Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-05-05
A WOMAN AT BAY.
A Wall Of Anguish and Distress Mingled
with Rage and Hate-A Moving
Appeal for a 6OOd
Name.
For Her Own, for Her Chlldren's, and
for the sake Of WOmsnhOad
Throughout the World,
Mrs. ii ton Asks 70
be Heard.

New YORK, May 4.-Mrs. TiIton was
asked whether she had kept a copy Of
the document that created q sensation
in the scandal trial yesterday. She
answered: 81 have kept a copy, and it
/ was prepared to be made public, but
until Judge Nelson decides whether or
not to read IL in court | do not think it
/ would be proper for me TO let il be pub
/ lished. j related to the matter of my
/ not being called witness, but to give a
summary Of it's contents would be
1 equivalent TO the document itseifn
| Judge Nelson told q reporter late last
/ night that he had concluded to take no
action with reference to Mrs. TiIt0n's
| communication. In the present state of
! the matter he could not see that any
| action by the court was called for. In
| case Mrs. TiltOn saw tit to make some
| further communications he might take
some steps in the matter, but as the
case now stood there was nothing for
him TO do. He would not either have il
read or published, but il Mrs. Tilton de-
sired TO publish IL he would return the
Communication to her at any tirle she
might choose to send for it. The follow
ing is copy OF the letter, which Mrs.
Tilton yesterday handed to Judge Neil
son in the courtroom, as published in
the Star, semi-Ufficisl organ OF the Ply
mouth church party:
SIR-By the laws peculiar phase /
am debRrred from appearing before you
as witness, because nay husband seeks
a fortune at the price Of my dishOnor.
have a mother and several children.
am a woman with no legacy to leave
those childrel save q spOtless name.
Judge for yourself, then, whether can
tamely submit TO the taunting lies OF
him who has sworn to love and cherish
and whose selfish infamies have torn
me from hearth and home, blasted my
fair fame and turned me penniless upon
the charity of friends. demand to be
heard by the jury to whom has been
told the falsehO0d of my protector
Surely, If he can address the jury for
days, aided by cunning and unscrupu-
lOus counsel, thsC he may ruin my rep
utation, cast OblOquy and Teproach up
on my name and make ME the by-Word
and scoTa Of all the world, /, too, have a
right to be heard; l, too, have q tale to
tell; /, too, have q revelation to make,
Untaught by counsel, unaided by friends,
without the pecuniary stimulant of
adOring companions. l come alone and
standing pleading at the bar for justice,
/ ask no mercy, I seek no favor; / sim
ply ask that a wrOnged wife and Injured |
woman may be permitted to meet the |
calumuies of a peTjured man and faith |
less husband. Midnight is as daylight |
when contrssted with his treachery. |
The father Of lies is an angel OF purity |
when contrssted with this monumental |
hypOcrite. l seek no sanction, crave |
no publicity; but, for my sake, for my |
children's sake, and for the sake of WO- |
manhood throughout the world, re- /
spectfully ask the precious boon of self
defense against the beastly Onslaughts Of
q brutal husband.
The Brooklyn Eagle furnishes the fol-
lowing copy of Mrs. TiltOn's letter:
JUDGE NEILSON-I ask the priv
ilege from you for a few words
i'll my own behalf. / feel deeply
the injustice Of my position in law and
before the court now sitting, and while
/ have understood aud expected from
the beginning Mr.. Evarts's principle In
the matter, yet since your last decision
l have been so sensible of the power of
my enemies, that my soul cries out be-
fore you and the gentlemen of the jury
that they beware how, by divided
verdict, they cOnsign to my children q
false and irrevOcable stain upon their
mother. For five years past have been
the victim of circumstances most cruel
and unfortunate, struggling from time
to time only for place to live honor
ably, and truthfully released for some
months from the Will by whose power,
/ eliminated myself
again and again. l declare solemnly,
before you, without fear Of mau and by
faith in God, that l am innocent of the
crimes charged against me. l would
like to tell my whole sad story, truth.
fully to acknowledge the frequent false
hoods drawn from me by cOmpulsion;
though, at the same time, unwilling to
reveal the secret Of my married life
which only the vital Importance of my
position makes necessary. l assume
he entire responsibility of this request,
unknown to friend or counsel of either
iide, and ] await your hOnor's honorable
With great respect,
ELIZABETH r. TILTON.
The following is Judge Nelson's re-
2ly:
CHAMBERS OF THE CITY COURT.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, May 4. 1875 I
Mrs. TILTON-I am directed by Chief
Judge Nelson to return your letter, as it
,anuot be read in court; also TO state ,
hat in civil cases counsel have the right
o refrain from calling any particular
witness, however competent, and that
neither the court nor client can interfere
With the exercise OF that right. The
udge also instTucts me to say that the
question whether you could be witness
tands on quite another ground from 5
hat considered when your husband was I.
allied and sworn. He was a competent
witness to testify in his own behalf ,
gsinst a third party defendant, and :
While the policy OF the law was to some !
xteDt involved there was no express
tatute in the way, but the statute OF
day 10, 1867, expressly declares the
vile to be incompetent as a witness for
T against the husband. Yours respect !
ully, GEO. W. KNACBEL,
Clerk City Court, etc. .