The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-03-13
The Beecher Trial.

luTucT, were III their sthls III lue DTOOh-
lyn Court this morning, when the trial
opened. Judge Fullerton was still absent
and his place was taken by Mr..
Beach, who stated to Judge Nelson,
that he would be prepared to continue
Monday next.
Samuel Wilkison was the first witness,
who testified to having been q journalist
30 years, have known Tilton 10 years,
and Beecher IA years; in the fall of 1861
Tilton came to me at Washington, and
showed me letter from Beecher.
Mr. Beach objected to this line of evil
dence rs immaterial, and an argument
ensued,
The Court finally ruled that it was not
material evidence, and it must be ex-
cluded
Mr. Evarts continued to argue that
this evidence was first brought out by
the other side, in the direct examination
of Tilton, and it was certainly grave
matter if the defence was not to give
the evidence that was imperfectly given
BY the other side.
Judge Nelson said they could not
\
dence tn eu might then be extended to
an indefinite length, and therefore held
to his former decision, that it was too
remote and immaterial.
Witness contradiction the morning
of Friday, March 20, 1872, Tilton came
to my Office and showed me u press proof
of an article which he threatened to pub
lish unless Beecher did him justice; that
he would pursue Beecher into the grave;
| told him this was the wrong way to be
going about it. nothing was said of Mrs.
Tilton, nor did he accuse Beecher of any
thing else, but refusing to help him;
Moulton -ullcd at my Office on the pre-
vious day with letter of introduction
from Beccher; told him my plan to
avoid publishing the scandal was to get
Bowen to pay Tilton that
the Golden 1qe should be helped; >Ioul-
ton approved of my plan; met Moulton
ut Moultons house the following Sunday;
there were present Moulton, Titon and
myself; my plan was approved, and /
think produced draft of that paper;
Shown document.) this WAS not the
original draft, but is the agreement As
amended; it was also said that the papers
in connection with the scandal should be
destroyed after signing the tripartte
agreement; Horace B. Claflin, who came
in before we separated, said he had no
doubt but that Bowen would
do all that was said; the second
interview was in Moulton's study,
April =, 1872; Clahin reported that
Bowen agreed to pay money to Tilto2:
if the arbitrators determined the amount
subject Of the agreement then introduced.
Shown the draft Of agreement, and wit
ness continued-this piece of yellow
paper attached to it with pencil work
ings was not on it then; witness read
the agreement as drawn up by him,
leaving out the additions which he said
were afterward added to it; l read this
paper at the second interview Tilton
said he would sign 1t
twelve times over, if Bowen would sign
it once; Clahin and MoultOn also ex-
pressed themselves satisfied with it; Til
ton was about to sign it, but was stopped
bv Clafn, who said it might be
necessary for him to tell Mr..
Bowen that his signature would be re.
qured before Tilton would sign il; Mr..
Clahin put it in his pocket to take to
Bowen; Clahn returned that evening
and said that Bowen was willing to sign
the agreement, but had kept it to look it
over; 1t was understood that after the
covenant had been signed all the past
relating to the scandal would be destroy
ed on the evening of the same day | had
conversation with Tilton in which he
said that Beecher had made improper
proposals to his wife, and that was
all the charge he had against him; he
then began to tell me OF something he
had done for Beecher's son, Harry, who
was in the volunteer service where,he had
fallen into disgrace; that Tilton had gone
to see the Secretary of War and ingra-
tiated himself into his favor; that he had
told him of the position IN which Beech
ers son was placed, and he got COM
mission for him in the regular army;
next saw the tripartite covenant about
five o'clock in the evening of April Sd.
when it WAS brought to my office by Claf-
in the yellow paper was then on 1t.
About o'clock on that afternoon, Til
ton came TO me and said he would not
sign the agreement unless 1t was altered.
| know Oliver johnson: l persuaded
Beecher to employ him; | am the party
who was instrumental in the publication
of the tripartite agreement, and am not
aware that Beecher knew anything
about il.
Cross-examlnation by Mr.. Beach-Til-
- II tnl-
of by Clatliin, Becchsr and me, but that
he had been left out in the cold and did
not see sny chance Of getting his money.
The Court here took II recess
After recess Mr.. Wilkinson resumed,
the cross s-cxamination being continued
He testified
On my direct examination / gave Til
tons precise language at the interview,
50 far as 1 recollcCt; | may have varied
this language on the cross-eXamination;
this / believe is due to the
inherent infrmity of human
memory; have given the
language according to the best of my be-
lief; in material words | may have
changed it; made memorandum of his
conversation on the morning Of April
Sd; it is now at my office and will pro-
duce it. Irecolect some phrases of the
memorandum, but not the concluding
one; the vital part | can give you.
Has Premoni,ions.
| felt that this thing was going to drift
into great judicial contest and so | made
a memorandum of the conversation.
The statement Of Tilton's that he would
publish in the GoidcH Age ION March 2H,
made me believe this thing would come
into court; on April Sd, know that ar
bitrators were appointed to make the
award to Tilton; had not heard
tn at on the night Of April Sd,
the award had been made, and the
checks given for the amount; | did not
fear the matter drifting into 4 judicial
contest, but rather desired it; what made
me feel that it would drift into judicial
contest, was the movement of Tilton
against Henry Ward Beecher, and the
charges made by Bowen and Tilton