The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-07-30
BEECHER.


The unreasoning mob spirit is predom-
inant in this country Take all the pa
pers in the land, and nine out of ten OF
them have pronounced Henry Ward
Beecher guilty OF adultery, There are
reasons why good many classes OF peo=
pie desire that he should be pronounced
guilty. One class is composed OF the
enemies of christianity enemies of
every thing pure and good. Beecher is
beyond doubt the most powerful preach
er who has lived since the days of st.
Paul. If it could be shown that he is an
adulterer, a, liar and great scoundrel,
what blow at the christian religion.
Then there is large class, composed OF
the vile, whose thoughts, practices, and
whole lives are masses of impurity.
These men have no idea that any man !
can be any better than they are them
selves These all join in the howl, Cru
city him, cruelty him"
Go into any court of justice when
criminal is on trial, and the very first
thing you will hear when thezJudge COM
mences to give the law to the jury, is the
one great idea, that the law presumes'
eyerq man innocent until proeen guilty,
beyond reasonable doubt. The indict-
ment charges the crime, stating its ma
ture, when and where committed, and by
whom committed The defendant enters
his plea of not guilty, and this throws
the burden of proof upon the Common
wealth, and the accused need not open
his mouth after his plea of not guilty,
until every material allegation of the in
dictment is proven beyond reasonable
doubt. But the mob spirit, as represent
ed by the vast .majorityof the. newspa-
pers, reverses this fundamental and only
safe rule, and when man is accused of
crime, they cry out, guilty, guilty, un-
less he at once proves himself innocent"
Some-a good many, go so far as to say,
mo matter Dhat he may prove, he is
guilty. When and where is any man
the best and purest, safe under such
rule? 5r.e rE
We clipped the following from the n
Y. Tribune: 'i
A FORMAL DENIAL BY MR.. BEEcHER.
At the time when DR.. Bacon and others were
complaining that Mr.. Beecher had never denied
the scandal, he had already written the follow
ing letter, which was printed in Brooklyn
Eagle about the time the Woodhuli story nrs1
became conspicuous:
To the Editor Of the Brooklyn Eagle:
SIR: In along and active life in BROOKLYN II
has rarely happened that The Eagle and myself
concern to our fellow citizens. am for TINS
ed confidence and regard of which the columns
of The Eagle of late bear testimony. nave
Just returned to the city to learn that applica,
tion has been made to Mrs. Victoria woodruff
| for letters of mine supposed to contain lnIor-
nation respecting certain infamous stores mes
against me. I have no objection to nave 1he
Eagle state in any way it deems fit, that Mrs,
woodruff or any other person or persons VINO
may have letters of mine in their possession,
have my cordial consent to publish them In
this connection and at this time, VIII only 9
some time past been circulated about me are
untrue, and I stamp them in general and in
HENeRY KsSessYlRszR WARD BEEcHER.
That was all Mr.. Beecher need have
said, and all he did say, for more than a
year, as the above was published, and we
saw it, in May, 1878. Here is full power
and permission given to Tilton, Wood
hull, or any other man or woman, to
publish any letters of his. He makes a
plain, unequivocal plea of not guilty.
When Victoria Woodruff published
her indictment in Woodruff and Clafin's
Weekly, occupying some fifteen or more
columns, they sent copy to the STAN
DARD. We read the whole thing through
carefully. 1t was SO circumstantial and
appealed to SO many persons of character
and standing, that we had an impression
that it was true. When the matter was
recently brought forward again by Til
ton, we read it with this former preju-
dice resting ON our mind. We have read
all the testimony yet in, including Til
tons story, and we are satisfied that
there is no case made out. Suppose this
was a case in court of law, and the tes-
timony of the plaintiff given as in this
case What would the counsel for the
accused do? He would file motion to
have the case dismissed, as not having
been made out. And there is not a court
of record in any of the States that would
hesitate for moment to sustain the mo-
ton.