The Portland daily press., 1875-06-05
THE SCANDAL.
MIR. Evarss' Argunleut.

NAf. EFafss AESuEAeuta
BROOKLYN, June 4.-Evarts is going at
very slow and careful pace, and has not made
much headway so far, having yet to explain
tbs man9uvering OF the parties subsequent to
Beecher's surrender of the retractlon, and also
various letters and other documents put in evil
depce. He thiuks it not unlikely that he may
occupy all next wees, as he has yet to travel
over the events of four years.
At the opening of court today, he took up
the so called Griffith Gaunt letter." and ana
lived it at great length, contending that the
whole moral of that story, alluded to by Mrs.
Tilton, is refutation of the carnal intercourse
theory and is an exposition Nv discord may
come between husband and wife by entirely
pure relations between clergyman and pen-
tent He also charged that Tilton changed
and mulilated the letter to suit his own ends.
Another letter. introduced by the plaintiff and
written by Mrs Tilton shortly after the Gaunt
letter, was here read. In this she prays that
Theodore may never be mised by good wom-
as she had by good man. 1t is hard, said
counsel, that Beecher should be judged at all
either by this ietter or The Gaunt letter, of
which he had no knowledge and which only
constitutes part of the nsdnner of this husband
and wife in dealing with and endeavoring TO
please each other Enough for US that the
Gaunt letter purged all possible suggestion of
there having been any relations between Beech
er and Mrs. TlltOn except that of confession
and affection. 1t was drawn from. .Tilton on
cross examination that he knew there was no
adultery in Catherine Gaant; yet that it was
from that fiction that his wife drew deductions
that adultery was improper, and then he con-
sciously mutilated her letter and in the news
papers produced an impression throughout
the land that she had committed carna sin.
Letters from Mrs. Tilton March g. 1871, to
April of that year, were next considered
These letters were used in the hope of raising
some vile and filthy suspicious, and this at
tempt counsel had already sufficiently de-
nouuced.
Counsel read from Moulton's testimony, that
Beecher told him at that interview Jan. 1.
that Mrs. Tilton sent for him in July, 1870,
and said she thought that their relations were
wrong ard they prayed to God for strength to
give up their sexual relations l thought, said
counsel that on plaintiffs showing she never
knew there was anything wrong in adultery
until under the inspiration of Catharne Gaunt
defendant smiles at this palpable hit.)
Versions of the contrition letter interview,
as given by Beecher and Moulton, were here
read, and then Wilkeson's testimony as to Til
toms threat to publish his story un ess Bowen
| did him justice, unless he got $1,000. To Tilton
| the central figure in the universe is TIton. In
| rise to suspicious and conflict of opinion he
would inflame that fight between Bowen and
Beecher unless he got $1,000. He complained
| to Wilkeson that Beecher who could lift hi m
up with the touch of his little fnger.had passed
by Indifferent as he lay crushed under Bowen
treatment, and he declared he would pursue
| Beecher to the grave After Wilkeson had CIV
| en- all his testimony, Titon was brought back
| to the stand but he never cOntradicted 1t. line
| only point in which he contradicted him was
| this: Wilkeson s9ore he met Tilton in Wash
| ipgton and Titon showed him the photograph
| of his wife and complained that she was of
mean appearance and had not developed as he
| had since their marriage. Tilton said this was
all mistake. He would not tell the be-, exact
circumstances for that would ipjure Wllkeson
| Though, said Evarts, he was tender about
| Wilkesou, on his direct testimony he said that
| Wilkeson was liar. He was asked, did you yo
| show the photograph Of your wife to him?
