Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-03-10
DEECHER's DEFENSE.
Ih- HcrOraIiun OF Gen Tracy'S Open
i"g speech.


i"E speech.
The New York Hcrdld, of the 2nd
inst, contains the closing DAYS effort
of Gen. Tracy, Of counsel for Beecher
The charge of incontinence has al
ways been
THE FAVORITE WEAPON OF ATTACK
UPON CLERGYMEN.
The enemies Of st, Athanasius by such
an accusation sought to destroy the
great champion of the orthodox faith.
IL was by similar means that the name
of st. Francis de Sales was kept under
IA cloud for four years, during which he
maintained the same silence for which
my client Is so sharply criticised. 1t
was on such charge that the ruin ol
the illustrious Fenelon, Archbishop oi
Cambray, was attempted. 1t was un.
der such an imputatiOn that the "Ju.
dicious Hooker" one of the brightest
lights Of the English Church, remained
dumb as the dead though innocent
as babe, for six years of bitter anguish
1t was such charge, spread broadcast
over England, that John Wesley, the
man who ofall Protestants most nearly
approached the spirit and iabors of the
Apostle Paul, suffered to pass without
any public reply for twenty years, aud
by yet more remarkable coincidence
IL was by means of an insinuation thai
he had made improper advances that
prosecution was kindled against him
in Georgia, which resulted in
DRIVING HIM OUT
OF this country under the ban of al
Indictment. Who envies the verdict
of the jury which found that indict-
ment? Where is John Canton, tn,
magistrate, who inspired the prosecu.
ton? He is pilloried forever In few
lines of Wesley's biogrephy, and es
capes Oblivion only because the unsul
lied and venerable name Of the maj
whom he thought he had crushed
| from infamy.
THE CLOSING EFFOPr.
General Tracy then con Uclud,d hi,
| four days address OF opening to tJt
jury as follows Il have laid befur,
you, gentlemen, as much of this ca-t
as to the best of my ability | couIC
| putinto words. But the deepest truth
that underlies it Is beyond adequate
expression by feeble words OF mine
nor | think, could any single tungu,
set forth the nature and the power o
that influence which radiates through
out the world Of time, and beyond the
grave, from the loving centre of a gooC
mans life. There are facts which .nr,
not spoken from lip to ear, but from
heart To heart. There il n treasure a
stake in comparison to which even th,
good name of one innocent man an,
one innocent woman, however sacIeC
and precious this may be, is OF trivia
WORTH mean the principle OF thu
value OF established character. Wha
is the use Of all honorable life, if it il
no barrier against false accusation if
in the face of foul conspiracy, it.
prayers and labOrs, generosities ant
heroisms are to be counted worse thar
nothing-merely the DISCUSSES of rot
ten hypocrisy? Against this mos
dangerous infldelty of our time on,
grand protest has been made. Thre,
thousand
MEN AND WOMEN OF PLYMOUTH
CHURCH
Have presented to this community {
spectacle unparalleled of faith i'm good
ness and in God. These people arr
your fellow-citizens; virtuous, indus
trious, practical, sensible as yourselves
They love their wives and daughters
they cherish the purity of their house
holds. Foremost among you in every
work of charity; earnest, sincere, gooC
and kind; good neighbors, good citi
Zens, they have stood many, many
months unshaken in their faith anC
confidence around their pastor, whom
they love. And this they do because
they know him because for thirtS
years they have looked through hi,
clear eyes into his transparent soul
because his influence upon them and
their children has been pure anC
wholesome; because he has taught
them from his lips that repeated the
words of the Master, and by life thai
reflected the example of the Master, tC
fear God and abhOr evil. This multi
tude of witnesses bear testimony &c
the value of good mans character as
read in a good mans life; and IL is the
lesson of the value of character which
you are called To impress upon the
world. You will save Brooklyn, al.
ready too much disgraced by the ex-
istence of such a scandal, from the fal
greater disgrace Of permitting such &
man TO be destroyed by such instru'
mentality.
An eagle, towering in his pride Of place
Hawked at and killed by mousng owls
You would tell the American people
that when innocence is assailed by un.
scrupulous and cunning malice, how,
ever successful for time the assault
may seem, it must lind its barrier
when it reaches an American jury
And you will say TO this heartless and
goddess prosecutor "Thus far thou shall
come, but no further-here all the mid
night plottings of cruel craft must ceas,
forever" l ask Of you for this defend
ant nothing but that justice which yol
would mete out TO the humblest citi
zen. Yet you can not but feel as | dt
an overwhelming sense of the solemn
! importance Of this trial. II viii loon