The Portland daily press., 1875-06-03
THE SCANDAL.



dressed dlers who Usually attend the trial
were attracted to New York by the big Masonic
parade.
On resuming his summing up, Evarts took
up the interview between TIlton and Beecher
after the former had got the letter of accusation
from his wife. He asked what would be the
emotions with which the accusation would be
made. Is adultery In respectable woman aud
respectable person in society to be treated
like cut finger? Is there anything that more
otfends the deepest feelings of husband and
wife? when disclosure lis made through a
guilty conscience and the wife is slain or hard
ened by the husbands superhuman charity,
and then the injured husband meets him who
has shamed him. Solomon says jealousy is the
rage of man, and when two such parties meet,
especially if there is conscious guilt on the part
of the accused, there will be a stormy scene.
On these principles, taking into consldera-
ton what human nature is and the character OF
the parties, the narrative OF Tilton is SELF
confessed invention. Mrs. Tilton's confession
is solecsm in term. The inventor of this
story to make it probable that such woman
could be in guilt, has covered 1T with crcum
stances which make it incredible. While Ill
ton knew his wife's confession could not be put
in evidence and that his only way OF bringing
it before the jury was to weave it into the mar
ratiye which he should repeat TO Beecher he
represented this woman after prostitutlng her
self aud abandoning every duty, yet still loving
him and unsettled in conscience. 10 make 1t
probable that so good man should sin, he
makes him abandon and trample upon every
thing that good men value, and relies on the
enchautment of his language and the pretti-
ness of his sentiments for making his story
credible. But he is the victim of his own shall
low philosophy Counsel said he would show
that the whole effect of that interview with
Beecher Dec. Both was to dsplace from his
mind the effects of the audacious attack made
upon him through the letter carried to him by
Bowen. If Beecher were guilty and cause
existed for that attack, Tilton would Eave fol-
lowed it up with an open accusation.
On the contrary, on the showing of Tilton
and Moulton, the whole object of this interview
was to undo the effect of the joint attack of
Tlltou aud Bowen on Beecher. First, be would
take up Monlton's evidence commencing with
his message to Beecher that Tilton wanted to
see him with regard to his (Beecher's) relations
to his (Tiltons family, and also as to the letter
he sent him through Bowen. Beecher saw and
knew that his wife had interfered with the do
nestle relations of this moody and capricious
man. He knew of his strange attack in that
letter through Bowen. He knew from Bowen
of the critical and calamitous state of the fam
ly Moulton told him it was on these two
points. These were Moulton's first words on
their way to Titon's house. Moulton acted
with the common purpose of infaming Beech
er against Bowen and propitiatipg him in favor
of Tilton. Tilton and Beecher meet. Tilton's
whole object was to get rid of Beecher's re-
sentiment for that letter. Forgetful of his boil
ing indignation for his wrong he begins by
taking up the same topic as Moulton did,. Til
ton told him all, how Bowen in his zeal for re-
ligion and morality, was DESTROYS that Beecher
should quit the pulpit and no longer edit the
Choistian Union. He omitted nothing that
would influence Beecher's mind against Bow
en-.
Counsel continued to read Tilton's evidence,
how he began to speak to Beecher about Eliza
beth and her shame, and Beecher at once ask
ed what he meant, whereupon Tilton said ne
would read copy of the letter written by Mrs.
Tilton, and and the original of which has been
destroyed. lam
how he told Beecher that his wife came home
| from the country Unexpectedly the previous
| July and SAID she wished to make statement
| to him of secret which had long weighed on
her mind, and that she was lying BY the side
of her husband in bed when she told him this,
and that she exacted pledge from him that
the person involved would not be injured by
him. Counsel declared that this was an utterly
incredible narrative on an imperishable princi-
pie of human nature, but the jury were relieved
from all care about it when they had the oath
of Beecher that nothing of the kind took place
in his presence. A wife confessing her guilt
would do SO with sobs and tears and shame,
huubliDg herself to obtain mercy. She would
not say SIT was a secret between herself and
Rev. III. W. Beecher."
