Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-07-27

r'cl' " CAUSE, III her carry u'ys, Such thought
was never in her mind, but when it had passed
through her experience it came out with this
coItrltlon. That Is the Truth of the case. She
never ought to have been takenfrom her home.
You, gentlemen, did it. You did ii, MIR.
Tracy, Thou art the man.
g. When did you FIRST bring your wife's at
tentlon to the fact you feared there WAS some
thing wrong? A. 1t must have been in the ear
ly years We lived in our present house; about
1862 Never spoke of it afterwards because
Elizabeth blotted out the idea of wrong ut the
time. | WAS very young. and unsuspicous.
When spoke to her about it she was little
confused, and denied it afterwards. She said it
WAS So, but she said, you must Lot DO that"
My reverence OF Beecher prevented me from
Speaking to him about IL or TO any one else Mr.
Beechcr and Mrs. Tilton were sitting on the
floor with the pictures. | ont remember wheth-
er l WAS sitting with them or not, it was SO long
ago
The improper caress saw with my own eyes.
Beecher did not look at ME hrst. He did not
know | noticed It. She may have been sitting
on stool! He on the floor.
z. If he had looked up, would he have seen
you? A. Yes.
@. What part of her person did he touch? A.
Her ANGLE and lower limbs.
q. Not above the knee? A. No
Z Was it done slyly? A. Yes; very slyly,
win his right or left arm u der her dress. My
impression Is it was by the accidental brushing
up her dress that saw his hand on her ankle.
q. You were in doubt whether the gesture
WAS intentional or accidental? A 1t was mere
ly u Suspicion
The committee then proceeded to examine
Tilton about the bedroom scene lie did not
know the year. 1t was good while before the
ankle scene, and while they were living in Liv-
ingSton street. He remembered the room; iden-
titled it by the picture. 1t was the left hand
room in the second story. l knocked at the
door. EliZ.batn came and | WAS surprised
The door was locked. She was surprised at find
ing me- beecher was sitting in ed plush rock
inc chair with his vest unbuttoned. His face
colored like rose when saw him.
Z. The explanation was satisfactory to you
Oh that occasion ? A. Entirely 80. l SHOULD
have thought nothing of 1t had not wondered
at the door being locked. The room was u bed
room connected with q sitting room, sliding
doo;s. Both rooms opened into the hall.
z. Could they have gone into the sitting
room from the hail, and thence into the bed
room? A. will give them the benefit Of the
doubt.
Q. What was the explanation given which
yon found satisfactory? a. Annoy ance Of chill
dren My wife said ours and the neighbors
children We're masking u noise; she wanted q
quiet talk with Mr. Beecher and so she locked
herself in.
Q. That satisfied you? A. Yes, it was entire
ly reasonable
Q. Were the sliding doors open? A. They
were shut.
Q. Mas the hall door opened immedia ely +?
a. Yes.
In reply to further questions Titon said he
never regarded the circumstances US violence
of wrong The explanation blotted it from his
remembrance; but had since mentioned it be-
cansc circumstances ar, Sc which made him feel
the explanation of both scenes were untrue. He
first mentioned it, he thought, to her mother.
He never though there was any wrong in it
until viewed in the light of subsequent events
He C, uld not soy there WAS anyth ne wrong In
it. EliZ beth always denied stoutly any wrong
q. Ycu say Tor u year after Whist you stated as
Mrs. TiIton's confession, she insisted she had
not violated her marriage vows! A. Yes, EllZ-
abeth WAS in sort of vaporous cloud She
could not see il was wrong. She mentioned it
to her mother in my presence that she had not
done wrong She cannot bear to do wrong. A
sense OF having done wrong is enough to crush
her. She naturally seeks for her own
peace conscientious verdict She never
would have had these relations if she had
supposed at the time they were wrong. Eliza
beth never does anything that ut the time seems
wrong For such Il lnrge moral nature there IS
Il lack of certain balance and equipoise. She
has not will that guides and restraints, but
EliZ beth never does at any time that which
does not have the stamp OF her conscience 1T the
time upon it.
@. DO you say that she did or did not insist
that she had i,latcd her marriage vows? A.
She always was saying that 1t never seemed to
her wrong, and ri theodore, | do not see that l
have now wronged you"
z What do you understand her as meaning
by TO love Is praiseworthy, but the abuse of
love is sill ~ A | rather think she meant cur
ry!ng love to too great an extent.
G. Would not that include criminal relations?
\ Yes.
@. Then you understand her AS early Ms lSGS
rs aging that the al use of the gilt oi love hy
adultery would be sin? a. Yes.
Tllton continued that Mrs. TiILon WAS Il lady
of large reading, and said Bcecher carried hur
the sheets OF his Life of Christ and Nor
wood for criticism. She was one OF the best
critics, and her jodgmont Was not warped by OBJ.
~ctions, and he (TillonJ was certain that if
Elizabeth liked what he wrote it WAS rot on his
account, though she was always g.ad when he
wrote u good thing. 1t WAS An honest Criticism.
Ifhe had been minister none ofthc trouble won d
have come She WAS always sorry he was not
a minister, which is the only virtue he possess
Thank God, said Tllton, II do not bnong to
the priesthood or the Church" ain man Of
religious m;.athies, VINO thoroughly hates and
despises religious creeds. | don't believe in one
of the thirty nine articles, nor in either of the
catechisms, nor in the div NIFTY lnjunctons otthe
Scrip.u es, nor in the divinity Uf Christ in the
sense Ill which il is held"
The with, IS continued that his wife grieved
over this with tears, and found what WAS wanting
in him in Beechcr who took advantage of lt,and
ought to spend the rest Of his lile in pcntec CO
and anguish. She regarded Beecher almost us
Jesus Christ himself. Tlton did not think the
thoughts Of passion and CT iminaity were in her
brca:t They were altogethcrs In his, Beech
crs.) She thought only of love and reye. ence.
9. Such q character would not excite u
thought of jealousy rs to her? A. Not the
slightest. l never had the slightest feeling OF
jealousy in regard to Elizabeth There was u
time when felt that Bcccher WAS using his in
huence upon her.
g. To control her in her domestic relations
with you? A. No; but to win her. he WAS al
ways trying to get her to say she loved him bet
ter than me-
Q. She never would say il? A. / don't think
she ever did. She his rcigi us views; she
love him AS an Evangelical minister, but don't
think that, on the whole, he was as much to her
~ | WAS.
Mr. Tilton next testified to the letter written
By his wife to Mr. BeecEer in reference to the
rctraction. What struck him i'll that business
rs so damnable in MIR. Beecher was that, after
coming and confcssng to himself and Moulton
his al relations with Nj TifOn and then