letters.
His Opinion of NIOultOm.

| toms house, December 80, and the next was
at my own on the next day-a threatening in
| terview.
Odd you consider the interview at Moul-
| toms house a threatening interview? L have
| heard from some source that the door was
| locked
A.-That is stated in my statement
Q.-What was your impression from that act
| of locking the door?
| A Il did not think anything about it, nor
| care snap about it; l only remembered it
afterward. His family were away visiting, al d
the family was alone for several days, and
| when he came in he not only locked the door,
but he took the key out and put it in his pocket.
/ must have noticed it, or it would not have
come to my memory: He said something about
not being interrupted in any way. The servant
girl was in the house, l think
Citizen Mr.. clifton locked the door when
you went into the room with him?
A.-Not that remember.
Odd Mr.. Tilton at that time make any
charge of adultery?
A.-No, sir.
Q-What was Moulton's manner at that
time, when he demanded retractions of Mrs.
Tilton's threatening?
Al should describe it as being exceedingly
one of intense excitement,
Odd it impress you with any sense of
personal danger?
A.-No, sir
Q-Was it the result Of that EVENINGS con-
versation, and full and free expression from
you, that he came to be your confident, and
that he seemed to sympathize with YOU?
A.-No, sir. That was the result, probably,
of some months intercourse.
Tiiton's Hold On Beechcr's Sympathy
Explained.
Off you used the words, sHe would have
been better man in my circumstances than
have BEEN" what did you mean by them?"
Al do not know, l am sure. The CONVEX
sation ran on alphabetically in respect to the
hatra vol Of q friend in q N bOur of in
respect to undermining Tilton just at the time
when Mr.. Bowen and all the world were leav-
ing him, in respect to want of fidelity, and
there is one thing that you are to bear in mind
"a thing that have never mentioned to any of
you, and that had very strong influence upon
mel can never forget kindness done to me.
When the war broke out, my son went into a
Brooklyn regiment and after being seven
months in camp at Washington, he played
series of pranks on some of the officers, and
got himself into great trouble, and Col. Adj
ans recommended him to resign, and he came
TO me- Well, it broke my heart. 1 had but
one boy that was old enough to go, that could
offer to my country, and 1 told Theodore, who
was in the Office with me. He made the case
his own. Mr.. Tilton has great deal in his up.
per nature, if he could be cut in two, and his
lower nature could be separated from the up
per. There is great deal in his upper nature
that is capable of great sweetness and beauty.
At any rate he took I'D my case. He suggest
ed himself that the thing to do would be to get
him transferred into the regular army. He
| said that he knew Sam Wikeson, correspon-
dent of the Tribune who was at that tine in
Washington, and had great influence, and that
he would go right on that very night and Sc
cure this thing. He did, without moments
delay, start and go to Washington, and he Sc.
| cured, through Sam Wilkinson, from Simon
Cameron, then Secretary of War, the appoint
ment of Henry as I'd Lieut. in the 4th Artillery
service have felt ever since that in the do
ing of that he did the most royal service. l
have felt it eXquistely, and there has not been
a time when have done anything that hurt
Tilton that that thing has not come back to
me, and when it seemed as though had in an
| hour of need and trouble stepped aside and
| even helped to push him, 1 felt it very acute
Sympathy for Mrs. TiI,on.
Q-Here are three letters, written on Feb. z,
| 1871. am not quite sure whether [ under
| stood you correctly in saying that you did
not see Theodore's letter to Moulton of that
| date?
Al have not remembrance of it. only
| know that there was an arrangement made
| among us to bring an influence to bear upon
| Elizabeth in consequence of her state of mind.
I used to say to him, "Moulton, am man,
| walking in the open air and full of work, and
Theodore is at Dose and doing whatever he
| pleases, and we can come down and talk to
| you; have counsel, but what human being
has Elizabeth Tlton to talk with her in her
trouble? She is shut up at home, sick and un.
befriended, and it is not generous for us to let
| her 90 unthought and uncared for 1 was al
ways saying that there ought to be somebody
| who should think of her.
A MIDDLE.
Q-In your letter of the same date to Mr..
| MouIton this occurs: "Would to God, who Or
| ders all hearts by the kind meditation, Theo-
| dore and Elizabeth and | could be made friends
| again." Theodore will have the hardest task
in such a case. Precisely what did you mean?
Why that last sentence?
| Alt is all muddle to me, as l don't recall
| the precise working of my mind. 1 have no
| vivid recollectian of the making up of the let
ter or of the precise moods under which
wrote. / cannot give the reason Of the SEN
tence, only know the general drift which we
| were on.
Q-I call your attention to it because critic
ism is made in certain quarters that it referred
to Mr.. Tilton's marital trouble growing out OF
your Offence.
| A-Well. but see, is not it agoing back to
| friendship? Is it not the restoration of the
family?
! Q-W.hat you ask for is that you three
| should be made friends again?
| A-Yes; that we should all cooperate.
| Q-And you say that Theodore will have the
| hardest task?
| A-There was family that by circumstances
| had been brought to the bitterest antagonisms
| at time of the most profound adversely, when
| Mr.. Tilton had got to struggle for his liveli-
hood, for his name, for his position and for his
household, everything put together He was
in situation in WATCH he had got to exert
himself in every way for restoration in every
manner, and the point was that she should
CO rate with him as we'll as with his friends;
if she had her sorrows to bear at home, he had
his too. That it was, think likely. may have
suggested those words. Elizabeth, you know,
| was at times immensely bitter against TheO
dore, and felt that she had been the aggrieved
one, and had been led to suppose that she
had not been anything like so much aggrieved
as / now suppose she had been.
| Forbidding Beecher the House.
DIN the same letter of Feb. 7, you say, s'of
course 1 can never speak with her again with
then it would be best" Why did you say
that?
A-Because either at time of that letter from
Mr.. Bowen, or in its immediate vicinity, Mr.
Triton. as / have the impression now, sent
word to Mr.. Bowen Though cannot be sure Of
| that forbidding me ever to enter his house
again.
Q-When was that?
Alt was in the vicinity Of the whole bust
ness but in what way it came or what the
precise date of it was, [ cannot tell. only
know that the message was conveyed to me
from him, but by whom, or how, or when,
have forgotten it was distinct thing in my
memory, and afterward her on one or two oc
casions, took pains to rsvoke it after he had
been recouciled.
~tOuIuy DOO
ON the same letter occurred the word
| (which Mr. Tilton in his statement made ap
pear to come from another letter, but which in
| fact are from the same letter. "When 1 saw
you last did not expect ever to see you agail
or to be alive many days." What was in you
mind when you wrote them?
Aust what have stated in my statemen
already.
Q.-Nothing else?
A.-No; know I have frequently said, I"
wish was dead" and Theodore Tilton he cam
in ard said he wished he was dead, and Moul
ton was frequently in state in which ne wish
, | ed he was dead. and Mrs. Moulton said; 81 an
t | living among friends, every one of whom wish
3 | es he was Dead" or something like that; l d.
not know that 1t was smarter than that, bu
she put in way that was very lGdicrons; ever
| one of us used to be echoing that wish: VI
| were veKed and plagued together, and use
3 | the familiar phrase, II wish was dead"
O.-The outside gossip is that you referred i
| that line to contemplated suicide
Mr.. Beecher.-How do you propose to cur
the gossip?
MI. Winslow.-T cannot say, but wish t
know if anything of that kind was in you
t | mind.
matter Of this whole thing was this land ker