The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-02-25
THE SCANDAL.


NEW YORK, Feb. 24-Tbe Brooklyn City
Court room was sea of moving heads tnls
morning and all the parties to the suit weLe
early in their places. The greater bulk Oh VIC
spectators were lawyers practcing in the New
York and Brooklyn courts, who had gatneleIi
to hear the opening for the defence by oeIeral
Tracy, who was nearly quarter OF III r noun
late. After a few p1elimenaries Mr. Tray
rose and said: The time had now arrived lor
the defence to open their case. There are
great interests involved in this trial Ihey Can
not be over estimated as they involve religious
and moral interests of society. Ether .ii;s
defendant was to go forth indicated from TINS
court room or with stain upon MN, or h'o
life and character. al.
My client takes his stand here alone, put
supported by his God and the justice OF MS
character. The defendant early devoted hime
self to the ministry of God. 1t was no pea OF
rest. He struck out for the wild West, lung
the bells in the forest glade, assisted by MS
dear wife, who accompanied him. He is now
the same true, simple, unaffected man as nc
was then. The speaker then went on TO reiate
the history of Tlton, who, he said, had begun
life upon the staff of a newspaper as report
err He embraced the widest views and be-
leved that the world would follow in the way
which he led. He became "a deIst denying the
existence of God and denounced the marriage
relations as a fraud and hindrance to the ad-
vancement of the world. Theodore Illton
fell from his high eminence, to which few men
attain, to the bottom of an abyss. In the
blind impotence of his rage he determined to
visit his anger upon Henry Ward Beecher, i'm
agining that he had been the cause OF his de-
struction. MIR. Beecher was the friend OF both
Theodore TiIton and his wife. The friend, wife
and children must be trampled down to secure
that yindcaton for which he had bartered his
(riltOn's) whole soul.
When Mr.. Titen lived in Oxford street, MI.
Beecher began his visits to the house. He was
invited by the former, but Mr.. Beecher visits
were not very frequent. Now, said the coun-
SELL L want you to consider, gentlemen, that
Mrs. Tilton is the true defendant in this case,
she whose lips are sealed in this matter. Iheo-
dore Tilton's every wish was met by Mrs. III
ton, who did everything in her power to make
him happy.
Counsel then came back to Mr.. Tiltons ca
reer when he succeeded Mr.. Beecher in the ed
torship of the Independent, and in the fist
year of his office, said the counsel, he wrote
the letter containing the charges against his
friend and pastor. Counsel here quoted from
a letter written by Mr.. TiltoD to Mr.. Beecher,
speaking of the friendship between them.
eff" says the letter, 81 should die before you,
be father to my children. L believe human
friendship outlasts human life, and meanwhile
may the Father above protect you. The let
ter was signed, your eternal and devoted freLd
Theodore Tilton
In her hour of sorrow about Mr.. Tilton's re-
ligious sentiments his wife sought Mr.. Beecber
for advice Counsel then read portions OF let
ter sent by Mr.. Beecher i'll 1868 to Mr.. Tilton,
giving him coansel and advice in religious mat
ters Shortly after this, said counsel, Mr.. Til
| ton showed change in his views. IL began
to talk to his friends on the subject and did not
| hesitate to tell his wife that he regarded the
marriage relation in different light from that
| in which it formerly appeared to him.
The devoted wife and mother was forced, day
after day and week after week, to listen to
| these views which were extremely offensive to
| her. In the year 1866 Mr. Tilton formed a
| friendship with lady whose family he had
visited in the West. He invited her to his
| house and introduced her to his wife. Ills ac-
| quaintaDce with her made Mrs. Morse furious,
| and the lady, finding how decetful he was and
| hearing his views as to how he regarded ladies',
| dropped his friendship.
| He wrote o letter from where he was stop
| ping with this family in the West, to his wife,
| telling her how much happier he was with this
| western family than be was in his home IN Inv
| ingston street. But in 1868 his wife could con-
| ceal her feelings no longer, and when spoken
| to he confessed his weakness and husband and
| wife prayed for strength to uphold him in the
| future. On January rs, 1868, he wrote his wife
| a memorable letter from the Hudson River
| railroad, in which he said that she was all that
| a man could desire. She answered this letter
| on the 31st, and admitted in it her harshness
and took all the sin of his falling upon her.
The letter says:
81 am the chief of sinners, but understand
how you feel. We must both cultivate our re-
spect by being what we seem, and let us not
have even shadow of doubt in each other.
Though all the world disagree, let us be as
one."
A letter of February 8, 1868, from Mrs. Til
ton, says:
"The picture of your dear face is ever before
me, M ,rked as it Is with your suffering. 70
live is praiseworthy, but to abuse your gilt OF
influence is SIM"
This, gentlemen, is the letter which has been
garbled here in this case, in which she has been
fnIan aH in q n
stratlng against the abuse of his influence over
woman. He had made her believe that her
harshness had made hiru hypocrite so that he
had hidden his feelings from her with regard to
other women.
At this point Gen. Tracy interrupted his
address and tire court took the usual recess of
After the recess Gen. Tracy resumed his
opening. He quoted from MIR. Tilton's letter
to his wife of Feb. 9, 1868, 81 am once more a
man among men," said the letter, "through
your ceaseless prayers and efforts. Each OF
your letters fill me with increased love for my
wife; you have the richest of all human hearts.
l am pledged to you forever" Another letter
of Feb. Is, 1868, from Mrs. Tilton to her hus-
band was also quoted, acknowledging the re-
ceipt of the former letter. Another letter was
written by him, said the counsel, to Mrs. iii
ton on the Goth of February, assuring her that
he had broken his connection with this western
family. These letters were all written in the
West, and contained assurances of fidelity to
her. In the summer of that year he returned
to New York and renewed his acquaintance
with his old associates. Another letter, writ
ten in his office in New York, in November,
says: at is his great regret in life that he
could not see her as happy as she deserved to
be. She had the kindest soul that ever was put
into body. The greatest mystery to me is
that have hearkened to others. The troubles
are of my own making. Would to God they
were of my own enduring; but your kind letter
off mr. ic daar ia N SOul and
write this to thank you for it," Another letter
from Mrs. L. dated Feb. 20, 1868, to Tilton,
says how glad she would be to have him home
again with her. In letter of March s, 1868,
she says to him she never saw her path as clear
as she saw it now, and whatever he should do
she would act as a Christian and mother.
Notwithstanding his promise in January 10Th,
Theodore Tilton in 1869 and 1870 was forgetting
his good resolves and falling back to his old
habits. Tilton then feared Beecher's power
and he was continually disparagng Beecher.
In 1868 new paper was started in New York,
called the Church Union, and in 1870 Mr..
Beecher became its editor. The rapid increase
of this paper alarmed both Bowen and Tilton.
and the latter's views became mllder, In 1870
rumors of Tilton's immortality reached Bow
ems ears, and the details of the Wlnstead at
fair. The young lady was no mere child, as he
says, but was larger woman than Mrs L.
This reached Bowen's ears, and there also APP
peared in the New York papers report that
Iltou SOiHS W oiopo. Wdo ehonO ooo'i Cn
that caused Bowen to desire his dismissal, Gull
minating in the publication of an editorial in
the Independent which committed the paper to
the doctrines of free love.
Mr.. Tracy went on to state the trouble be-
tween Bowen and Tilton, and to argue that the
first charge against Mr. Beecher arose in con-
necton with these troubles. Some time before
the hour of adjournment Mr. Tracy found that
an accident had happened to his notes and he
was obliged to suspend till tomorrow.