The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-06-04
THE SCANDAL.


HiHlsclI. lHe jury WOulu see tudG lllIUu
this in rs the climax of his narrative. What
sort of climax was that to his narrative? But
SEQ how it fits into Beechers narrative of TIL
tons complaints to him of his interference with
that family. Counsel went through a portion
of Beechers testimony to the effect that Tilton
accused him of having made improper over
lures to his wife, that Beecher exp essed sur
prise, whereupon TIlton drew from his pocket
slip Of paper ana read, ''My friend and pas,
tor, Henry Ward Beecher, solicited me, etc.
That paper SAID counsel, was shown to DE the
climax of the accusation which excited Beech
er's surprise. The moment that lady's name
got in as sponsor of the occasion, at once an
impression was produced on him as if by
thunderbot from clear sky. This is some
thing that man will wonder at. Elizabeth,
he said, cannot have said that because it is not
true, and her husband recognized the .lustness
of his surprise by the answer, go and see her
yourselfp' That paper was destroyed because
the parties could not produce it and keep their
places two hours before jury At Tilton's sug-
gestiOn Beecher had an interview with Mrs.
Tilten, and that interview between an honest
wife and an accused clergyman, or an adulter-
ess and her paramour, did take place that night
in Titon's house. when they were alone IL
was as few steps for Tilton to accompany Beech
er as it was for Beecher to go alone. Beecher
is accused of having overcome her chastity, and
Tilton opens his wife's chamber to the visit OF
declared convicted adulterer Take it on any
view and you have an invitation to para mour
which should have been intolerabe to the hus-
band. AS to the guilty man, would he have
desired to meet the woman nnder these circum-
stances and furnish final proof against himself,
knowing that the husband knew it? 1t is ut
terly Inconsistent with anything except Beech
ers account of the interview and the statement
which Tilton gave Charles Storrs two days af-
ter, and in stereotyped version to Beecher and
McKelway and Others and not as DOW given
with only the guarantee OF his SPOKEN words,
after he has balanced the alternatives whether
be shall bear the jests of DR.. Bacon or pull
down the temple of his household. What
strange character who thinks himself driven to
such alternatives. Beecher went down stairs,
and before he opened his mouth Moulton asked
him if he was going to Tilton's house, and he
! answered that he was. How did Moulton
know it? Then Moulton SAID. Il will 60 with
you.'' Beecher wasn't stranger and he knew
| the way to Tilton's. why did Mou.ton offer to
accompany him? He went with him, saw that
Beecher had gone there, gone directly without
| the opportunity of seeing or consulting with
any one. Moulton had done his prearranged
| part and he went away. After Beecher left
Tilton's house the nurse found her patient tran
quill Nothing occurred during that interview
| with Beecher to disturb her conscience, and she
soon fell asleep, and the nurse lay down by her
side and went to sleep. All this COMFORTS nat
| urally with Beecher's narrative. He had calm
ed the conscience of woman goaded into yield
ing to aid her husband in his battling with the
world, by making false accusation, and she
had now done something to repair the wrong,
and her mind was at ease There il but one
witness to that interview, namely, Beecher,
and the jury must accept his version as that OF
truthful man in all else, or brand him with
perjury
Tlltons counsel read defendants account of
the interview to the effect that she told him
she was wearied with the opportunities OF I'll
ton into making false accusation against
Beecher of attempting improprieties, and that
she could not help it upon his insisting upon
written retraction. She pointed to the secreta-
ry and he got her paper and pen aud she sat
up and wrote it, denying that be ever made
improper solicitations to her. Thus said the
counsel they had a written paper coming i'm
| mediately fran the wife, and voluntarily writ
ten by her, and they had there plain proof to
the commonest understanding that the occasion
was improper advances. This paper shows
what she had withdrawn. ~ desire to say
that Mr.. Beecher has never offered me any I'M
proper solicitations" She says she was wear
led by opportunities weakened by sickness,
almost forced into making that accusation, and
she retracts it at once peacefully and with an
easy conscience.
Counsel here cited decisions On the value of
confessions extorted from timid wives by reso-
lutte husbands.
