The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-09-01
Col. Valentine Baker and the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher.

n ihuOeOi1 "ooauiO VII yVuhS iauy, 4di
!, cuisines in prison in England. His tr
al followed shortly after the commit
, sion of the offence; it lasted but for
e hours, and ended with the convictio
: and sentence of the accused to paw
| fine of $4,000 and to be imprisoned fs
twelve months. The Baker case ws
the talk of all England. The accuse
was almost without exception the mos
brilliant officer in the English army
He was friend of the Prince of Wales
and had been appointed to be one of hi
suite in his Indian tour. Socially h
was at the top of fashion, and officiall
ne had earned place of the highes
honor. Now he is in prison, his pow
erful friends having had no power tt
aid him in escaping the penalty of tn,
law; and he will come forth from hi
cell twelvemonth from now cashiere(
from the army, outlawed from society
and in hope and character total wreck
The punishment is bitter, but that i
has been inflicted at all on one so ex
allied, is added glory to the adfninistra.
ton of British justice.
We had a six months trial of a mar
even more conspicuous here than was
Baker in England. He was able tc
meet the compact, logical, Irresistible
testimony against him-largely made
| up out of his own letters-by nothing
more than his bare denial and by ex-
plantations that insulted common sense.
Yet he escaped by confusing the minds
of the jury, and instead of looking out
at the world from barred window, he
buys big tent and goes preaching up
in the White Mountains every Sunday
to three OR four thousand gaping sight
seers.
He too had powerful friends, and
their power availed him to good pur-
pose. His counsel boasted that mil
lionaires stood around him body
guard of solid wealth. His church
tried to browbeat clergymen, editors,
and every body who doubted their pas
tors innocence. They even Swallowed
with detectives prominent men sus-
pected of too firm a conviction in Mr..
Beechers guilt. They silenced the
grocer, the shoe maker, the milkman
aud butcher from expressing hostile
opinions by threatening to withdraw
or actually Withdrawing their custom.
When the jury disagreed, they vilified
the three jurymen who voted against
Mr.. Beecher as if they were thieves
and ruffans, though in truth they were
only brave and honest men who dared
stand out for their convictions. They
hustled ont of. their s9sealled church
the one time bosom friend but after
ward formal accuser of their pastor,
and made the sacred edifice ring will,
their violent outcries. They took back
their stained pastor with unexampled
gushing of affection, and voted him
bonus OF $4,000 as a sort of reward
for his scandalous behavior. Mr..
Beecher's friends surely served him in
better stead than Col. Bakers, even
though among the latter was the heir
to the British throne.
There is rs much difference between
the conduct of the two men as between
the circumstances of their tlial. Mr.. |
Beecher's defense was abuse of his ac-
cnser, and-infamous beyond belief
abuse of the victim of his unholy pas
sion; he had the impudence to dc.
clare that it was she who thrust her
love on him unsonght, and to lay on
her shoulders such blame as there was
III their relations, while he represented
himself as an unsuspecting holy man
whose thoughts were occupied with
heavenly while hers were filled with
earthly love! He, coward that he was
tired to escape the penalty of the law
ana OF public opinion by representing
Mrs. Illton as a wife, at least in heart
to her husband.
Col. Baker sustained his reputation
rs mag of honor and bravery by ma
king no attempt at the trial or through
Ills exalted friends to throw reproacb
On the character of Miss Dickinson,
thereby to gain for himself most das.
5ardly immunity which would have
been more scandalous than the outrage
ne committed in the railway car. His
expressly declared to the jury
hat he had received instructions from
lis client to make no attempt to dis
credit Miss Dickinson, and not word
vas uttered to that end.
How do these two cases and these
wo men compare9 Yet Col. Baker
Justly loses his liberty, his position,
md his character; while Henry Ward
5eecher haunts before the public as
N honest man, devout soul, a mes.
enger of heaven, and an exemplar for
lis fellows. Those who believe in his
,uilt are bad men, and deluded parti-
ans ransack Brooklyn to get up a
riumphal reception for him when he
etnrns from his shameful proceedings
n the White Mountains to renew his
lefance of public opinion from Ply
mouth pulpit.