The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-23
THE SCANDAL.
Continuation of Bessie Turner's Testi-

COurt room was more crowded. tnlS iuoihn6
Than it has been fer four or five weeks. every
available foot of space being occupied. Inc
corridors outside the court room were packeu
with men and women, who clamOred at Tue
doors Of the room for admittance. Mrs Illtoh,
| with Mrs. Field, was early in attendance, anu s
was accompanied by Bessie Turner Mr.;
Beecher and his wife came In a little late ana
| took their usual places After the court was
| opened ISIS Bessie Turner resumed the wit
| ness stand, and her direct examination was
| continued by ex-Judge Porter.
The witness corrected her testimony given on
| Friday. and stated that Mr.. Titon's first visit
| to her room was in 1868, and the period when when
| Mr. Titon carried her to his room was in 1869,
| when Mr.. Greeley was there.
The witness then ccntinGed:-I first visited
| Mr. Beechef OH December 18th, 1870 L had
not before that told Mr.. Beecher of Mr.. 1ilton's
| visits to my room, but this was the occasion OF
| my visit there. Before going to Steuben lille L
| did not communicate to any one the charges
| made by Mr.. Tilton against Mr. Beecher;
| received several letters from Mr.. Tilton. tThe
witness was here handed a number of letters,
which she identified as having been sent to her
by Tilton.l
Mr., Porter then read one of the letters, dated
| Mount Vernon, Ohio, Jan. 9Th, 1874, from Mr.
Tilton to the witness, Gliding her for not tax,
| ing better care of her HEALTH or she would
suffer the consequences. The letter was signed
"Yours as ever, Theodore Tilton." Another
| letter was written from St. Louis Dec Goth,
when on his way home visiting a ball room to
i see how the la lies were dressed. A third let
ter, dated Brooklyn, Oct. 4th, 1870, informed
the witness that Mrs Titon was going to visit
Monday. 1.-The house looks lonely" said the
| letter, ''since your absence" This letter was
also signed yours ever, Theodore Tilton."
The witness then resumed:-Mr. and Mrs.
/ Tilton sent me to boarding school. Mr.. Til
ton first told me of his wife's intention to send
me to a boardingi school on Sunday afternoon
/ IN his study. Mrs. Tilton also spoke to me
about going away, but nothing was ever said
| about my going away in connection with the
| stories against Mr.. Beecher. On Mr.. Tilton' s
first visit to my room he did not lie down, as I
am stated to have said, but was reclining over
| the bed when he kissed me good night (Hand-
ed letter, dated July 10, 1871 This letter is
in my handwriting, and was dictated to me by
Mr. Tilton i think Mrs. Tilton was then at
home. 1t was in the second story back bed
room. He was talking about Mrs Morse and
told him that she had endeavored to hire me
to go to MI Beecher and tell him of this story
which, however, / refused to do. Mr.. Tllton
| then asked me to copy this o1er ana put my
| name to it, which did.
| Mr. Porter then read the letter written to
Mrs. T. dated Jan. 10th. 1871 which informed
her that Mrs. Morse had endeavored to procure
her to circulate injurious stories about her hus-
band Another letter dated Jan II was then
read, stating that the story of Mr.. Us carrying
her from her bed was wicked lie.
| Witness then continued: wrote the second
note at the urgent solicitation of Mrs I. l
did tell some five persons that Mr.. y. had at
tempted to violate my person. Mr.. Il. was
aware that I had told the matter. l did not
tell this story SO fully to these persons as L
have done it here.
| Cross-Examinatlon by MIR. Fullerton
1t was in the spring the first time of Mr..
Us visit to my bedroom in 1868, and the second
occasion in 1869. 1t was in the summer; l
IN llo tI,n fIrgf
time Handed letter.) l am not sure but
think this is not M handwriting. l did write
a letter from Tarrytown to Mrs. I. do not
recognize this letter as being in my hand
writing. After examining the letter closely
the witness said, eyes; this is my writing.
| MIR, Fullerton then read the letter addressed to
Mrs. T. dated May "a, 1869. In it the writer
| spoke of the pretty walks in the neighoorhoOd,
of having attended the church on Sunday, but
rot caring SO much about the preaching as
sic Turner.
The witness continued-I left Mr.. DORIS in
in the summer of 1869 and went to Mr.. Til
toms. 1t was in the summer of 1869 that Mr.
