, 1874-08-09
THE VAGARIEs OF INNOCENCE.

| earth, the guilty man has been known to alS
kind by certain iufa1lible, ever-present marks.
Cain. after be had killed his brother, grew con-
yeniently ignorant OF everything concerning his
| whereabouts. When tbs Lord inquired OF him
where Abel WAS, be answered. By another inquiry,
viz: Whether he was his brothers. keeper.
| But. notwithstanding this bravado, he ran away,
and. on the whole, his den2eanor has been the
| demeanor Of guilt ever since. This was in the
early time, ere guilt had studied the Of coun-
terfeiting innocence. Later criminals learned to
copy the gait, the manner, and the composuro of
!! virtue. The murderer learned to walk among lis
fellow-creatu1es and to be anxious for the protcc-
countrymen. The drunkard learned TO preach
temperance, and the adulterer to exp2tiare on
the sin Of incontinence- In the course OF time,
vice has learned the features, gait department,
and manners Of virtue; dressed herself in her
| garb, and passed for what sLe is not. It has
been always very common thing to see the
wrong-doer mimic the Ways Of innocence; but
never until the Beecher-Tilton case was it known
Guilt.
11r. Deecher protests TINT be has been always
pure, aud, in particular, that be mas never been
guilty of any improperly With HRS. Tiltou. He
assures the world Of his entire innocence, and
yet his whole department, from the time that
suspicion first fell upon him to the present, and
his acts have been those Of guilt 80 much 60
that, il not seducer or m adnlterer, be is \
very good mimic OF both. II not guilty Of the
charges laid at hls door, Beecher has certainly
| acted as If he we're. In the first place. be en-
tered into q secret tripartite agreement With
Bowen and 1ilton to have something
hushed up. This, innocent, virtuous men
do not do. This, criminals and men burdened
With guilty consciences frequently do. If Nr
Beecher had done nothing wrong, he had no
reason to wish it kept from the world. II be
had done that which his conscience approved at
the time, why wish it concealed :? What con-
science approves men do not wish to hide. 1Ir.
Beecher assures us that he did nothing wrong !;
that be did only what lis conscience permitted;
that lie did what under the circumstances hc
thought bcst; and ye. he wishes the whole
matter smothered; and, to smother it, enters
into q contract with Bowen AID TiIton. This we
would characterize as one Of the vagaries of in
noceuco-
But, in course Of time, the tripnrtite agreement
is broken, and Iiiton's charges appear. Mr..
Beecher is accused OF adultery. He does not
deny the charge Immediately. He takes time to
consider how he shall plead. He wants few
days, or week, OF month, to make complete
answer. He does not remember what he has
written On that subject, aud so be asks time TO
refreeh his memory, AMI to prepare what he shall
say. Notwithstanding all this, he claims tlGt be
didn't, which may be put down aa vagary
No. 2 Of an innocent man. After this the va
garies OF innocence pour in rapidly.
They crowd one another. They elbow one
another. They trip one another. They rain
down upon us. They deluge US. Beccher wishes
his conscience vindcated. He appoints hia
friends, men pecuninrily interested in his acquit-
tai. to try him-vagary No. 3. He humbles him.
self before God and Theodore Iilton; and yet
he had done Theodore Tlton no wrong! He
was innocent, and hnmblel himself only because
he Was innocent-vagary No. 4 He wishes he
we're dead. and yet he had done nothing
to wish lie we're dead at all-No.5. He would
die before any one but himself we're inculpated,
and Jet there was NO one to inculpate, much less
himself-No. 6. He was innocent, so was everr-
body else. But Innocence will sometimes mimic
guilt. Innocence will have it's vagarios, and
60 masauerading in the garb Of remorae He
humbly prays God to put it III the heart Of the
husband Of one he has siuued against to forgive
him. and yet he never did anything that de-
manded forgiveness! To his vagaries there is
no endt Ho WAS afflicted so much on account
Of something be had done that he did not, at
one time, expect to be alive many days; and this
only because he was innocentl He, for some
reason not mentioned, Is spending sleeplesa
nighta, and experiencing the tornents Of the
damE1ed-neve1tleles5. he is innocent!
surely, after all this, even il Mr, Bcecher is
pure. good man, as be would have Us believe he
is, he cannot b1eme men for supposing him
otherwise; since he has been to 30 much trouble
to array himself in the garb Of = convict.