Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-08-14

ana Mr.. Moulton was frequently III
state in which he would say, he wished
he was dead, and Mrs. Moulton said: u
am living among friends, every one of
whom wishes he was dead" or something
like that. | do not know that it was
smarter than that, but she put it in away
that was very ludicrous. Every one Of
us used to be echoing that we wished we
were dead and plagued together, and l
used tho familiar phrase, / wish was
dead. .Hfa rT
O. The outside gossip is that you re-
ferred in that line to contemplated sui
eide.
A. 1t was not. My great purpose in
the matter of this whole thing was this,
and / kept it as a matter of life: by pa
tient contin nance in well doing to put to
shame those who falsely accused me. l
meant to put down and preach down this
trouble. OF course in my dismal moods
l felt as though the earth had come te
an end. Now, in interpreting these spe-
cial letters everybody is irresistibly
tempted to suppose that everything l
said was said narrowly in regard to their
text, instead of considering the forego-
ing state of my mind, whereas my utter
a noes were largely to be interpreted by
the past, as we'll as the present and flu
ture, and cannotinterpret them precisely
as can note of hand or a check. A
man that is poetical, man that is often
times extravagant, a man that is subject
to moods such as make me what | am,
cannot narrowly measure his words, and
yet from this writing of over four years,
in every conceivable condition in this
large correspondence, proceeding from
mind speaking in hypothetical moods,
and in all manner of states about every
body and everything-out Of this mass
they have got only these few equivalent
things, devices that did not refer to me,
but to him and his whole style of acting.
0. Theodore said he was born for war,
and Moulton was probably born for
A. Yes.
Q. He means another matter with
Tilton2
A. Yes; he represented himself always
as having all the reins in his hands; such
power that it must, should it come to the
worst, he could compel settlement.
He intimated to me, time and again, that
he had such materials in his hands re-
specting Theodore that, as he said once,
e If Theodore does not do as | say I'll
grind him to powder"
By Mr.. Winslow: The earning the fu-
lure / understand was to procure the
silence and burial of the scandal.
A. No, it wasn't either; it referred to
plans by which Tilton was to get some
hing to do, and do it, and get some
praise for it and be content.
Q. The devices. Did that refer to all
The plans and arrangements and steps
that had been taken2
A. 1t referred to this If ! had been
left to manage this matter simply my
self, should have said Yes or No. That
would have been the whole of it; but
instead Of that, the matter went into
MouIton's hands, and Moulton is man
hat loves intrigue
Q. He had condoned his wife's fault.
What did you mean by this2
A. Coudoned has legal meaning and
a general meaning, but used the word
rs literary man would use it, not as a
lawyer. If had used it in legal
phrase it would have been otfense, not
Tault.
Q. In using the word fault, do you re-
'er to some particular act of Tilton'sH
A. | refer to complaints he made in
general in respect to her. You know
perfectly what was the impression con
Keyed to me from beginning to end
hat / had stolen into his home and that
had taken advantage of the simplicity
# his wife to steal her affection to my.
ELF and away from him.
Q And you mean to say you had that
n your mind when you used the word
ault.
A. | suppose l did.
O You say in the same letter he had
,njoined upon you most earnestly and
not to betray bis wife, In what
aspect?
a. Not to betray this whole difficulty |
nto which his household had been cast.
Consider how it is. appeal 10 every !
ensitive man and cultivated nature in |
he world if any greater evil can befnll
han to have a woman, wife and mother |
made the subject of evil investigation
"a it respects her moral character, for |
10 greater harm can befall woman
han TO be talked about from house to
,ouse. with discussions as to the grade
# the offeuse, and the probable nature
If the offense, and the cause OF the
,ffense. and everything about it.
Next to stabbing a woman dead IS to
alk.about her virtue, and if the public |
= 10. 20 fntarnraf thaca |