Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-10
THE BEECHER SCANDAL.
A Deacon and Am Editor for Defence

Afief our report OF the llttOn-
Beeeher trial closed yesterday,
DEACON BELcHER, OF PLYMOUTH CHURCH,
testified as follows: Tilton asked me TO act
as an arbitrator i'm the Bowen difficulty, but
declined; offered TO serve him in that way
III he could get no other person: met Tilton
after the publication OF the Woodruff scan
dial, and spoke TO him about il; he replied
10 me that there was nothing i'm Ii: we had a
ffie0diy conversation abopt the election: be-
fore i left here / said he ought TO know what
his best fiends said about him, and told him
II he had spark of manhood in him he
should not allow his wife to lie under the
charges made against her in that paper: he
ASKED me TO accompany MIN to his home;
Wnen got there he produced roll of papers,
which he showed me. and he said, unless q
settlement was made for the broken con-
tracts, this would be published. He read
portion 10 me, but do not remember to what
II related; recollect the letter of TIlton to
Bowen, however. in il; Tilton told me that
me paper which was in type was sent to
Bowen with the threat that unless he set
tied with him (Tilton) the matter would be
put in type: he then lead to me what pur-
ported 10 be the retraction from Bowen but
DO not remember the substance; recollect
something in it about Bowen retracting his
charges against Beecher; Tilton showed me
writings which set forth that Beecher i'm
Tlltons absence, had solicited his (Tilton's)
wife TO become a wife to him, with ali that a
wife implied i asked him if that was his
wife's writing, and he said no, IL was copy:
l asked him how his wife treated Beecher's
them; he said
HE CHARGED BEECHER WITH THIS ACT.
and Beecher said that it was false and the
woman must be crazy; he said that Beecher
had slipped out, and when he (Tilton) got
homo he found that Beecher had obtained a
retraction of the story, these papers were not
them; Tilton read TO me what appeared 10 he
Mrs. Tilton's retractiOn given TO Beecher; he
stated that Notwithstanding the giving of
the retractiOn TO Beecher, his wife .etracted
the retraction, and that Beecher had con-
fessed and apologiZed; i understood that
MoultOn was To retain possession of the let
ters OF retraction and apology; 1 recollect
hearing TiltOn say that Moulton and him
self thought Beecher had acted very meanly
in obtaining this letter of retraction; asked
Triton what sort of women Woodruff and
Clafiiin Wee, and he spoke well of then, and
did not say anything against them; / told
Mr.. TiltOn that many people thought he was
the real author of the charges, and he replied
that people could see in the paper that she
was the party who first told me; / asked him
if Beecber ever had sexual intercourse with
his wife; he replied, with uplifted hands,
NO, =; no, my wife is as pure as an angel from
Heaven" a lengthy crOSs-eNamination of
this witness failed to elicit anything new.
A JOURNALIST ON THE STAND.
81. Cialr Mckelvey was next called. He
testified Il have resided in Brooklyn stree
April, 1865; l am a journalist and associate
editor of the Brooklyn Eagle; j hive been on
the paper for about five years; have known
Theodore Tilton since about the time he took
hold of the Brooklyn Union; / knew of the
Woodruff puplicatiOn; / had an interview
about 10 with Mr. Tilton the day after the
fire, in the store of Woodruff & Robinson, on
November Is or 10; the scandalhad then been
published about three weeks; i called on Mr..
TiltOn in pursuance of an arrangement with
John w. Harmon ON the previous day, and in
my capacity as a journalist; / called TO talk
with him on this matter; we talked in gem
eral way about the subject, and told him of
the lact OF conversation L had with Mr..
Beecher; before that tod him of the con-
versation i had with Mr.. Harmon on the
previous day; / told him i'm substance that
Mr.. Beechef denied the truth of the Wood
hull story. and other parts of it he refused to
at this time than details; Tilton ASKED me
what was the opinion with regard to the
publication. and told him il was considered
as plan to destroy his wife and pull down
Mr.. Beeeher; he said this was a very unjust
conclusions; he said there was n story that
would put another face on the matter. but in
speak of il to me. He said he would tell me
some things in my capacity of a friend but
not for publication. and would tell me q
story
IN THE FORM OF AN ALLEGoRY.
He said once on a time there was man and
another man. and the first man was prom
ising and young and had for friend the
second man. The young man was pleasantly
situated in the marriage relations, hut had
to leave home on some occasions. On his re-
turn his wife told him that the oeher man
had made improper proposals TO his wife.
This she said was on two occasions. She had
called the servant and told her never TO adj
NIT this man unless he came with her bus
band. That this young man went to a friend
he had, and they had an interview with this
man, and on telling him of the accusation he
said, you are all crazy" or words to that
effect. That the men went TO this young
mans house in his absence and obtained a
retractiOn of this charge from the Young
mans wife. / remember asking Mr.. Tiltoh
If there was any truth in the pistol scene.
and he said there was not. Mr.. TiltOn said
he had some data which would show people
why he left the Brooklyn Union; and he
asked me il remembered when he left the
Independent. Mr. Tilton and also talked
about the woodruff women and the efforts
made to keep them on their good behavior.
L went To Mr. Harmon's that evening, and he
loaned me the papers on condition that /
shorld not keep them longer than few
days, and either return them to him or Mr..
TiltOn.