The New York herald., 1874-12-12
,oncment OF the Beecher Trial
The Bill of Particulars.

An OIueI WAS lssueo yeSCeIuhJ ny tnc Clty
Court of Brooklyn putting over the trial of
the Grim. con. suit of Tilton VS.. Beecher to the
January term of the Court, on the ground that
the trial is likely to be SO protracted that it
cannot be brought to a conclusion at the
present term This seems proper enough on
its face, but whether anything is reached
under the postponement it would be hazard
Gus to conjecture, after the surprise which
fell on the public in the sudden termination of
the Proctor Moulton libel suit. It is proba-
BILE that the trial will proceed in January,
since the decision of the Court on the appli-
particulars does not exclude the alleged con-
fessons. There would have been manifest
violation of fairness if the order had confined
Tlton to proofs Of adultery at specified times
and places, excluding all evidence that does
not bear on particular places and times. If
the order had taken that form the plaintiff
would have been SO hampered and crippled
that he would be virtually non-suited before
the trial begins. In his sworn state
ment submitted to the Court Mr. Tilton
acknowledges that the most important
part of his proofs do not fix the dates
or point out the scene of the criminal
intercourse. An order excluding such proofs
would have disabled him from proving
his charge, even if he held in his hands
written confession of the defendant acknowl-
edging the adultery in general terms, without
specification Of time and place. IF such .
<oI
can be no doubt that it would be valid and
conclusive evidence, even if it consisted in o
mere general admission of the fact, without
circumstances or particulars Now, it ac-
cords with common sense that oral confessions
of the same character, if it can be proved on
good testimony that they have been made,
should be equally admissible as evidence, and
be held equally conclusive in establishing the
guilt of the defendant
Tilton makes in his affidavit clear state
ment Of the nature Of the proofs he expects to
offer. Their main groundwork is confessions
which he declares to have been made by Mr..
Beecher to three different persons, whose
names he gives, and other confessions Of the
same tenor and purport alleged to have been
made to four persons, who are likewise named,
by Mrs. Tilton. If he shall satisfy jury
that such confessions were actually made by
the alleged parties to the criminal connection,
there is no reason for doubling that the verdict
will be in his favor. Mr.. Beecher's and Mrs.
Tilton's letters are to be relied on as corrobo-
rative evidence, and they will be likely to have
some influence on the minds of the Jury in
estimating the credibility of the testimony to
the confessions
Perhaps the most painful circumstance which
has yet appeared in this revolving case is Til
tons statement of his intention to bring his
own daughter to the witness stand to prove
confession of adultery by her mother. Whether
this young girl is to appear voluntarily or by
paternal coercion to testify to her mothers
shame it will be the most disgusting spectacle
ever witnessed in court of justice. Inf
nitely better had it been for Titon to have
borne hia wr0nSA in aianne--if ha has been