The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-05-20
THE BROOKLYN TRIAL
Summing Up of the Case.
Judge Porter Leads off for
the Defence.

NEW lORhi NAY III VI 9HA'-' w.
! adjournment the TiLton- -Beecher trial was
resumed to-day. Long before the open :
ing of court the room was unusually
crowded. Judge Nelson instructed the
audience to keep perfect silence, as any
noise would interrupt the speaker. EN-
Judge Porter began summing up Tor the
defense. He said;
GESrLEMEN-You have been for five
months in the service Of Theodore TiIton,
under the mandates of power which YOU
were bound to obey. Ny client has, since
the beginning OF the suit, dealt III scrip
ture principles; VIXEN they struck HIM on
one cneek he turned to them the other.
In the beginning they might have been
struck with the air OF general untruthiuL-
ness which permeated the case and the
counsel thought that if they had then
been called on 10 deliver verdict
there could have been little doubt
what the verdict would have been. On
the other hand they had Tiiton and
Moulton, Jayne the informer, Wood
hull and Clatin, Joe Richards, starting
up darkly to strike Eis sister in the back,
and Ben Butler the strategist. These
are the parties who are the sponsors Of
this accusation These are the compan-
ions of Christian purity and m0ra!Ityi
the orlginators, publishers and advisers
in this matter We have in favor ofthis
defendant the purity Of the victim. the
wife, the children and the grand-child-
rem who found shelter beneath his root,
aud the three thousand worshippcrs OF
Plymouth Church.
Even the clustering hearts ofthe young
children loved his name, and would be
living to bless his memory when you and
| will be no more. We have with us
healmost unanimous support of his pro-
fesson and brethren; the sympathy Of
enlightened chrisendom. These trust
ed and loved the defendant, while they
ahhOrred and loathed the names Of Theo.
Tilton and Frank Moulton. In our
whole system Of Jurisprudence the plea Of
innocence was safe, and our laws IN that
respect were not failure.
Obstacles in the Way OF the AccuSers.
One OF the obstacles TO the accuser
was the defendants answer Of hiC Inno-
cenco ana the oath Of an
honest man; another obstacle
they met with, presented itself in the
unbleuIlshed character and unsulIied
purity of both him and the
wife. Yet another obstacle was
the fact that both Tilton and MouI-
ton, for tour wears, by their words aud
acts, talsifcd such accusations both IN
/ writing and otherwise; another obstacle
was the fact that Tilton cohabited and
slept with the ladyaccused and remained
, for four years in family relations with
| the alleged adultrcss; another obstacle IL
fact that both MoIltOu and TI.ton
admitted that they were here, with the
oath on their lips, Of having open hostiI'
Z ity against the defendant; another ObStn-
| Gle in fact, that they lied TO conceal II n
they say, and the question arises if they
/ are not living now. We were acCuSLoul-
| ed to believe in the truth, not by the
number Of those who spoke, but in the
/ probability Ot the stories told in regard
1 TO the matter. Who was the alleged
cuiprit? a man three score years OF age,
| self disciplined, wei! known, not merely Il:
! y christian, DutA veteran ana minister,
| a man who from his youth up had dcdi-
Gated himself to God and religion. II he
was true to his wife and virtue in these
early days OF his ministry, should 1t BE-
believed that he had fallen now.
The speaker dwelt at some length upon
the purify of Mrs Tilton and her intelec.
tual capacity, and yet they would have
YOU believe what is known TO every man,
woman and child in the country, that
this man could have An amour IN open
day, openly debauching the mother OF
n family, and that such Intrigue could be
carried on through wear and half, and
the first man she should tell it TO was
Theodore Tilton, and Henry Ward
Beecher was the last man on earth that
could have been guilty. Turning toward
Moulton and lilton the speaker eX-
claimed,