Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-06-18

es there is in much simpler phrase an equal,
of thorough and beautiful description of tha
q downfall in few words
y. 'Now, he who heareth these sayings of mine an,
y doeth them, will lken to the wise man that bull
of his house upon rock. And the rain descended
upon that house, and it fell not, for it oundeC
upon rock"
> Did ever, alas, the rains descend and the
s floods come and the wind blow about the
in fabric OF mans character and life as now
10 for these four years upon the character and
life of Henry Ward Beecher? And does not
> every one know that the reason the struc-
$ ture did not fall was that he was built upon
the rock of faithful belief in the sayings Of
the Founder of our religion, and the faithful
adhesion in the work of his life to those
Is sayings
= And he that heareth these sayings Of mine and
doeth them not, will liken him to the foolish m an
d who built his house upon the sand. And the rain
+ descended and the floods came, and the wind blew,
and beat upon that house, and it fell, and greIt
y was the fall thereof
n And your verdict will show it, for truth
must match all round, for all such men, for
all time, and under all circumstances In
> deed, more apt, a more impressive instance
, that He who said these words needed not
that men should testify of Him, for He knew
Z what was in man, was never furnished in
this world than in this comparison between
this defendant, whose life and character
we've built upon rock, by hearing and do
ing the sayings Of Christ, and this life and
character that dared to try the experiment
OF hearing the sayings and doing them not.
Tnz CONCLUSION.
And now, if your Honor please, we must
! nrkn lpIre Nvitb raer.ootful ,lafaroroa Il
disposition Of the order of this solemn trial,
50 interesting to these parties, to this com
munity, to all the present life in Christen-
dom, and to all the future of history, and to
acknowledge that if there be any miscar-
riage Of justice, your skirts will be clear of
it, and also to admit that the anxieties, the
solicitudes that made US 50 urgent to have
the limits secured by definite orders of the
court, have proved to be unnecessary for
we have not had any evidence at all of any
time or place. by any witnesses going out
side Of the charge, and none as think,
within And you, gentlemen, have done
your duty a faithfully a. citizens ever do it. |
fou have been taken from your employ |
ments, your profits, in some instances, per |
hap-, your liyelihoOd>, and every day and |
every hour, from the beginning to the end. |
/ you have given to the witnesses and to the |
counsel the honor of your patient. interest |
| ed, and indulgent attention, and in your /
verdict you viii find, and we shall find with .
JOY, that truth matches all round, and your
verdict will be no exception.
The court then adjourned.
MR.. EEAcH's CLOSING ARGUMENT.
Mr. Beach began the closing argument for
the plaintiff on Wednesday morning, in a
crowded court room, filed largely with sym
Tathizer~ with Mr. Tilton. Mr. Beach was
received with loud applause.
AT last gentlemen" he began, "Theo-
dore Iilton has an opportunity Of yindica-
ton in a court of law Mr.. Beach went
on to enlarge upon the odds Tilton had had
to encounter from the organized power and
wealth Of Plymouth Church, and said that
Beccher foolishly thought that the yindica-
ton Of committee carefully selected from
his friends would be final-tne yindication Of
a tribunal which was mockery Of justice,
before which Iilton had been given no
chance. 1t was no wonder that public clam
or had been aroused. The question now was
whether the organized power of Plymouth
Church was 70 have force here II this case
was one to be won by vituperation thespeak
er would yield the palm to the other side.
lie would conhne himself 10 an appeal TO the
Judgment and good sense Of the jury. Would
they lightly brand as perjurers three persons
who were among the most reputable in the
community lie accused Plymouth Church
of having attempted to influence the jury
and Of having dispensed money 10 thar end
most literally. " What right had counsel to
say that he tnsir what the verdict Of the
Jury would he-that it would be an acquittal
without leaving their seats ? The speaker
had no calumnics to utter, no epithets to
apply. He had only simple logical argu-
ment to make II fact, enough had not
been proven. he wanted no verdict. lie ask I
ed for no wrong aspersion upon Henry Ward /
Beecher But if he had brought sufficient
legal evidence, even in view OF the most !
charitable construction Of it, he demanded q $
verdict in the name of the law
Mr.. Beach Acknowledged Mr.. Beecher'>
greatness, but he took exception to his al
legged purity and sinleS>neSs. The whole ar
gument OF the defense was based on the pro-
position that Beecher was too good to com d
nit sin. This controversy is one, said Mr..
Beach. that, unless under the stress of the
most imperious necessity, should never have
been disclosed to the public. Even if Mr..
Bcecher be innocent II be should be declar-
ed innocent, he never can take his stand in !,
the pulpit, the same grand, heroic character
Of old he is shorn OF his power for good to
a very great extent he Is sullied and dam 4
aged though you pronounce him guilty, 4
though YOU yindicatc Mr.. TiltOn. it does not o
repair the injury he has suffered. That ,
broken home cannot be reconstructed and
renewed the stain and shame which have Z
settled upon that household can never be Il
lifted; those children, pure and innocent 7
and attractive, must suffer still. And the II
man who, in his folly or in his reckleSsneSs,
has forced this issue and these consequences
10 the community and to the individual, mas .
assumed Il mighty responsibility. When b
Mrs. Tilton disclosed her wrong doing to q
others besides her husband the secret neces Il
arily leaked out Mr.. Eyarts wants people \
20 believe that the policy of silence was p
orced upon Mr.. Beecher, but it Is evident IA
rom the testimony that when Tilton threat l.
med to publish his letter to Bowen. Beecher y
legged for silence. 1t Is clear from Beecher's G
,wn writings, that after the Morse letter +
5eecher begged for silence. 1t Is certain 7,
hat when Beecher sent Mr.. Bell to break up :,
he meeting OF DeacOns he wanted silence
20, also, in the letter in which he asked his \
nephew Perkins to put his foot upon the v
Tot embers of scandal and in the "bottom- fl,
acts letter appear efforts to suppress the p
candal and in the letter which he sent to
'lrs. Tilton by the hands of her husband he ai
gain asks for concealment and what was /
he tripartite covenant but device for con- al
ealment? And in another of his letters he W
IseS the expression, ''ll the papers will hold NJ
fl for month we will outride the gale
nd when he offered to resign, that was an -
ther device for eoncealment, and when he W
poke of stopping ruinous defense of him CT
elf he contemplated concealment. Then {.
here is the letter in which he speaks Of Il
'stultilying all the devices by which we
aved ourselves - bnt the most striking III W
tance is his refusal to answer Mrs. Brad L
haw's letter. When, after that, he says le
the policy of silence ought to have sue p
eeded, he makes confession that he was Il,
party to 1t. ~
TILT0N'S CONDUCT No EXCUSE. ",
IL i no excuse for. Henry Ward Beecher th
hat Theodore Tilton was harsh and un- ed
owing husband, if it he true. 1t does
ot DENY the truth of this accuSa- =
ion. that that was a disturbed and dis OF
ordant household. 1t may he true. That Mt
re will see about 1t may have been an u.
to Henry Ward Beecher to fr
enture upon an assault upon its sacred
urity, but it is not justification for the act
nd so through ali these irrelevant and col III
,teral Issues which have been forced upon Al
he jury. Grant them all Grant that on
'heodore Tilton was the adorer of Victoria an
Voodhull, as he was her eulOgist in her bio oh
raphy grant that he was sdious and de- A.
ased in his habits grant that he trespassed III
pom all the proprietie- of life; aye, grant sh
hat he was less than a man and viler than vi
he brute when, at Winsted, as they say, he
educed the girl intrusted to his care grant
Il this Is it an answer to the proof III this Al
!; the ccr,f.assilr, nf the be