The Portland daily press., 1875-07-03
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING, JULY 8, 1876
FOR GOVERNOR,
GEN. SELDEN CONNOR.
The Climax of the Conspiracy.

/ 'NA eASh PSiJuys liz SouhoCi iO1
Tilton also turn their backs upon them in a
most contemptuous manner. So far as Price
Is concerned, this may be considered an in
| dlgnant retaliation upon him for refusing to
stick" But Loader stood by his falsehood,
up to the hour of his arrest, and published a
card three days subsequent to Prices coz
fession, reiterating his previous story. Since
bis arrest he has been making such variety
| OF confused, contradictory and ridiculous
statements that the only reason for supposing
he is not out of his senses, is that it is diff
cult to conceive that he ever had any. 1t
seems utterly incredible that any person of
average intelligence could have been i'm
posed upon for moment by so shallow an
idiot. The time when and the circumstances
under which thi; canard was Illuminated are
extremely suspicious. Mr.. Tilton's attorneys
desert their witness in his extremity, but they
used his silly invention with alacrity, to in
fiuence the jury and declined to permit
the fact of its decisive contradiction to be
communicated to the twelve men who were
locked up before it became known that this
newly discovered evidence was sheer
fabrication. This goes great way in con-
firming what Price alleged in his confession,
namely that they proposed to offer his spuri-
GUS testimony but were entirely confident
the Judge would not admit it. If they had
really been deceived and suffered the jury to
retire under deception which they had
helped to create, what more manly, honorable
and straightforward than to have the jury
sent for and informed by the Judge that if
the proposition to introduce certain new evi-
eence, the character of which was hinted at
at the close of the trial, had produced any
impression upon their mind they could dis
miss ii, as the proffered witnesses were self
convicted perjurers. 1t is all very we'll for
lawyers to disavow any intent to do wrong
bat the sincerity of the disavowal would be
much more effectually established if they were
to take the only course left them for undoing
it. This is the test to which they were sub
jected on Wednesday by the motion of the
defendants counsel to send for the jury and
give them the facts, but they shrank from
furnishing such a practical demonstration of
their good faith. They have nobody but
themselves to blame, therefore, if the con-
clusion becomes general that they are not en-
tirely guiltless of completely in this monstrous
outrage.
Unfortunately there have been other pro-
ceedings on the plaintiff side in this trial,
wholly inconsistent with the theory that they
were incapable Of resorting to indecorous and
strategcal methods of operating upon the
jury and the public. The court room and
corridors had much the complexion of a
ward primary during the concluding days Of
the trial. The applause so freely given to the
plaintiff and his leading advocate on their
entrances and exits was palpable result Of
rehearsal and drill. That was transparent to
the spectators but the great audience out.
side who had no opportunity to see the
workings of the wires and pulleys had little
neous outburst of popular sentiment. The
papers in Tllton's interest were very swift TO
chronicle these demonstrations, and to rep
resent them as perfectly genuine and hearty.
The postulate that the prosecution was a
gigantic conspiracy had great many intelli-
gent supporters from the beginning. 1t has
been gaining ground ever since. This latest
disclosure has given it a prodigious impetus.
Candid people reason that Loader and Price
merely differ from other participants in the
crusade, in the bungling and clumsy manner
of acting their parts. But it must be remem-
bered that they were not coached and trained
as carefully as some of their predecessors. 1t
was never intended that they should stand
the fire of legal examination. 1t was un-
doubtedly mistake to have enticed them in
| to swearing to their fiction. But that error
appears to have been chargeable mainly to
the Herald. That enterprising journal has
been actively engaged in writing down Beech
er for long while. Its reporter, anxious to
be serviceable to his employers, devoted a
| great deal of time and energy to hunting up
Price and preparing him for the ordeal he
was to undergo. As often as he protested
he knew nothing at all about the matter he
was met with smile of incredulity and
treated to smile much more congenial tc
his taste, till he found the easiest way to in.
| gratiate himself with his new patron was to
| swear as he wanted him to. The coveted
affidavit was secured, ostentatiously printed
and made the text for fresh philippe against
Mr. Beecher.
| We have no idea that the editors of the
Herald were cognizant of or would have
been parties to so wicked fraud. But the
reporter knew his market and made the mos
of it. His zeal to indite a startling para
graph outran his discretion in the use of ma
terials. The intense partisanship of the ed
itorial staff blinded them to the extreme i'm
probability of the story he brought them
We hope that the instructive lesson taugh
them by the denouement will prove salutary
Reputation is too precious to be trihed away
by idle gabble picked up in dubious quarter
from obscure and irresponsible tattlers. /
the Herald had been reasonably careful
about its sources of information, it woult
have been spared the modification and shame
of lending the endorsement of publication t.
preposterous fabrication contrived for thu
disgracelul purpose of distracting the coun
sells of jury about to retire to protractet
seclusion to act in final Judgment upon the
truthfulness and honor of one of the mos
eminent of living men.