The New York herald., 1874-08-16

clearly. It. was a codplooded, premedttated
murder. instigated oy black, hearted disoohca re.
accordingly Tne man was Afterwards executed.
was iorciby reminded OF this case few days
whatever it may be called OF Mrs Elizabeth r.
T1lLon before the committee appointed by Mr..
Beecher to investigate the alleged ISLANDERS con,
seemed to me as II the same legal views
OF the defence l have referred TO were
adopted with almost equal success in the
present instance. or course, am not lawyer,
and do hot Understand nne drawn legal distlnc-
tiOns and complicated theories. l believe every
criminal case must have theory, whether con-
sistent with the evidence or not, and Am sure
that 1t must DE very scienilnc and talented and all
that sort OF thing; but it appeared to II the
whole object Of her production ana testimony was
to show such state OF feeling between her husband
virtue not only possible, but the most probable
currence In the world. Harsh treatment neglect,
conep ins and ,pdisn,tv eysss
kind this lady averred she endured at the hands
OF Theodore l1lton. She mad no pride OF appear
ance. She "knew her presence was always mean,n
and conscious OF this delect II 1t may be Called
with a woman's tact and discrimination she sought
not To render attractive what she could not I'M
prove, but turning her attention IN another direc-
tion, endeav0red to compensate tor the Imperfect
tons of her personal appearance by cuitivating
her mental faculties, and herein she attained
marked success. she considered herself
highly possessed, and was proporrionateiy
that II vain OF any thing 1t was oil her men,
tai end0wmentS; and aG this was vanity, SO IL
was u weakness. sue WAS ANXIOUS 10 OlSpiay ucT
abilities and observe what recognition or appreSia-
tion the exhibition would evoke from others. Her
husband, however, coldly criticised her language,
presence and was thus cruelty wounded in II
own esteem. Instead OF regarding her with prlde
he of her @ ns
preciated. She was wrapt in hopelessness and
gloom her heart was fun .0,,., o, rebel
Of the Almighty mercy which lett her ivins cnil:
70 70 ad Unes
passed away, as new incentive to her weeping
and melancholy madness. She was determined 10
confusion OF IDEAS which seemed to reverse their
relative POSITIONS looked upon her husband as O
filter inmate OF a lunatlc asylum than mate Tor
her. Yet she was sensible that there was another
much greater than her husband-one whose lame
reached throughout the land and ar beyond the
surroundings were mr superior 70 those
this one she was Durdened with no Illuminating
sense OF tn1erlOrity and was, without Offensive
condesce nsion treated and Recognized as an e4nai
Place, and not elsewhere happy. This woman
was nervous, sensitive and prOud; emotional, ro-
stantly inhaled fetid and enervating atmosphere.
sue read novels, too and was evidently IN tae
habit OF idennfying herself with the last new
heroine who challenged her attention. Gifted
with Keen perception in some respects, she mad
delicacy and refinement sutlicient TO comprehend,
quickly appropriate as a slight anything however
small That might by possibility be 80 construed,
although not 80 intended and having once taken
her affection and confidence from her husband,
she was not slow to magnify into colossal proper
tions every triffing word and deed, however inno-
Gently meant, as wrong and outrage offered to
herself. Every Indifferent word and look to her
had a meaning and was pregn ant with suspicion
and contempt. While her letters breathing love
and iaith are cOntradlcted by and utterly az war
with her verbal statement bOtn cannot be true,
and whichever ID adopted necessarily ialsiaes
IN han anti ,iah
ner ar ii published letters were sincere a'eA her M
statement must as certainly be untrue; II
insincere they are models OF deceit and hypocrisy,
and could have been written Tor no better purpose
unan to mislead her husband by inspiring him with
confidence in an affection which did not exist.
IL Is not too much to say that this IS the condi-
tion in which the testimony OF Mrs. Titon leaves
the case Do not understand me TO intimate an
opinion Of ner guilt or Innocence or that her hus-
Oand Is immaculate, or better or worse than she
declares him TO be. leave those questions un-
touched and desire TO consider only the judgment,
and by her examination. And Tor this pur-
pose assuming ner story, as told to the
committee to he true. She must have been thor
Oughly dlsgusted with and must have heartily
despised Theodore TIlt0n. No man or woman in
the world Will believe different i'll say if-ner
statement be true. Hatred may be too strong
word to usc but the feenngs entertained by her for
him, II they did not attain that bad dignity, must
nave been 50 nearly aka that the difference would
be In shade ana color only.
Now, 1t is universally believed that the best safe
guard OF husbands honor rests IN the affection
l. y
and confidence DO not exist, where estrsngement,
disrrust and dislike prevail, nothing remains
to h% assn sad to tns
the wife frankly admits an attraction
toward another man, les him be saint or sinner,
it adds no new security to the safety OF her own
fair lame. We are often told OF attachments be-
tween persons OF opposite sexes OF purely pa-
tonic and spiritual character, SO fur above the
preclative earta tnat We poor waits OF humanity,
irai and fallible, cursed with an inheritance OF
alcv trrr frl I'M .ertH "a
intent to enjoy the world We live in--we, who are
afflicted ike Hamlet, with more faults upon our
heads than we have words at, At our command to to
ourselves the suppOsition that we under
stand them. OF course such attachments are
very heavenly and all that sort OF thing. do not
mean 10 speak irreverently, but there IS prevail
ing opinion IN all well regulated respectable COM
munities that an Indulgence IN such sentiments
has a bad and demoraizing tendency, aud gen
orally results IN demonstratlng that the name or
iraity is man as well as wonan-they are both irah
sanctity or divinity OF such attachments ana look
upon them. however innocent, especially be-
snar %ared ~ man Sa a. marsa to
;ne other-as an immlnently slippery and dan
gerous relationship. Nor does IT help the
to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or hysterical, think some
one calls iton the subject OF religion, Is devotee
SO ond and 80 absorbed a. ina. sne sees an nnge, Ia
OF darkness and delusion as to believe that o
hnman soul can be white and pure before Its God
WINE ltS uWcAiulk PluCV Nd iVuA oAu PVHutSu WIN
adultery.
Understand, do not say Mrs. T1lton is guilty
God forbid should Judge her. l am mercy dis
cussing an abstract theory that has q connection
with the case and am endeavoring to show where
the lawyers have left IT, whatever The facts may be-
IL Ia all the more wonderful to me that the state
ment should have been maze when discover from
the questions put 20 the lady and her arswera
story existed between the lawyer and herself Her
questions, too, were 80 framed and the answers SO
connected tnat It must BE obvious TO every person
the statement mad been rehearscd ana her eX-
amner had complete knowledge in advance OF
what she would say. The witness was nervous rs
might be naturally expected. Her position was
novel and terrible. The strongest and
most resolute nature could not but
Hnk beneath an ordeal 80 fearful, test
so unequal and disproportionate to mortal
strength. Yet she came to this task, resOlut ey,
perhaps, but far from strong. She WAS weak,
dazed AND tOttering, sustained only by belief
true or sllacioust matters not, It was belief, that
her position had around 1t all the halo and glitter
OF a martyrs doom tor wOmans faith. Poor
Elizabeth That hour Of bitter anguish was expa-
for