The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-06-15
THE SCANDAL.
Some Very Improbable Stories.
Beecher Denies them and TiltOn's COun-
sci Take no Stock in them,
CONTINUATION OF BEACH'S
ARGUMENT.


tention to a publication in this mornings Her
aid, and said before making any application on
it he wished to consult with his associate, Fui-
lerton, who was not present, and he would
deem it favor il the Judge would give MN
until after recess to decide whether it would be
necessary to make any application. The court
bowed assent Beach also stated that his friend
Porter had received letter from Bartlett DIS
claiming the authorship of articles abodt the
trial in the Sun, and counsel thought it proper
to mention this fact, as he had read those arti
cles in connection with remarks about Bartlett
being one of the Sun association.
1.-THE stories above referred to appeared in
Mondays Herald. One is to the effect that
| Mr.. George G. Legs, who formerly Kept an
| aDothecary shop at the corner of Fulton and
| Clinton Streets but is now in business at
Wbiteston, L. l., testifes to one of its report
| ers that he remembers distinctly selling an
ounce of prussc acid to Henry Ward Beecher.
| The entry on his ledger is as follows: MAY
18th, 1S71-One ounce of prussic acid, fifty
cents" This follows other articles, and is sue
Gee led by others ordered by Beecher. Mr..
Legs states that Beecher obtained the poison
| after quite lengthy conversation as to the ac-
| ton of poisons The other purports to be the
| result of an interview with two men named
| Price and Looder who state that at one time
| when laying carpets in TiltOn's house, they
| saw 3eecher embrace Mrs. Tilton in an amorous
manner and one goes SO far as to state that he
| saw the parties in the act of adulteryI
Beach then resumed his address. He said in
/ giving list of cases the other day, he men,
| toned that of Rev. Mr. Southland of New der
| sey. He was informed since that Southland in
| dulged in stimulants, owing to a painful
| disease but never was charged with lcenhous-
ness, and this correction was due to that gem
| tleman's surviving relatives he deeply regret
| ted any incorrect statement affecting that
| gentleman's memory which will pain his rea-
tives.
| other day that the defence had conceded by
silence, he meant the charge of improper ad-
| vances. Porter had not considered the full
/ force of the word he had used to characterize
that statement, and he himself perhaps made
his statement broad.
Porter here rose and said the charge was
denied, not only by Beecher himself directly,
| but by other witnesses One of the necessities
of the case was that it was thought desirable to
| make harsh comments on witnesses.
Mr.. Beach said he was not lust now going to
/ discuss the weight of Richards evidence, but
| Porter's remarks on that witness justified him
i in saying that Richards has discharged as a
| Christian and man of honor the duties of the
respectable positions he has filled, with salts
faction to all concerned If it were desirable
| to select in all New York Methodist best illus
tratng the principles of the denomination,
| Richards would be the man to select. He was
| here evidently reluctant Witness ana under
the mandate of the court he was presented as
| witness. The disclosure of his sisters sin had
| been made public, and whether the brother
| would cherish resentment against the wrong
doer, and lead him to be one of the principal
| accusers, would depend upon individual char
| acteristics Richards manfestly was reluctant,
/ and he was allowed to tell as much as he
thought proper of what he saw when he found
| his sister and Beecher in the parlor. Perhaps
/ if he had been pressed he might have enlarged
1 the evidence Counsel concluded his reference
| to Richards by reading an eulOgistic article
about him by DR.. Curry, in the Independ-
/ emit
| A. p Martin, another Christian man attack
| ed by the defence for testlfying on the other
side, and denounced as Tlton's spy, was vndi-
| Gated by Beach in well selected and forclbe re-
| marks He then reminded the jury what Mar
| tin was called to prove. Bessie Turner testified
to the committee, she had private interview
with Tracy, which she says lasted ten minutes.
/ Tracy extended it to an hour, and Martin was
| called to extend it somewhat further. That
witness stated that he was all the time on the
| piazza and on cross uatiOn he was led to
| say that tine adjoining house projected and
shaded the piazza of Ovington's house from the
| sun, but it turned out that it was the next ad
| joining one, and that large tree in the neigh
borhood and algrape vine then in full bloom did
| shade the piazza
With reference to Miss Proctor's action
| against Moulton. counsel said Moulton made
| no attack on her, but was guilty of inexcusa-
BILE ndiscretion of giving in his statement to the
| committee, reference which he says Beecher in
d
| This reference was actionabla Moulton submit
| ted, and Miss Proctor did not want damages,
and action was withdrawn.
