The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-05-05
Rr0oklUn NetUs.

| BROOKLYN. May 5.-rhe letter pub
lished yesterday, as that of Mrs. Triton
to Judge Nelson, is now pronounced a
| forgery, and the following. which ap-
peared in the Brooklyn Eagle yesterday
afternoon, is claimed to be genuine:
| :. "BRoOKLYN, May 3, 1875.
ssJUDGE NELSON: ask the privilege
from you for a iew words in my own be-
half. l feel deeply the injustice of my
position in law, and before the Court
now sitting; and while / haYe under
stood, and expected from the beginning,
Mr. Evarts' principle in the matter, yet
since your last decision / have been so
sensible of the power of my enemies s
that my soul cries out before you and the
gentlemen OF the jury that they beware
how, by divided verdict, they con
sign to my children false and ire
yOcable stain upon their mother. For
i've years past have been the victim oil
circums tances most cruel and unfOrtu-
nate, struggling IRON time to time only
for a place to live honorably and truth
fully. Released for some months from
the will by whose power unconsciously
eliminated myself again and again, de-
clare solemnly before you, without fear
of man and by my faith in God, that l
am innocent of the crimes charged
against me. / would like to tell my
whole sad story truJhfulIy, to acknowl-
edge the frequent falsehoods Wrung from
me by compulsion, though at The same
time unwilling to reveal the secrets OF
my married life, which only the vital i'm
portance of my position makes neces-
sary. 1 assume The entire responsibility
of this request, unknown to friend or
counsel OF either side, and await Your
Honor's honorable decision. With great
respect,
'sELIzABETH r. TILTON.u
The following is Judge Nelson's re-
ply:
"CHAMBERS OF THE CITY COURT
OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,
BROOKLYN, N. Y. May A, 1916.
"MRS. TILTON: am directed by Chief
Judge Nelson to return your letter, as
it can not be read in Court; Also, to
state that in civil cases counsel have
the right to refrain from calling par
ticular witness, however competent,
and that neither the court nor the oAient
can interfere with the exercise of that
right. The Judge also instructs me to
say that the question whether you could
be witness stands on quite another
ground from that considered when your
husband was called and sworn. He was
a competent witness to testify in his be-
aft; and while the policy of the law was
to some extent involved, there was no
express statute in the way; but the
statute of May 10, 1867, expressly de-
clares the wife to be incompetent as a
witness for or against the husband.
Yours respectfully,
"GEo. W. KNAEBEL,
"Clerk OF City Court, etc"
The witnesses called after recess yes
terday were Mrs. A. M. Middlebrook,
Joseph p. Richards, John Brenner and
Stephen Pearl Andrews. Mr.. Richards
testified with reference to an interview
with Tracy last summer In regard to his
Richards, appearance before the Inyes-
Ilgating Committee. Tracy said, ii
am here as Beecher's COUNSEL"
and told me / would be asked
if my sister ever confessed to me of hav-
ing committed adultery with Mr.. Beech
er. l replied that would not answer
that question. He said that my refusal
to answer would be construed as an an
swer in the affirmative, and refused to |
go before the Committee. 1 am sure
that Geperal Tracy told me he was act
ing as counsel for Beecher. do not re- |
member Bessie Turner coming to me at |
the Post-office in December, 1870, and
making to me any revelation of ill-treat-
ment at the hands of Tilton. never re- |
her calling there at any time. |
nor do ! ever remember hearing such |
revelation from her.
"Boston" Corbett, who killed John
Wilkes Booth. is at present hat m maker