The Portland daily press., 1874-08-01
Our New York Letter.
The scandai-Rea son of E8eecher's De.
Iay-Carpenier and his Tattling.
New YORK, July 30. is

NEW YORK, July 30, 1874
Lest the apparent procrastination of the
Beecher committee, should be construed pref
udicialy to the cause of the defence, take &C.
casion to inform the readers of the PRESS that
it is attributable solely to the absence of Mr..
Moulton. 1t has been regarded as desirable to
maintain the sequence of the case, by hearing
all that is to be said in support of the accusa-
tion first. Ills course is conformable alike to
legal usage and practical common sense. Mr.
Moulton was one of the earliest to appear lie.
fore the committee, and he made somewhat
formal speech on that occasion, in which he
avowed his purpose to tell the "whole truth" if
the investigation was persisted in, intimating
with that peculiar air Of mystery which has
constituted SO marked feature of the entire
proceedings Of the pursuers, that lie was pom
derously treighted with information on the SUBJ
ject. III g professed the most unbounded affee-
ton for Mr. Beecher, but declared that he
would not see Titon "crucified" AS soon as
the time comes for Mr.. Moulton to relieve him
self of the secret burden. of truth which
seems necessary for the purpose of the inquiry,
he finds It convenient to be absent from the
city. This brings the investigation to tenn
porary stand-st,ll. There are two theories on
which Mr.. Moultons departure is accounted
for. The one is that finding that Mr. Tilton
has already undergone a moral crucifxion he
is decidedly averse to subjectjng himself to the
risks OF similar catastrophe, by attempting TO
corroborate his allegations. The other is that
he is anxious to hold himself in reserve, until
the testimony for the defence is exhausted, so
that he may have the last word. The commit
tee elect to submit to delay rather than abet
design to which such suspicion of sim
lister motive attaches. Whenever Mr.. Moul-
ton sees fit to present himself, and COM
ply with the demand of the committee to
tell all he knows, Mr.. Beecher will close the
case, and then, and not till then, the public
will be in possession of the points, on which
it can form an intelligent Judgment of the mat
ter.
But there is one witness so willing TO lie
heard, that he cannot wait to he called, but
PUSHES, in his eager Impotence, to the news
papers and the telegraphic wires. This is
Mr.. Carpenter. He is bursting with anxiety
to unburden himself. He is a complete en-
cyciopedia of hearsay on this-to him-titilat-
ing theme He has been by turns interviewer
and interviewed tbereanent, ever since the
precious Woodruff forged her thunderbolt.
His fertile mind has addressed itself most
perslstently to devices for compromise. He
has constantly been holding out the idea that
the complainant could be bought off. And it
is only fair to say that he never seems 20 have
had the smallest perception of the disgraceful
character OF such suggestion. One of his
proJects--of which have yet seen no mention
IN prlht-was that Mr.. Beecher's friends should
furnish sufficient sum Of morey to establish
daily newspaper, Of which he (Beecher) was
to be the editor, and that Mr. Tilton should be
sent abroad, as its foreign correspondent.
He intimated very clearly that LIZ had author
lty Tor making this proposal 1t was. of
course Indignantly rejected, with the obvious
comment that it was an unmstakable niece of
back-mail. When this view of the case was
presented to him, it did seem for moment to
dawn upon his mind that it was liable to such
characterization, and he then had the eraca
to admit that he had not consulted Mr.. Beech |
er about it,
And now Mr.. Carpenter comes to the front
with voluminous budget of tttle-tattle. He
plumes himself on having been |
perpatetie dissemination of the UNIV wholesome |
gossip incident to this bewildering drama.
He goes to New Haven and oscilates con-
Iinually between New York and BROOKLYN
telling eyerybo1, what everybody else
SAID lie is Just the sort of person to impart
IN open secret to, and he revelels in the air of
privacy with which lie narrated to each new
conner, in gush of confidence, Tue latest thing
somebody else had communieatetto tim in de.
usive trustfnlness
And this was the way in which the scandal
vas husbed In fact it was currant ex,r,v1,oro
'Aoep' III Tie newspapers, and they, to their
'ieuiV pe IL S''ia' repressed their curiosity, out
II regard TO public decency or out of respect to
he great name WHICH was being SO sacrilerious.
assalled 1t was because of these pernetnal
VhlsEerings and shrugs, that Mr. Baecher,s
lie was made unhappy. In his knowledge Of
lie use to which the story was being perverted
Ve have the key 10 those expressions of an
uish, which have been quoted rs admissions
I guilt OF sensitive nature, oppressed
nth the con- eiousness of an imprudence. the
'rong Of winch he hal greatly exaggerated
nd ainfuily aware Of the extent t, which he
ad placed himse in the p, wer of unrelenting
ersecutorS tbele were momen S when lie would
thousand times rather have died than live
nder dark c'oud which might at any time
nrst INTO i;iess ssorm of obloquy and vitu-
Grafton.
but when it is found, as found it will be, that
10 gloomy loma7c, is d We ted of the elements
nich pace IL within the pale OF actual crimi-
aiity, tnat there has been NJ thing in the case /
,yond mere ebullilion of sentiment ai,v I
consciously tending to, but never resulting I
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