Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1875-02-17
An Admission From Tii,sn aud "a New
Letter,


From the detailed report of the pro-
t-eedings of the Beecher trial on the
5th, we make these extracts:
Evsrts made "a sensational point to-
day. He first read from Tilton g
sworn statement an extract there al
legged to have been taken from one of
Mrs. Tilton's letters, which appeared
10 incuipate her. He followed this by
reading from the original copy the
whole of her letter from which the
passage had been taken. He empha-
sized the points by his reading and by
addressing some questions to the wit
ness, and sought To show that the quo
Ted language of Mrs. TiltOn had Meth
er the meaning nor the application
that had been given to 1t by Tilton in
MS aforesaid statement. He showed
hat her words had been altered, and
that instead of being an apology for
adultery, they were, in fact, condem-
nation oft. When, after the reading,
Mr.. Evarts asked rilton if they did
not show she then considered adultery
sin, he replied: Yes. sir, and be-
ieve she does now" There was pro-
found sensation produced in court by
The point thus made through the col
lating of Evarts, who thereupon paus-
ed in the proceedings for some two
minutes, perhaps fr the purpose OF
looking up either lr,ters, but partly,
also, to allow the de elopment of the
effect in the minds ol the jury.
NEW AND !HPORT.,N st LETTER.
Let me here add that among the let.
ters of Mrs. Tiltou read to-day was q
new one OF February /, 1868. The de-
tense claim that the reading of il
shows that extracts from letter may
De used in a sense quite different from
that conveyed by the whole of it. III
this letter Mrs. Til:on deliberately re-
assures her husband again and again
concerning Beecher's visits to her. aud
concerning her accounts of those Wis
It's. she tells her husband that he has
no cause to be Jealous of Beecher, and
that Beecher can never be what he Is
20 her, and that his charge that SHE
did not write him full accounts of his
,Beecher's) visits was cruel and uD-
Just. She proceeds to compare the
restfulDess she centers on Beechel
with the far different sentiment be-
tween herself and husband. The pros
eeution's theory of this case is, o
course, that Beecher gradually under,
mined Mrs. Tilton.
THE DEFENSE THEORY,
as developing now, is that Titon early
and utterly miscOnceived the relations
between Beecher and Mrs. Tilton, and
that he made that miscOnception the
base of jealous and unjust charges
which he came in time to believe, ana
which Mrs. Tilton, To quiet him, her
self partially admitted. This hitherto
reserved letter fits either theory. The
avidity with which the defense wen
FOR the letter showed that they though
it proof of their theory of early and per
sistent charging Ofotfence between Mrs
Tilton and Beecher by her husband
charges which, i'm her letters, she re-
pels by every implication employahle
On one side or other, or both, thu
letter will play most important par
hereafter. The date to which TiltOr
swears that Mrs. Tilton and Beeche
affixed their criminalities is OctObe
49, 1868. Letters subsequent To thi
alleged season of sin were read, aul
she defense will doubtless show that
guilty woman could not write letter
that appear so innocent. If read will
this theory in view, they Will he foun'
70 be jammed with love words, low
asseveratiOns and gentle chidiugs
There are no illusions in them toshOv
that Tilton in his letters at this tim
had kept on INDUCING in references L