Tilton came to my room. This was after my
| return from Mr.. DORIS house. Mr.. Greeley
was at MIR. Tilton's and spent two or three
weeks there that summer. l came from Tarry-
town in the cars. 1 think MI DORIS family
went to California about May. Mr.. and Mrs.
| DORIS, 1 think, went there when L returned to
to Mr.. TiltoD's in 1869. l remained there two
| or three weeks aud then went to Keyport to
his fathers. think Miss Annie Tilton, Mr..
Tilton's sister, was there and Kate Mcdonald,
the servant. No person went with me to
| Keyport. l think this was in the early part of
the fall. Mrs. TIiton was away, L think, at
Monticello but did not return until after she
| had got back, When went to the house. l
! found her there. Kate Mcdonald remained at
Keyport was at Mr.. Tilton's about three
| weeks before [ went to Keyport and saw Mr..
Greeley there. There were in the house Mr.
Greeley, Mr. Tilton and Katie Burke. When
| l left there these were all the parties in the
/ house. 1 do BOT remember seeing Kate Nc
Donald there when left. After leaving Key
port went to Mrs. Putnam's in Feb. 1870 and
| remained there nine or ten weeks, returning
| in Nov 1870. L returned with Mrs. Tilton.
1 thought she was not in good health and
| should not be allowed to travel alone. . | had
L no trouble with Mrs. DORIS or made any trou-
BILE iu that family. 1 remember once while
cutting out my dress being reproved for not oc-
| cupying my time in sewing L was not taken
to task for falsehood there. Mrs. DORIS gave
me permission to go and see Mrs Tilton on one
| occasion, but do not know whether returned
| again or not, but of this l am certain.
| Mr. Fullerton asked if the witness had not
i stated in her cross-examination that Mrs. DORIS
had gone to California when she was there a
| month.
The counsel on the other side objected and
/ an Argument ensued.
Mr.. Fullerton said he did this to ascertain if
the witness had made mistake in her testi-
moDy or not.
Judge Nelson allowed the question and the
witness replied that she did not, to the best of
| her recollection.
/ Mr. Fullerton then called for the reading of
the record, and it did not appear that the wit
ness had said directly about month, the wit
i ness had said that she went there in the begin
ming of May, and they left at the end of the
| mouth
The witness continued-I was there when
they left but do not recolect that was there
on their return. During their absence the
and baby DORIS. There was alsoa lady house,
keeper, Mrs. Rogers, there. Mrs. DORIS paid
i me my wages before 1 left finally. The wit
ness was asked if this was after Mrs. DORIS
return from California, and after long pause
| she said Mrs. DORIS paid her some money be-
fors she visited Mrs. Tlton. Mrs. DORIS (said
the witness) must have given me this money
before she went to California or after she re-
turned. This is all the answer l can give at
| present.
Well, said Mr.. Fullerton, we will give you
until after the recess to refresh your recollec-
ton about the matter, Recess.
After recess the crowd in the court room was
larger than it was in the morning session. Mr..
| MOultOn came in with MIR. Beach and took a
| seat near the witness chair.
Miss Turner resumed her place and the
cross-examinatiOn was continued as follows: l
| am now positive that l was at Mrs. DORIS
| when she returned from California. My mem
cry was refreshed during the recess by Mrs.
T. l think went to Mrs. Us when 1 left
Mrs DORIS. The Working Woman's Home
| is at Waverlv place and Elizabeth street in
New York. think the second visit of T. to
my room was in 1869 aud the first in 1868 in
| the summer at the latter time. My impress.
sion is that Mrs. T. was absent from home I
| was sleeping alone in the second story, front
bedroom. Mrs. T. sometimes slept in the
| front part and other times in the back part of
| the house. l do not remember where the
children slept then.
| Witness theu repeated the same story as on
direct examination and continued: l was then
| about II years of age. L was not shocked. L
studied over his language as L did not know
| what he meant. was angry wheI he put his
hand on my neck. L had up to this time been
very much attached to Mrs. T., but do not
| think told Ter then Of that occurrence. L
| remember him distinctly saying, why, Bes-
| sic dear, how painfully modest you are" L
did not know what he meant by affinitieS and
physical impressions of love-
The summer of 1874 was on visit to some
| friends in Pittsburg, Pa, and came on to
| Brooklyn in August. While here | went be-
| fore the church committee and testified before
them. l spoke to them of the two occasions on
which I. visited my room. The question was
put to me, did Theodore Tilton ever attempt
/ rour ruin and I t'VeS. "a did IN