Counsel next replied with warmth to the
worthy insinuationS made respecting the diff
| Guilty of Mouton's firm with the government
| arising ont of the revenue laws.
| With regard to the general assertion that
| Mrs. Woodruff learned the leading features of
her scandal article from plaintiff, counsel refer
| red che jury to the statement in that article
| to the fact that Mrs Woodruff learned the
| facts from Mrs. Hooker, Mrs. Paulina Wright
Davis and Mrs Stanton 1t was remarkable
| that Beechers letter of apology and Desthiding,
and other remarkable letters. were not even al
luded to by Mrs. Woodruff, though if Tilton
was the author of the statement they would
have necessarily have appeared in it. Without
being Woodhulps advocate, he was at loss to
| know how it was assumed that her character
was obnoxious, and that association with her
was disgraceful. There was no proof of it
whatever, and the jury were not to assume
without evidence that she Spontaneous. Mrs.
| Stanton and Miss Anthony, ladies of high
| character. associated with her, advanced minds
| crowded to her house, and Stephen Pearl An
| diews, man of learning and character, resid-
ed there with his wife.
Counsel was much astonished at Evarts dec
| laraton that Woodruff and Robinson took
| $4,000 out of $1,000 which Tiltonsgot from Bow
| en- in order to repay themselves and others for
| advances to the Golden Age. The records and
| testimony prove that every dollar passed into
| Tilton's hands and was appropriated to his
| own use. If there was one particle of proof to
found that assertion on, which is most mis-,
chievous one to Tilton, he would readily accord
| Evarts an opportunity of referring to it; nay,
| he challenged him to do it.
He did not wish to speak disparagingly of
Partridge, the cashier who retained the memo.
| randum. "Spoils from new friends" etc., &C
companying the $1,000 which Tilton deposited,
but there was room for severe structures. The
| paper had no signfication connected with the
check as Bowen was not new friend, and
Woodruff & Co. were not Did ones.
The management of the defence was appar-
emily assumed by Plymouth church. A pro-
cession of its members came in every day-an
organized array, under the lead of their gallant
usher who assumed control of the court; and
for the purpose Of overawing the jury this
gathering was made every day for the early
weeks of the trial We were delighted with
the floral display, and light and joy were diff
fused around, as if Beecher, with the church at
his heels, had only to appear and demand &C
quttal, thus reminding him o church mill
@ant, who proved their doctrine orthodox by
apostolic bows and knocks. Mrs. Bradshaw
came to hear Evarts the other day. and was
chilled out of court y Plymouth church.
Beecher cannot stand alone Counsel referred
to Mrs. Beecher with respect but remarked
that it was singular she should be forced into
constant attendance to hear the revolving de-
tails of her husbands alleged adultery. There
was a theatrical air in the constant attendance
of that venerable matron. IL looked as II
there was an organized array to influence the
decision of the jury. In this assduous way
Mrs. Tilton was early forced into an appear
ance in this arena, where her virtue was a foot
ball of contention on her own confession, and
she came to hear the details of her sin and the
jeers of an insulting crowd. Did they doubt
under what influence she (Mrs. Tilton) was
permanently seduced from her home. and that
Mrs Ovngton was an agent to accomplish,
taking her out to ride and telling her to come
and reside with her permanently whenever she
desired? And that woman, widow though wife,
is now wandering without a home and sup
ported by Plymouth Church, and how earnest
were the greetings in court between her and
Beecber, with smiles and shaking of hands
until the public disapprobation stopped it and
the refugee wife ceased to come. All these
were confessions of guilt. Justice is intellectual
and uDsympathetc. The jury must have often
looked upon the defendant with emotion, con-
sidering him not as he is here, but grand aud
noble in his nature, and as he stands outside;
but that is not justice, and they must act
wholly on law and evidence. Tilton has re-
sorted to no stratagems, and has no troops of
friends to bolster him up. In the nobility of
his nature he stands up for the verdict, which
he confidently expects from the law and the
integrity of the jury.
Recess was here taken.
Mr.. Beach resumed after recess by reading
an extract from Macaulay's "Life of Bacon