The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-02-04
Beecherss Letter Of C0ntritiou.
Extract from Moulton's Testimony on Thur
dav

Beecher's Letter Of Contrition.
Extract from Moulton's Testimony on Thur
-. day.
@. What subjects were mentioned On
Dec. 81! A. Beecher's contrition! fir
the crime he had committed against Eln-
abeth and Theodore Tilton, and his sr-
row that he had mentioned Mrs. Bullart' S
name to Bowen. -.
@. Did he dictrate what you wro.e,
senteuce by sentence! A. He did--eve.y
word except what is at the top: ssFn.
trusted in confidence to F. d. Moultor.' -
@. Did he dictate. "My dear friend
Moulton!' A. He did.
@. Can you recall another letter of MS
commencing IN that way! A. l cannot.
@. What was to be the nature of he
trust!
A. was to do with that paper, q, a
friend of Beecher, what l thought vas
judicious was to show it to Tilton. 1t
was to be used in reconciling the differ
ences between Beecher and Tilton.
@. Were you to part with it A. Not
to part with it to any one except Tilttn.
@. Were you to part with it A If
[ chose. There was nothing said about
it. l suggested placing the words, "In
trust to F. D. Moulton" at the top, hat
the letter might be under my control. and
l put them there. Nothing else wassaid
about the trust. l took the pap,r to
Tilton the same night, and read it tohim,
or he took it from my hand and re,d it.
l cannot say whether he had possession
of it one hour that night; he hadn't i two
hours. My recollection is that the pape.
was not out of my possession that light
l think put it in bureau-draweI that
night, after had got through with Til
ton. The next time l distinctly remem.
bered seeing it, after December, 1910, was
after the publication of the woodruff
story, in November. 1872. Ifeuad it in
tin box. 1t was never in the safe over
in New York. When l saw this
paper, in 1872, I don't know that
Tilton then had a copy If it..
I cannot tell at what date / knew he had
copy Of it. 1t was at the timeiof the
Bacon or the "True Story" he read it to
me. He did not make copy of i in my
presence, the night it was written. NV
recollection is that he did not. I don t
recollect that he wrote it down ia short
hand, when | read it. l don't remember
that | ever showed it to him. after De.
cember, 1870. Very likely did. II he
asked me, would show it to him
Q. Then, up to the publication of the
Bacon letter, Tilton had no other oppor-
tunity of making copy, SO far al you re-
membcrt A. l dont't recollect.
Q. Do you know where he got the
copy he hadl A. don't know, specific
ally.
Q. Did you ever give him copy! A.
No, sir.
Q. Did you ever give him an opportu.
nifty Of making copy. A. l don't re-
collect that did.
There was wrapgle at this point be-
tween counsel, the object of the defense
being to get in remark that witness had
already stated that he probably handed
the paper to Tilton at some time.
At this point Gen. Tracy introduced
the punctuation" scene with great dra.
matte effect at first, but by the time he
had got through, plaintiffs counsel had
its effect considerably. The
object was to show that witness being a
man of education, the contrition letter,
which defense insists is badly punctuated,
written in . large scrawl and . few
words, covering four pages of letter
paper. was never dictated by Beecher,
but his words hastily taken down in the
gathering darkness.
Q. You were educated at the New
York academy! A. Twas.
z. You compose very WE'LL do you
not. A. (LAughing.) l can't say that
do; not very we'll.
Q. You understand the rules of cempo-
sition and punctuation very welli A. Not
very we'll.
Q. You have corresponded with literary
people! A. Yes, with few.
Q. And you understand how, after .
period, to begin the next sentence, wheth-
er with small letter or capitall A..
,Laughing.l do.
Mr.. Fullerton. If counsel are asking
.hese questions for their own information
don't object. Laughter.)
Q. He dictated, sentence by sentence,
Ind you as deliberately wrote it, A.
wrote As he dictated.
Q. 1t wasn't written hastily! A. It
vas written rapidly. don't know what
vou mean by hastily.
Q. Was it written to catch words. A.
L was.
Q. You wrote IS from = man debating,
Iud not As from = man talking, and whose
words you were trying to catch! A.
From . man debating.
Q. (Handing up the contrition letter.
Is that your usual handwritingi A. l
usually write with . steel pen; this ap-
pears to have been written with . quill.
Q. Do you remember whether it was
written with steel pen or quilt A. !
10 not.
Mr.. Sherman took the letter and said,
Now l want to read this letter IS it is
written. punctuation and all. It never
has been read as written"
Mr.. Fullerton. You don't read pune
tuations. You see it. Laughter.
Mr.. Sherman then read the letter, in
this style, amidst laughter from sympa-
Ihizers with the defense:
"BRooKL1x, Jan. 1, ls7l.-lIn trust with 2
D. MoultonEAY DEAR FRIxKD MocLrox:
lsk through you Theodore flton's forgiveness
md l humble myself before him as I do nv
God he would have been better man IN nv