Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-02-05
BEECHER- TILTON.
THE DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT TO MOUL-
TON-ROGER A. PRYOR's SPEECH
MOUL TONS LAST DAY.

&c. &c. &C.
The Great Brooklyn trial is progressing
slowly. sIilton is now On the witness
stand, swearing, like Moulton, positively
10 Beecher's admission of his guilt on var
Ious occasions.
HOW MoULTON ON THE WITNESS STAND
HEARD OF THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER.
The N. Y Tribune, which has been quite
to Moulton during the trial,
has the following account Of his reception
Oh the witness stanu Of the death Of his
mother:
The most painful incident of the trial
occurred yesterday morning shortly after
Mr.. Moultor took the stand, and for
the first time, perhaps. during the whole
of his long examination Mr.. MoultoI was
regarded with other feelings than those of
by his friends and dislike by
the friends Of Mr.. Beecher. He became
to all subject Of sympathy, for the great
est bereavement a man can Suffer-the loss
of a loving mother-WaS communicated to
him while yet a witness Soon after the
first questions had been answered, Mr..
Moulton was informed that a messenger
with important intelligence awaited linn
in the chambers of the City Court, adjoin-
ing Part H. Mr.. Moulton was excused
by the Court, and utterly unsusplclous OF
what he was to be told, flor he was not
even aware his mother had been i'll, he
left the courtroom. Ex-Judge Fullerton
communicated the Intelligence to the
Court during the few minutes MI. Moul-
ton was in the ante-room, so that when
Mr.. Moulton returned all eyes were fixed
upon him, and the momentary buzz OF
conversation which had followed the an
nouncement suddenly broke off. Mr.. Til
ton watched anxiously the face of his
friends to observe the effect of the news
uponihim. Nh Beecher bent forward to
his chair, gazing intently at him, while
Mrs. Beecher leaned her head upon
her right hand, and looked sadly
and almost with solicitude upon her
husbands enemy. MI. MOulton exercised
his great control over his nerves, and be-
fore his counsel could communicate to him
the decision of the Court that he could at
once retire, and flush his examination at
a later day, he loudly announced that he
was ready to go on. Nothing in the man.
ner of the man, yet something, possibly
growing out of the popular idea of his
character, led to a general feeling, which
expressed itself later during the recess,
that the act was something akin to brava-
do. A fear of appearing weak before this
audience has characterized MI. Moulton
throughout the trial, and has led him to an
assumption of easy Indifference, to fire.
quent repartee and Interruptions OF cOun
sci, and on this more solemn occasion to a
concealment of grief whose strongest eX-
preston would have won him more respect.
He mounted the witness stand again as
self-possessed as ever, and betrayed his
oo1; 1y Inv bic cpTiOnC dom y nd
sad expression. His manner i'll this re-
spect was noticeably different during the
afternoon his replies less savage, and he
repeated none OF his many previous efforts
to appear clever. During the remainder of
the day he never smiled.
Naturally Mrs. Moulton felt great in
terest in the Beecher-Tilton trial i'll which
her son plays so prominent part, and du-
ring her sickness she worried good deal
on account of it. Not more than twelve
hours before her death she asked anxiously
afterthe reports of her son S croSs-examina-
ton in the evening papers, and had convers-
ed with her husband in regard tO'it. 1t is
thought that the strain of her anxiety and
worry about the trial, i'll her weakened
condition, may have indirectly FASTENED
her death.
MOULTON'S LAST DAY.
The Tribune" gives the following de-
scription of Francis D. Moulton's appear
;,nce on the witness stand on Wednesday,
the last day Of his appearance as witness
in the Tilton- Beeeher CASE
The fecross- examination was short, but
it was also sharp. Mr.. Tracy's questions
we're precise and delivered rapidly, and Mr..
Moulton S replies We're equally positive
,,rlyI tt,ar t,n
(Mr. Tracy knew what MI. Moulton's
statement to the committee was to be be-
fore Mr.. Moulton appeared before the COM
mittee. no. answered the witness; but
YOU knew what you wanted it to be. Gen
t.ral Tracy asked that the witness be adj
4no.ished for thus replying but Judge
Nelson unhesitatingly refused, saying that
the witness had been tried and tortured
for nearly ten days by the counsel on both
sides, and he should therefore be excused
without amy sort OF reprimand, When
Mr.. Tracy asked Mr. Moulton tol his views
of tie marriage relation, there was an evil
dence of merriment on the part OF the au-
dence<i in apparent anticipation of some
angular views on the part OF the witness.
But he replied unhesitatiagly in plain
terms; Fidelity to your wife: your wife s
deity to you. If you are not faithful to
our wife, YOU NC t'iHioiiOu OOfOlO-
nv If your wife Is not faithful to you, she
-nould be punished equally severely Of
his views Oh divorce, Mr.. Moulton said that
nev we've not fixed: but he did not know
nat he agreed altogether with Mr., Tilton
II that subject. for he did not know Mr.
elton S yieWs.'
GENERAL RRYOR'S ARGUMENT.
The New York FTribune," in referring
to the argument Of Roger A. Pryor. on
Thursday, in favor of the admission of Mr..
Tilton's testimony in the trial of Beecher,
makes the following mention OF the gener-
abs remarks
cit has been taken for granted that Mr..
Beach would reply to Mr.. Evarts, and it
was therefore a surprise when Gen. Pryor
arose. bowed TO the court, and proceeded
10 sneak. Up to this time Gen. Pryor had
not taken an active public part in the case,
and there was, therefore, constable Curl
osiGy to hear him. 1t did not take many
moments to see that he was an eloquent
orator. His defamation was eccentric,
is gesticulation earnest profuse, and his
temperament evidently is nervous eXcita-
DIE. At times he bends forward and low
ers his voice almost to a whisper. Then,
suddenly. as he comes aroused, his Indian
like figure Stralghtens, his face lights up
with intense earnestness, and his voice
rings out clearly as a bell. Sometimes he
speaks very slowly, long pauses occurring
between his sentences. but at other times
the words flow from his mouth without eff
fort, and his delivery is wonderfully rapid.
One of his eccentricities. is to play lightly
With his eyeglasses, swinging them around
his finger, then placing them upon his nose
and peering curiously over them; next
wiping them with his handkerchief and
finally dropping them and tlnging the han
kerchief with a quick motion across the
table, General Pryor was plainly very ia
milliar with his subject, and it was not
necessary to be lawyer OF judge to un-
delstand him, 50 clearly did he embody his
argument"
-
The word "loyal'' is again coming to the
s,,rfooa We have the Grant organs talk