The Portland daily press., 1875-03-13
THE SCANDAL.

NEW YORK, March 12-Mrs Tilton, Mrs.
Field and Bessie Turner were in the Brooklyn
court room this morning when the trial opened.
MIR. Beecher, wife and son were seated In the
Plymouth gathering. MIR Fullerton was still
absent from Illness and bis place was taken
by Mr.. Beach, who stated to Judge Nelson
that he would be prepared to continue on Mon
day next ..
Samuel WiIkcson.
Sam uel Wilkeson was the first witness. He
testified Il reside at Fortieth street, New York
city, and was helping to build the Northern
Pacific railroad, and was Secretary OF that
company. l have been a journalist for thirty
years, and was on the Tribune for three years
before the war and four years during the war.
l have known Mr.. Tton fifteen or sixteen
years, and Mr.. Beecher fourteen or fifteen
yeers. On the morning of Friday, the 18th OF
March, 1872, Mr. Tilton came into my office in
the Equitable building in New York. He was
excited, and showed press proof of an article
which he threatened to publish in the Golden
Age uhless Mr.. Beecher did him Justice re-
monstrated with him against it, and said it
would do iuf mite wrong and injustice. He
then said Mr. Bowen had violated his contract
with him in the Independent. and the Brooklyn
Union and that his dismissal from these papers
had ruined and destroyed him; that Mr.. Beech
er had not come 10 his help when he could have
saved him with his little fuger, and Mr..
Beecher had left him lying where he was with
Indifference; that be would pursue Mr.. Beecber
into the grave. urged him not to publish it,
and he finally dessted. Nothing was said of
Mrs Tilton, nor did he accuse Mr.. B. Of any
thing but refusing to help him when he was
PROSTATE Mr. Moultoa called the next day,
and l submitted to him my plans to suppress
the scandal which were the tripartite covenant,
the helping of the Golden Age, and the de-
structon of all papers relating to the scandal
AT the second interview, in April, 1872, in
Mr.. Moulton's study, Mr.. Claflin stated that
Bowen was willing to pay. the money after
arbitration. l read the draft of the tripartite
covenant had prepared and Tilton said be
would sign it twenty times over if Beecher
would He was about to sign when Mr.
Cafn stopped them with the remark that it
his signature would be required before he (Til-
toni would sign. Mr. Claflin took the paper to
Bowen and returned with the statement that he
would sign. l had a conversation with Tilton
the same evening in which he said his only
charge against Beeeber was one of improper
proposals to his wife. I next saw the covenant
on the evening of April 3 The yellow paper
was then attached to it, AT IL o'clock Tilton
came to me IN a very excited state, said he
would rot sign the agreement unless it was
chang ed and commenced tn alter it. He said
that Mr. Bowen and Beecher were taken care
of and he would keep himself safe. 1t was
through my instrumentaty that johnson be-
came connected with the Christian Union.
bad conversation at dinner in Washing
ton about 1864 or 1865 with T., in which his
wife was mentioned. He asked me it | had
seen his wife. 1 replied thar had not. He said
that would be disappointed in her; that she
was small woman and not a woman of Gull
ture; that he had married her young. He said
he told me this so that 1 could appreciate the
difference between them after saw her.
Cross e examination by ur. Beach.
have given the interviews with Mr.. T. ard
Mr.. Moulton 90 far as can recolect. AS l
have turned over the matter in my own mind
about ten Thousand times the language of the
conversations which have given Is the precise
language in effect used on these occasions. l
recolect the precise words L. used the morning
of April g. 1872, when he said to me he would
"never sign any agreement which would pre-.
vent him pursuing Henry Ward Beecher."
After recess Mr.. WilkesOn resumed the wit
ness stand, and his cross-examlnation contin-
ued. He testified: On my direct examination
l gave Mr.. T's precise language at the inter-
view 80 far as L recollect. L may have varied
the language in the ss-eXamiDatiOn. made
q memorandum of the conversation on the
morning of April 3d. L felt that this thing
was going to drift into great judicial contest
and made a memorandum of the cOnversa-
ton. l thought the time would come when
Beecher and some of his friends would get
tired of paying money to the Golden Age news
paper to suppress these scandals L do not
know OF Beecher or bis friends contributing
any money fer the Golden Age, nor do know
of any solicitations for money from him. |
cannot recall the allegation made in the per-
sonal statement of Tiltou wi h regard TO the re-
.
it only contained relations of stories told by
Bowen against Beecher. Previous to this
never had any conversation with Tilton about
the publishing of any article or about these
charges A letter dated j .nuary II, 1871, was
handed to the witness and Identified as written
by him to TiltOn, asking HIM not to publish;
that he (Wilkeson) knew he was in trouble
and he would speak to Jay Cook about him
and have his lectui on the Northern Pacific
railroad.
Witness resumed: What 1 requested him not
to publish in this letter was the charges be was
then threatening TO make public about Beech
er. think Tilton mentioned them about this
time to me. / never said thai these charges, if
published, would knock the Life of Christ
higher than kite. In an interview on the I'd
of April with Tilton after the trpartite agree
mept, I told him Mrs Stanton had told me
that Mr.. Beecher had committed adultery with
Mrs. Titon, and that Miss AnthoOy had told
her Mrs. T. had confessed the adultery 10 her
Tiiton said Miss Anthony was q morbid old
maid and her mind was always dwelling on
morbid subjects. The letter of April 2, 1872,
from witpess to MoultOn was identified BY him
and ead by Mr.. Beach. 1t called for the de-
structon Of Beecher's letter OF apology, which
was in his possession
Witness resumed: published this trpartite
agreement in connection with my partner, Ed
ward L. Ford did not confer with any other
persons about it.
Redirect Examination by Evarss.
Witness said Mis-. Stanton and others we're
in the room, and in reply to an inquiry from
one of the younger sisters, L REPLIED If these
charges are true and are made public, of course
course the Life of Christ will go higher than a
kite Witness here raised his right arm, and
at the word kite snapped his finger and
thumb in the air. My object in publishing this
agreement was to stop tie persecution of this
great and good man, and l wanted to see the
think in the courts where it ought to be.
Edward Ex gIeston.
Edward Eggeston was the next witness. He
said: am an author, clergyman and editor.
On one occasion was at Tton's house, it was
the fall Of rs or spring of SO, and Mrs. Tilton
asked me to go with her to Pages studio the
next day aud make the acquaintance of Mr..
Beeoher. Mr.. Tilton objected, as he thought
Beecher would not like to be disturbed, and
told Mrs. T. that he thought she had better go
alone. On one occasion when was at Tilton's
house a certain lady was presen, and T,lton's
attention to her was the subject of remark. On
another occasion Tilton came in with the same
lady at a late hour. He testified further to some
loose marriage notions of Tilton's.
Court ad iourued till Monday.
Mississippi Levees Giving Way.