Mrs. Tilton, said counsel, was woman of
absolute piety, who believed in the realities of
religion and carried through years Of Christian
submission to this man her Christian duties.
The correspondence in 1869 showed that in .the
munifcence of her wifely love she was ready
to bear shame for him if she could in some
degree smooth the path OF her husband in re-
turning from wickedaess.
Counsel reverted to Tilton's narrative of
events of the night of December 30.h, 1870.
He read note, put in as evidence by TIlton,
in which his wifs informs him she had written
for Beecher at his dictation note to defend
him against a council of ministers and all
accuscrs except her husband. She says: He
told me with pain that my letter in your hand
had struck him dead and ended his usefulness"
The court here lat p. M took recess.
After recess Mr. Evarts continued:-He read
the nurses testimony that Mrs Tilton went to
sleep first then she also slept, but was awak-
ened by hearing a buzzing sound, and Saw
Tilton bending down talking with his wife.
Tilton withdrew to allow the nurse to dress
herself. She left the room and Tilton returned
and for an hour she heard the angry tones of
Tilton and the entreating tones of his wife, and
finally Tilton came out to his study for pen and
ink which he took to his wife's room. Then
he went away, and the nurse returned and
found Mrs. Tllton very agitated. From this
the jury would see how utterly false was
Titons presentation of the transaction. His
object was to throw in an interview between
Beecher and his wife of coercion and agitation,
and to throw features of spontaneous action OF
the transaction of the letter she wrote to him,
as if she wished before going to sleep to give
him true statement of the occurrences that
night, but Mrs. Mitchell, the nurse, gave the
true story and proves how calm she found Mrs.
how she was calmly sleeping when her husband
returned and threw her into agitation while
obtaining from her that paper, the third in the
series.
The jury would believe that Tilton was anx.
ious to know whetherl his wife adhered during
her interview with Beecher to the accusation of
improper advadces, and be found to his con-
sternation that he was in the same position as
regards Beecher that he had been the preced-
ing Christmas day, when he gave the letter to
70 IN Rpaohar. that he with
out power to strike where he had malice. and
more than that found himself in the position
of facing that charge from his wife under cir
cumstances of deep degradation. He found all
these cCntrivances against Beecher had lost the
support be COUNTED ON from his wife and she
had given her explanation of the circumstances
under which it was forced from her, and that
retraction, though not be used against him,
was his wife's confession of wrong on her part.
Counsel here read the paper which Tilton
showed to Dr. Storrs as his wife's explanation
of the fact In this she says that finding the
retraction had placed her in hostile attitude
to her husband, she wrote a third letter. COun-
sci presumed the jury now understood that the
first paper was exacted from his wife on the
night that TiltOn and Moulton were stOrming
in her chamber on the 29th, and they saw the
same coercion in producing the explanation OF
the retraction on the 3Oth. They ha seen how
Beecher had asked her Glow could you do
this against me- but 'because it isn't
true,' and then she tells him not that there
had been anything of an equivocal import be-
tween them and she thought it true for the
time, but "wearied with importantly in sick.
ness, and on the assurance that this compliance
would put an end to all troubles between me
and my husband" and that she gave it as
submissive wife.
Untrue as the charge was, the jury must see
that it was one of improper advances and Who'll
ly incompatible with the plaintiffs story. If
this solemn retracton and this solemn state
ment in the 'True Story" which Tilton says he
copied from his wife's statement if that is not
the accusati IN that was made why don't they
prove it? Why don't they produce the origi-
nal paper? Why destroy evidence? Where is
that paper of which there were two copies?
They say the retraction was the paper you were
interested in preserving But the retraction
and the charge prove each other against false
evidence and treacherous memory. These
destructiors of evidence carry their own i'm
preston.
Counsel next took up the interview when
Moultou secured the retraction from Beecher,
and said it was obtained by impressng him
that while it might have been justifiable to OBJ
tain it in self defence, it was not in accordance
with merciful feeling towards that family
that he should retain evidence of the husbands
control over his wife. Counsel elaborated this
point, claiming that Tilton and MoultoH had
got into false position at the previous inter-
view, and took this means to get out of it.
al cd ayfr from, MnultOn's