Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-06-18
THE BEFCHER TRIAL-ADDRESS q.
BP RFfCH

A. IL 0j Mr. Beach began by saying that he
would dispense with any reading of MIR. west
testimony. The jury would remember without IL
the persistence with which that gentleman wished
to take measures to investigate the scandal, and
the anxiety of Mr.. Beecher to prevent him. Next
in order came the council of the churches. IN
| that Tilton surely had nothing to do: :.
| Next in order came the Investigating Commit
tee. Certainly TIton was not responsible Tor that
Titon and Monlton, with Bsecher's occurrence,
| worked assiduously toward conir, NJ that con-
| vention, and preventing the scandal IRON BENG
made public. Their action does not show much
| vindlctiveness. TIltons was altogether Greeted
to sheltering his wife and family. Mr.. Beach the n
took up the Bowen letter Of Jan. l. 1871, in which
Titon rchcarses to Bowen the charges the latter
had made from time TO time against Beecher. III
appeared that the letter speaks OF the interview
between Beecher and Bowen of Dec 30, 1870 as
having taken place at Mr. Freeland's house MI
| Beech made argument on the basis OF TINS let
| ter to show that Bcecher was not man above
| suspicion. 1t speaks Of Bowens charges against
| Beeeher as having been made IN the presence OF
| Oliver johnson. Yet the &c ense did not ask
| Johnson or Bowen whether this vital assertion
were true or false, and whether Tiltons statement
that Bowen made a treacherous bargain with
Beecher and afterward, in an affected rage, dis
charged Tilton, was true or not. Furthermore,
these dishonoring charges of Bowen are incorpor-
ated in the tiIpartte covenant, and there has not
been single word Of denial Of them by Henry
Ward Beecher. Mr.. Beach read the tr1partite
covenant, and said that there was an addendum to
it, in which Tilton spoke very severely OF Bowen.
bu. he would not 90 into that. The work CT the
| INVESTIGATING Committee was star-chamber IN.
vestigation, the accused man being unreprcsentcd
by counsel, the Witnesses being without the ooii-
CATION of an oath upon them, IlitonS wife beng
enticcd from his home and made to testify against
him without his knowledge, and Mouitons testi-
mony being refused after Beccaer had made
a. ainst him the infamous, and, on his own word
since given, untrue charge OF black mail, on the
ilippant preext that their report had been partly
prepared. Why, the speaker asked, was no at
tempt made to get the evidence OF Mis- Brad.
shaw, Mrs Morse, and all the others who had
public connection with the scandal! 1t was not
the course of honorable gentlemen assuming to
fulfill a great public duty. Was Theodore hilton,
he asked. under these circumstances, to be blamed
for standing up alone III his own defense! Nnen
the report Of the Investigating Committee was
published, destroying not only the character OF
Ton, but that of MS wife and famiy-Sacrihc-
ing everything to Henry Ward Beecher-there
was no redemption for Tton OF his wife, even in
court of justice. Mr.. Beach then went into
discussion Of the principles of law governing such
actions as this. Bcechers confession aose, he
said, was sufficient 10 justify verdict for the
plaintiff. Authorities were cited to prove this
proposition.
After recess Mr.. Beach said that he had only
one more citation to offer. Ii was to the effect
that it was not necessary to Prove the direct act
But all these citations he said relate to divorce.
They have nothing to do with this case which Is
civil case between strangers before the law TO re-
cover for wrong. and in it the ordinary rules OF
evidence not in the slightest degree affected
Mrs Tiltons rights are in no way involved IN this
action. Mr.. Beach asked no judgment for mon
ey except nominal one. He asked no judg
against Mrs Tilton. This action was not brought
until the ultimate degradation of Tilton and his
family had been reached ut the hands OF Beecher.
The charge is seduction, said he. The answer Is
md tha INN n defendant
judging of this conspiracy the jury are to consid-
err, first, whether Elizabeth Il. Titon, loving
Beecher to the extent she did confessed to false
hood against him. 1t was utterly incredible that
a woman in such conditions would so make her
self party to such conspiracy II there were
conspiracy Mrs. Bradshaw and Mr.. Woodruff, and
all those who have testified to incidents against
Beecher must have been parties to 1t. Was 1t
credible that when Beecher SHOWED fight and re-
fused to be squeezed any more the arch conspr-
ator Tilton should force his case into court With
what object? What were Moulton and Mrs.
Moulton or Tilton to gain by it Then again,
these conspirators found to be struggling Tor
four years TO keep this scandal from the pubic
The idea of consprator to blackmail gong to
Beecher and telling him not to be alarmed; il ey-
erything did come out it would not hurt him;
Plymouth Church would stand by him The idea
of Moulton and Mrs. Moulton periling their souls
by false oath solely to aid Theodore 1llton, and
Mrs. Tilton running her character Tor the same
purpose! why, Mr.. Beacn asheu, was NOV VII
Beecher's offer accepted when he wished to pay
off Tilton's mortgagei And why did Beecher
keep Moulton in his confidt nee after the time he
says he began to suspect backma! But the
most decisive argument against blackmail was
Mr.. Beecher's admission that at the 3Oth Of De
cember interview he believed Tilton to be sincere
Beecher was only made to believe in blackma by
the efforts of Tracy and Sherman. Another the
DRY is that Ilton hoped to raise himself on the ru-
in of Beecher. That theory is utterly absurd
Beecher swears that in his entire intercourse with
Mrs. Titon there was not the slightest wrong
ton, while at the same time be charges Mrs. Til
ton with an undue affection for him. If he be
shown to have sworn falsely there he is to be ad
Judged guilty. If he be shown not to have made
any denial Of adultery, he uust also be convicted
What was the confession that Mrs Tilton made
1t was the one made IN July, according to Iiltons
testimony, and not disproved. MI. Evarts inter
rupted the speaker to say that 1t was not proved
to have been made by Mrs. Tilton, bat only to
have been repeated by Tilton to Beecher. Mr..
Beach quoted from Tilton's evidence to sustain his
assertion, and cited the authority handed him by
Judge Nelson at the beginning of the session 10
show that that was good proof. The fact that the
confession was one of adultery was testified to by
three witnesses and was denied solely by Henry
Ward Beechcr. That was the issue of this case
whether he or they were to be believed; whether
Henry Ward Beecher, proved guilty by these
witnesses, by his letters and by the circumstances
can be permitted TO come upon the stand and by
his unsupported oath overturn all this evidence.
At this point an adjournment was taken until