'No," says he, Il showed him the photosrapns y1
and he mistook the card of Florence for that OF
| nv wife, and apostrophised over it with a glass
| of wine." Gentlemen said Evarts, laughing
| at that time Florence was SIX years or age
| daughter 1t would take more than glass
| of wine to cause man OF such clear head
as Sam Wilkeson to mistake the portrait OF a
| child of six years of age for that of the vile
of this Apollo. (Laughter.) Recess.
| After recess Mr. Beach was absent on ac
count of illness, and the Judge announced that
| he might not be able to be present for several
| days. Mr.. Evarts continued. He said he did
| not attach much importance to loose express
! sious of grief when the law required positive
| proof of guilt and would not permit a verdict
| of guilty if theory of innocence could oe con-
| structed consistent with the facts In evidence
| No man would give averdct to strike down the
| defendant and this pure woman and her chil-
| dren, unless on proof positive OF MS guiiC, ana
| not on papers containing expressions OF Inis OF
that emotion, and behind which plalntf says
| there must be something, thus departing from
| the region of proof to the region that requires
| suspicion. Counsel bad referred to those let
| ters not because he saw any reason or giving an
adulterOus Interpretation to them, out because
plaintiff selecting his letters, proceeds through
| long weeks on his evidence and defendant ls
| not heard, and when the qualifying shades and
cross lights and corrections of perlurers and
| treacherous memories and defendants Case is
| put before them, they are in position TO Judge
| of this remote and frivolous argument The
| situation in the plaintiffs mind as sworn to
| was this:
great struggle was made by the other side
| with every aid from Tilton and Meulton to dis
| place from theaarea of fact as relates to that
| interview of January 1st, any ground tor any
feeling or expression of Beecher towards Tlton
| and family, except injury to that family from
| his relations to Mrs. Tlton. Mr.. Evarts pro-
| ceeded to argue that the representations made
| to Beecher that he was the cause of all OF Til
toms ills by circulating scandalous stores
| about him and advising Bowen to disch arge
| him (Tilton), was sufficient to call forth ex-
| pressions of sorrow and remorse from Beecher.
| This man (Beecher) as they were assured by
Tilton, was all beart when once assured that
| he was the innocent cause OF injury to others,
| and the jury on the commonest principles OF
| Justice require, must charge him in his emo
| tional expressions according to his character
| aud the strength of these emotions. What
more pitiable situation than that OF TlltOn as
described by himself, thrown down and crush
| ed upon the sidewalk and Beecher, who had
| such power that he could lift him up with his
| little finger, passing by in affront.
After Beecher made the great sacrifice of
placing the retraction in Mouton's hands, they
| find that Reeoher's magnamlty and simplicity
| have not been over estimated, and that he has
yielded to these impulses oil his nature, then
| thew want evidence that Beeoher felt it his
| duty to repair some wrong rashly committed
| by himself, and that is how this memorandum
| ever came to be written at all, and now they
ask the jury not to consider it in that light
but as a disguised admission that these coarser
accusations were the true occasion OF his re-
morse.
Here the apology or contrition letter was
| read commencing, II humble myself before
Theo. Tllton as / do before my God, which
Beecher says should be, 81 humble myself be-
Bile myself before Tllton.'' HE would have
been better man in my place. which he says
is substantially correct for he remembered
him by reinstating his son in the army at
Washington, and he said to himself that he
had returned that good with evil. He reflect
ed that he had acted with irritation under the
impulse of that letter of the Goth, and no doubt
thought that Titon would not have done so
anu GudG uc uoo hdNO uouO oo' Do'' r."
ceeded the counsel, if this applied to seduction
and prolonged adultery it is ludricrous. Tilton
would have acted better to me than l have to
him. The idea of man of sense framing any
such comparisons of conduct in this henlous
offence!
Counsel went through the letter claiming
that it's expressions were not consistent with
the theory of adultery.
Richards Contribution 10 the Scandal.
The Sun prints a statement from friend OF
Mrs Richasds, which says that Mrs Tilton
confessed adultery with Henry Ward Beecher
to the wife of Richards, and also that it is
known in the family that Mrs. Tilton made a
similar confession to her daughter Florence.
MINOR TELEGRAMs
In Worcester, Mass, yesterday morning, G.
b. Laughton, foreman of the finishing depart