The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-08-01
TIRE BROOKLYN STINK,

r pEl&ic stomach has continued 10 be
~ .dscasc9 during the past week with daily
.toslS -; Tie Brooklyn stink. The develop
'meHt Of new facts, however, or OF new evil
dc ace TO sustain former allegations, has been
very mcagcr and the case, sincc our last, may
f .inos; be regarded rs having remained in
statu qua, \ brief statement Of it would be
somewha, like tins
/. Tilton, with quite flourish Of trumpc,s,
ia his long letter published two weeks ago
brings the charge of adultery against Bcecher,
basine it on an alleged "circumstantia con
E fcssion" to him by his wife OF certain acts
, constituting the offcnsc in two instances nan.
ing time and place, and in two other inStan.
ces, q bed room in his own house, and Beech
er's library are named as the places but the
time is strangely forgotten. Inproof ofthcsc
charges, Titon produces series of letters,
some written 10y Beecher, some by Tilton's
wife, and others by different persons. The
letters furnish no direct proof of the charge
but are full of language that, without cxpla.
nation, is impossible to understand except on
3. We have Beecher's short reply to Tilton
with the promise of a longer one by-and-by
The reply is sort of sanctimonious, emotion.
al gush, producing no proofs and simply de.
nying explicitly and positively all charges OF
adultery, and especially the alleged scenes In
Tiltons bed room and Beecher's library
Nothing of the kind ever occurred, nor any
resemblance of such thing" says Beecher.
8. Comes Mrs. Tilton's statement, also flat
denial of Titon's whole indictment, and no,
tably ofartic?cs Z, 8 and 0, (Which are fearful
ly false IN every particular" The balance of
her statement assails Titon for his frec.love
tendencies, and explains why, on account of
his hetelodoX views and gros. immoralites,
she felt constrained to leave his bed and
board
! 1. Is Tilton's cross examination. This,
while il furnishes no evidence either to
strengthen or weaken his charges against
Beecher, Shows up Tilton himself in light
so degrading and humiliating, that It is I'M.
possible to read it without despising the man
lie ayows and justfics his free love senti.
ments, and while insisting that his wife is in
fact an adultress contends that she has done
no wrong and that her soul is pure; also
that Beecher hes done no wrong by being an
tadutorer, but that his wrong consists in
perssting to preach in public against what
in private he believes in and practices,
5, The statement of Mrs Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, asserting positively that Tilton had
related TO her, IN the presence Of Mrs Bul.
lard, some three years ago, the story of Mrs.
Tilton's liaison with Bcechcr, exactly us it
has since been made public; also that the
next morning, Susan B. Anthony, who had
slept that night with Mrs. Tilton, told Mrs
Stanton that Mrs. Tilton had made to her
l (Susan - in bed, the exact confession Of her
adulierees with Becchcr which Tilton alleges
she had made to him.
6. Tllton has had himself arrested on the
complain. OF one Gaynor, on a charge Of
libel, the object being TO take the investiga
| ton out Of the hands OF the Plymouth church
committee and throw II into thecourts. Mr..
Gaynor, however, is said to be so exceedingly
inconseQuential man that his attempt to
gain notoriety in connection with the case
may be hooted out of court as impudcnt and
absurd.
| z 1t is admitted that if there is any man
living who, more than Beecher himself, can
give direct and positive testimony as to Beech.
er's guilt or innocence, it is Frank Moullon
who tor 50 long time acted as the go-between
of Beecher, Tilton, Bowen, and all of them
to quiet the scandal, and who drew some OF
them, and to whom nearly all of those exceed
ingly damaging letters published by Tilton
were submitted. Moulton has hitherto refus-
ed to testify, on the ground that he was under
u solemn pledge of secresy TO all parties, and
that Becchcr and Mrs. Tilton had cot released
him from that pledge. Yesterdays dailies,
however, state that BECKER now implores
Moulton to speak out, and it is possible when
he does so, especially if it is under oath, some
decisive evidence in the case may be given.
Meantime it Is painfully evident that in all
the volumes of slush that have been printed
III the case thus far, there is hardly grain of
evidence that would be received in Justices
court either to convict or acquit Beecher,-
except alone those exceedingly damaging let
tiers, admitted to have been written by Beech
er himself, and Mrs. Tilton, or, in some cases,
by Frank Moulton for them; and until these
letters are satisfactorily explained, 1t will be
impossible for the public mind to divest itself
ola strong convection of Beecher's guilt.
The oldest inhabitant" of the world died
in Virginia the other day at the age of 1874
years, He was a man of mixed Indian and