Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-15
THE SCANDALOUS TRIAL.
Points Of Fact That Make &c the Most
Remarkable on Record.

New York Graphic
To begin. there are very few cases in
history in which both principals to a con-
troversy have been prominent men, with a
tenacious hold on the affections of large
classes of people. It is remarkable that an
accusation like that put forward in this
case, should be repressed and kept from
the public for four years through the opera
ton of various causes which now form
part Of the matters in dispute. Finally,
when the charge was made public it was
largely the work of parties other than the
principals, and apparently against their
wishes.
Again, where in the history Of the whole
world has a person charged with so de-
famatory a crime been able to preserve
such an unmoved, ever-cheerful demeanor
through long months? Mr.. Beecher not
only affected to ignore the charge, but con
Quoted himself as if he we're actually ignOr-
ant Of t..
Perhaps the most singular theory con
nected with this scandal difficulty was the
deliberate and thorough manner in which
it was tried before the people through the
newspapers. Instead Of jury, the pOpu
lar sense Of justice was appealed to, aud in
stead Of the regular pleadings the parties
had recourse tOstatements. The result was
a disagreement, and now an appeal has
been had from the people at large to the
people as represented by twelve Of their
number in the hope that they will be able
to make up verdict.
Nearly a score of suits were begun with
in month after the initial steps in the &C
ton now IN progress had been taken. The
sums at which the damages were estimated
amounted to a million dollars in the aggre-
gate. Not only persons remotely connected
in the scandal, but those newspapers which
had given the topic prominence in their
columns, were drawn into the troubled
current Of litigation.
In the long list Of persons who were
known to possess more or less knowledge
Of the questions at issue in the controversy,
and who were mentioned as witnesses in
the prospective suits, were many whose
lives and associations presented the most
antipOdal contrasts. In this common arena
Laura Curtis Bullard and Susan B. An
thony met the WOOdhull and her sister.
When the action now in progress took
definite shape before the courts, it was an
nomced that the Chief Justice of the
Bench before which the trial would proceed
had purpOsely RETAINED from reading the
literature Of the case, in order that his
duty might be performed wholly without
bias.
When the counsel first met in the bar the
public was startled by he novelty Of the
defendants demand for a bill Of particulars,
which the Court Of Appeals thought sufi-
GENTLY reasonable to refer back to the court
before which the case should be tried. 1t
was denied on grounds relating to the cir
cumstances Of the case.
Nine men out Of ten if questioned would
probably speak IN terms Of impotence of
the delay that has ensued since the case
was put on the calendar; but in very few
instances has a suit involving such import
ant interests been reached so quickly. The
selection Of jury from like point Of view
was remarkably expeditions.
The contest over the jury has been un-
precedentedly sharp, and the published &C
counts have proved to be more dramatic in
character than the records Of most Of the
worlds important trials.