Counsel continued Tilton's narrative that she
told him she surrendered her body to Beecher
in sexual embrace on two occasions at her resi-
dence Here counsel turned around to plain
tiff's counsel and with pause after each sylla-
BILE, said) number ia Lexington St. { fhe
effect was most ludicrous, everybody laughed,
including Tilton.) All, they have but these two
occasions. but would not a woman who gives
the day and date, and all with such precision
and particularly, about these two occasions,
have given him some clue to Others? And this
is how his wife told the story of a crime com
mitted in her own house of which the French
law declares in terms that it justfies the STAY
ing of the seducer.
A recess was here taken.
1t was l o'clock when Evarts resumed. He
continued to read Tilton's narrative OF his
wife's confession of adultery, as he says he re-
lated it to Beecher- She told him Beecher pro-
fessed for her greater love than be had for any
woman. and that he wanted to find in her coD-
ISOLATION, health to his mind and soul, and that
love denied to him by an unfortunate marriage
at home. Thus, said counsel, substantially, at
Sc years of age, with nine children and six or
eight grand children and par of daughters
in-law around him, and with wife that had
been faithful to him since they were betrothed.
At 67 he falls in love with this woman She
said she steadfastly refused him during the
early years of their acquaintance and these
guments did not convince her, she says. Til
ton goes on that he frequently fondled her in
those years to degree that it required bodily
force to get away from him. If the story in
this case was that she was overcome by violence
and that it was preceded by long years of fond
ling which it required violence to resist, neith
er jury nor Judge would long listen to such
story. But this rhetorician thinks he throws
mantle of charity around his wife by describ
ing this long resistance to fOndling and argu-
ments, but he is unfortunate in his selection of
two occasions on which this prostitution took
place. First, it is alleged to have been at
Beecher's house. How did she go there? Was
she carried there in her sleep without having
any evil impulses of heart. She carried on
prostitution of her body up to certain time.
This is how Tilton makes adultery easy and
pure. This Is virtue Then came an awaken
ing of conscience, Tor she had conscience.
She knew the seventh and tenth command
ments but there was nothing in that; but she
was moved at the thought that there was lit
tie duplicity in having two bed fellows and in
a mind disposed to openness this produced a
sense of uneasiness. (Laughter.) Tilton had
written her letter while she was in the coun-
try, in which he thought it consistent with the
ideal of happy home to write that IF she
lied to him as she had done, be would hold her
in no respect" and but for that letter che never
would have awakened to her duplicity this side
to tell him about it. Well, she told this nara
tive of kisses, fondlng and PROSTITUTION with
all the delicacy and tact of novelist speaking
of third person, and the jury are asked TO
take it as the narrative of real wife and bus
band, and real seduction. This about con
cludes the narrative and the jury were soberly
asked to believeait.as communication between
husband and wife and husband and paramOur.
There is not novelist but what would be ridi-
culed from Dan to Beersheba, if wicke1ly and
in malice against the good purposes of society.
he endeavored thus to make adultery easy.
Finally you come in her narrative as given by
Tilton to blasphemy, that God is responsible
for it, that she loved God, and He wouldn't al
low her, she thought, to enter into these rela-
lions if there was anything wrong. She also
told him, he says, that he had confidence in
Beecher, and he answered her over and over
that there was nothing wrong in any expression
of love- whether by s. shake of hands, kiss of
lips or sexual intercourse. This is Tlton's way
of upsntting the decalogue. Why, it is as con-
temptible as the argument of the country clown
attempting the virture of a milkmaid, and
mikmaiis have slapped clowns faces since the
world began when they approach with such
stuff as that, and it is for Mrs Tilton, who had
been educated into the highest virtue of the
heart to yield without consciousness of guilt to |
what mikmaid would slap into the face of a
BOBBY.
Counsel next read Beecher's testimony about |
that same interview with Tilton December 80, |
1870 1t opens with the statement of Beecher |
clifton said to me, presume you received my |
letter through Bowen demanding that you va |
cate the pulpit and quit Brooklyn. 1 said L |
had" 1t was grand thing to write that letter |
said he, but it would be grander not to have |
written it. What a happy state remarked |
Mr. Evarts, that man must be iu, who if he |
does thing it is grand, and if he doesn't do |