Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-06-16
BacOn's Letter DenOunciHg TiItOn rs
knsTe and a DOg-The Bower
Letter and the TrIpsrtite
Covenant.
The Church Investigation Star CHAM
Der OutTage-8rs. iltOn's Flight
from Her Home-CilatI0n
Of Important Cases.
TiltOn and Bescher and the Black
mailing BHsiRes5-The Woman who
Dedicated both S0dI aad
Body TO Beeeber,

New YORK, June I5.-The Brooklyn
city courtroom was again filed thi
morning, and the audience included
many ladies. The plaintiff, Mr.. Beacl
and Ex-Judge Fullerton, were in theil
places before the jury took their seats
The defendant was absent when cOurt
was opened, but was represented by his
wife and his brother Edward. Mr.
Beach, at five minutes after eleven, con.
tinued his address. He referred to the
West charges, in which Tilton had been
srraigned for siandering his pastor,
! Then, said the counsel, followed the
! council Of the church, in which IiltOn
| took 10 part, owing to the request Of
| Beecber that he would not do so. There
was a remarkable letter in this connec-
| ton, written by Beecher to MOultOn,
| dated March %, 1874. In it Beecher
says that the course pursued by Dr.
| SUOrrs was an unspeakable outrage; that
the professions of friendship advanced
by DR.. Storrs were hollow and insincere,
and that he was trying to goad Tilton
into attacking him BeecheTl. ]. This let.
ter clearly showed the jury the state of
mind BeecheT was in. Why did he
dread the appearance of TilUOn before
the council? He was afraid of an in
vestigation being made which would
disclose the relations he held with Til
toms family. Counsel had spoken to
them before about the Bacon letter, and
he read to them portion OF TiltOn's
cross-examinatiOn in reference to
that letter. The evidence in question
tended to show that Tilton had written
the letter for the purpose of vindicating
his wife and family. The jury could
see under what circumstances the Bacon
letter was written. DR.. Bacon had
given birth to all the epithets used
against Tilton on this trial. He called
him q kpave and q dog, and instead of
being this, be was acting with magma
nimity and generosity toward Beecher,
as the letters will show. Gould not
Beecher have stated then what he did
before the church investigating COM
mittee. He [Tilton was not knRve,
a dog, and you, DR.. Bacon, are suffer-
ing from Misrepresentation. III he had
done so there would have been no Bacon
letter and no disturbance, and there
would have been no appeal to the public
by Theodore TiltOn. All these things
arise from the cOw8rdice of Henry
Ward Beecher. Then followed the in
vestigating committee called by Beecher !
shortly after tine publication Of the Ba- |
not responsible for that committee, and |
both Tilton and MOultOn worked with |
assiduity to prevent any exposure of the |
scandal to the public by this committee. |
We come now to the Bowen letter, |
which Tilton testified was instigated by |
stories told him by Bowen, who urged |
him to make the demand that Beecher
should leave his pulpit and Brooklyn, |
and Bowen promised to support his de-
mand and carry the letters to BeecheT.
We put Bowen Cn the stand
with this paper standing on
record. Theodore TiltOn defed all
and Bowen was not
asked by the other side whether he was
not the author Of the demand, whether
he did not promise to sustain this de-
mand, and whether he did not promise
10 BeecheT? Why was not
Oliver Johnson asked about this? This
on the part of the defense
was the highest testimonial which
could be given TiltOn's integrity. There
was not single word of discredit or
denial on the part Of this evidence given
By Beeeher: and il was the part of the
defense to put forth that Henry Ward
was too pure even to be suspected !
lf sin. The counsel then passed TO the
of the tripsrtite covenant,
md said the part signed by Bowen was
carefully and cautiously drawn. When
Tiiton contemplated any action he was
guided by Beecher, Moulton and Mrs.
iilton, to avoid any exposure likely to
ollow. The jury had seen how MOul-
on operated and worked, supported by
Cilton, to keep this matter quiet, aud
,yoid all agitation or disturbance Of |
L IoI, IV,f oCf / ]
II an investigating committee being
appointed until told of it by his wife.
Mas il q noble or Just measure t. select
his committee from members OF the
hurch? How srduous were the labOrs
md deliberations Of Beacher, Shear
nan and Tracey in selecting
his committee, in a homely but {
Expressive phrase, packing a court and
,afading to the world the courage of
Seecher in thus defying the charges
nd inviting investigation, gathering !
hese men, whose opinions had already !
eeR formed, to acquit Beeeher. Did
ot that committee know that il was .
controversy between TiltOn and Beecher
" life or death? This was q star cham
er investigation, held with closed doors,
nd TiltOn's wife was enticed from her
ome and taken before them, implicat- :
lg her husband with charges which, il 3
roved to be true, rendered him infa- :
away altogether from her {
ONE, and now relying and living on u
le charity dispensed by Plymouth L
hurch. Where were the several wit n
esses, Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Morse and Il
theirs, whom the committee knew pos Il
essed certain knowledge which would q
uide them in their deliberations? Why +
-ss no attempt made to get them be. /
,re that ceuTt and become possessed of a
leir information? The committee h
,rved the purpose for which it was 8
llled, and rendered a verdict which | Il
As held up to the scOrn of all the b
orld. Could Tilton be blamed, under I,
le circumstances, for standing up alone o
this controversy and defending him. I
III before this committee? His house Il
old disruptured, his wife a fugitive $,
ON her home, and he represented as a h
.utelln his family relations was this Q
AN to sit quiet, knowing the false a
sss OF the accusations against him? O.
That should Tiltou do under the cir d
The counsel did not know a
hat the jury would do, but TiIton n
new that his wife had left her home il
rever, and Henry Ward Beecher re- N
lired her in order that he might %
umph. The wife must do something n
remove the effects of the accusations 8
,ainst BeeoneE made to her husband; e
,Bcs her flight from her home, her
,pesrAnos before the committee. and
n living with the OvingtOns. The jury
uld vindicate the character Of TheO- n
,re Pilton, but that would not change fc
2 future much. Filton would s2on d.
merge from these shades. II was tins h
erit OF gISSt characters that they n
ways did, snd thOugS his wife had y
,andoned her home, and 1t N.Aa almost s.
leerIess, he would yet redeem himself 4.
ths eyes of the world. The counsel u
id, addressing the court, that Evarts II
I'd stated that it was impossible for the cC
~ to convict on the testimony of the Fl
cusing party, but they had the confes. OF