The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-04-01
TRIAL OF YILT0T, }
Bessie Turner Exposes His Domestic
Habits,
ABUSIVE 7REA 7IKEhT or HIS
WIFE.
R MARKADLE SCENES RELATED,
Tie HTMess' Story Nof KI ConeiHde6.

NEW 1OTks
City Court opened at the usual hour when
Assistant Pastor Halliday's cross exami-
nation was continued, but no additional
facts of interest were elected.
BEssIR TURNER TEsTIFIEs.
Miss Elizabeth A. Turner was the next
witness called to the stand. She testi-
fed as follows: became an inmate OF
Tiltons house in April, 1864, and re
NAMED there ten years. they then board
ing .4th Mrs. Morse in Livingston street
never was there as servant i'll receipt
of wages; assisted Mrs. Tilton in care OF
the children and household affairs; |
usually slept with the children in the
next room to Mrs Tilton and was always
treated as one of the family; Tilton al
ways treated me very kindly; he was in
the habit of kissing his children, and he
also kissed me; / used to comb his hair,
and he would take me on his lap as he
did the children; he would also read and
converse with me- Mrs. Tilton was very
loving towards her husband and children
and fond of her home; she would pray
over the children when they were retir-
ing to sest, and would give them relig-
ious instruction on weekdays as well as
Sundays; she was always gentle and kind
in her way of speaking to people and es-
pecially towards her husband; in the
early days of my living there, Tilton was
very kind to his wife, but as time pro-
gressed there came change which Wis
IDLY increased; Tilton was always very
variable in his moods; he would be very
restless in one of these modes, and with
his hands in his pockets, would walk
about the house making every person
very uncomfortable; on these occasions
he was very exacting. When at the table,
his manner to his wife was very unkind,
but hers to him was always gentle; she
would sit down beside him il he lay on
the sofa and try to soothe him; on one
occasion, Mrs. Tilton refused to take any
meat, and he grew excited and said 1T
was all her mothers orthodoxy; on
another occasion, he reproved Ier at the
table before her children and me abont
the horrible grammar she used; on some
occasions, he objected to certain articles
being on the table, and at other times re-
proved Mrs. Tilton for not havsng them
there: | remember on one OCCASION at a |
woman's rights meeting at Mrs. Tilton's,
when Mrs. Tilton was standing by Til |
toms side, he said Elizabeth, don't stand |
beside me, for the comparison is too great |
and do not wish people to be making
comparisons.
TILToN's ECCENTRIC HABITS.
Tilton had also a frequent habit of
changing pictures on the walls when at
tired in his night clothes; he would take
pictures down and hang them up again;
he was also in the habit of trying all the
beds in the house before he could make |
up his mind to remain in one; | remem-
ber on one occasion changed my bed |
twice, as he said he wanted to try the |
beds to ascertain which was the softest
Mrs. Tilton followed him around with |
pillows in her arms; Tilton was in the
habit of wandering around the house in
his Night clothes.
Mf. Beach objected o this last answer,
but the Court allowed it to remain in, and
the usual recess was then taken.
After recess Bessie Turner's direct ex-
animation was continued by eX-Judge |
Porter She testified. Tilton was in the
habit of going around in his night clothes;
these sullen moods of his woule last for
two or three days, and would occurr fre-
quently; on ~one occasion, when little
Paul was very i'll, Tilton went out and
stayed the whole night; Mrs. Tilton was
very much troubled and said sO she in
diCated her trouble by walking up and
down the room and stairs and listening
when she heard carriage wheels; appre-
tensions were expressed for his safety;
when Tilton came in Mrs. Tilton went
up to him and said 80 Theodore, darling,
lam so glad you came in; | have been
so troubled, feared something had hap
pened, and the child is so ILL" Mr.. Tilton
threw himself on the sofa and said it did
not, matter, and he began stroking his
hair; ! know of one or two instances in
which he offered objections to her friends
coming to the house, but she always
treated his friends well when they came
into the house; heard TiltOn scold his
wife frequently before the children and
myself; he has had her in the room sew
eral times and the door locked talking
harshly to her, and using profane ex-
pressions / never heard her voice raised |
on these occasions; this habit of locking
himself up with her occurred at various
times and the bell would ring frequently |
r. IL, 10 oh "a
down; remember one Sunday afternoon
two gentlemen were in the room, and he
talked to her in an angry manner; | can
not recall the conversation that took
place: on one occasion, heard him up
braiding her and she said she would do
all she could, and was trying to make
every dollargo as far as she could; Tilton
was very fastidiOus about his food, and
on some occasions when he came down
to breakfast lie was angry because the
beef-steak vas dry; while waiting his
coming down stairs sometimes dishes of
whey were prepared for him; parties
were in the habit of saying to the chill
dren their mother was most unseltsh
woman and Tilton would misconstrue this
and say she was a selfish woman.
BEECHER PAID NO IMPROPER ATTENTION TO
MRS. TILToN.
Beecher frequently called at Mrs. Til
toms; his manner was gentlemanly, but
| never saw any improprety in their
conduct toward each other; | never OBJ
served any different treatment to him as
compared with other friends who called;
| remember him going up to the sitting
room and talking and playing with the
children; Mr.. Greeley, Mr.. Ovington,
Mr.. Bates, Rev. DR.. Haven and Others
we're in the habit Of calling, but they re-
ceived the same treatment as Mr.. Beecher
EXTRAORDINARY CON CT OF TILToN IN
BEssIE's BEDR ROOM.
TilSon visited my room in 1867, and we
had a conversation; had gone to bed on
the second-story bedroom, the front room