The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-01-28
THE PENDING TRIAL oF rHK
GREAT PREACaER

IL II needless TO deHy, however little tn
South recks Of Mr.. Beecher, that he is tn,
leading representative Of Christianity Nortl
Of the Ohio. When he has f1lIen, tn,
whole Northern Christian church is grisv
ously shaken. His active enemies are the
declared enemies OF the Christian faith
and the accusation now made before the
courts was hrst enunciated in a foul news
paper, devoted to freeloVe and atheism, and
edited by two women, one Of these said tc
be the mistress Of Triton. The opinion
obtains that these women forced Tilton tc
sacrifice his wife in order t. destroy the
greatest living enemy to the progress OF
inmorality IN the East. Whether this as
sumption be well founded remains to be
seen. Very certainly man Of Beecher'a
temper-ardent, impsssionate nature, strong
emotions, and foreible violent action and ex.
pressions, ever overwrought-is not to be
judged by rules that would govern US in
making deductions from the sayings, hur-
ried letters and thoughtful acts OF ordinary
sluggish men Of sluggish nature and
intelligence His modes Of express
sion, even when talking of trifes,
are stronger and infinitely more
significant than those Of ordinary people,
and We are not sure that he has not said in
finitely more, and confessed it with inf
nitely greater freedom, than If his lips had
been restrained by consciousness of that
degree Of guilt which TiltoD would estab-
lish. But we only propose to say that we
cannot presuppose of Beecher that precise
line Of conduct, or that tameress and cool
ness in the face of capital blunder, crimi-
nal as he regarded it, which would have
made Others silent or prudent. he was
neither one nor the other, and, fearing
nothing for himself, was ready to sacrifice
everything to save the wronged. His is
the noblest of characters, or that of the
sublimest of mock-herOic villains. The
facts are against Mr.: Beecher. His temper
ament, and passionate, impulsive nature and
habitually strong modes of expressing him
self, have conspired to convict him.
Tilton's position is unfortunate In destroy
ing those whom he hates, he destroys the
church, his wife and damns himself to ever
lasting hopeless infamy. Moulton, too, is
immortal as mutual. friend" and perhaps
infamous as immortal. His aims may be
those of vengeance and his success may sig
nifty nothing but the legal betrayal of con-
fidence, and the word, ''Moulton" becomes
the synonym of treason in private friend
ships. No conduct of Beecher, however
wrongful to MOulton, could justify acts that
affect Mrs. Tilton as ruinously as the great
preacher. He accompanies Tilton, hope
lessly to messureless depths of fathomless
infamy. Not the less true is it that these
two may accomplish the utter overthrow
Of Mr.. Beecher. Mculton has now given
the solennity of an oath to his many asser-
tions and to the authenticity of private let
ters and memoranda never intended to see
light, but produced by him on the trial.
These are declared on the one hand to be
conclusive proof of adultery; on the other
of nothing more than a magisterial inter-
ference by a Clergyman with distracted
and warring family, which interference he
afterward keenly repented of, and in the eff
fort to repair the fortunes of the house was
entrapped into a series of admissions which,
arranged together, seem to confess sin
never dreamed of nv Mr. Reecher