Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-06-22
TiltOn's COndOn2tiOn Of his Wife's
CTime-Beecher aad bis eva
fhOughts-Ihe Question OF
the Jury being Tamper-
ed With.

ThOughts-Ihs Question Of
the Jury being Tamper-
ed With.
NV YORK, June 21.-The court
room was more densely peOpled this
morning than it has beer since the early
days OF the trial, and many ladies were
among the spectators. Mrs. Beecher
was attended into court by DR.. Edward
Beecher. Tilton was early in his seat.
When the jury was called Beach arose
and continued his address. He said
Moulton had been charged with faith
lessness in refusing Beecher copies of
documents from time to time placed
in his hands. On July 25, 1874, Beecher
applied for copies of these letters, and
MOulton replied 10 this letter in August.
The jury would remember that shortly
after this Moult0n obtained the mutual
consent OF both parties to bring the pa
pers in question before the investigating
committee. Ii WAS not for Tracey, the
advocate of BsecheT, TO condemn MOUl-
ton, who was fsr below him Beech
er] in intellectual qualities, when
Beecher entered into the policy of si-
leuce, and operated with M0ulton for
that end. Defendant should not, there
fore, blame MOUltOn for his action in
that respect. Counsel then quoted from
General Tracey's opening speech Ia re-
spect to the psTt taken by MOulton in
the matter. TO represent MOultOn SIS
no special friend OF BeechsT in this
matter, said the counsel, was prepOster-
Gus, for during these years there was not
q day or an hour when his honor and
safety did not depend upon this faithful
friend. Tracey says OF MoUlton, that to
promote christianity, in which he did
not believe, Re had been lesding e life Of
lies, and divided his wife's kisses with
prostitutes. An attack Of this kind,
said Mr.. Beach, could not be tolerated,
and no man who made such an attack
as this could belong 10 the profession to
which they belonged, and the worst
Of this attack was, that it was
not his own production which he was
reading in the tone of a schOOlbOy who
bad but imPerfectly learned his lessons.
This came from a man who had given
his oath of honor not to appear against
the plaintiff, and was caused by Moul-
toms refusal to surrender the papers
placed with him under mutual cCngant
that they should not be given to one
party without the consent Of the other
There was one other witEess who had
borne testimony to the confessions OF
the defendsnt-a woman who had been
eulogized by BeecbeT in his Ietters-and
the question is: Was she to be believed?
This woman had been charged by Mr..
Porter, in his defense, as cOnspiratress
and cOnsOrting with prostitutes, making
her house a rendezvous and exposing
her son to their influence. 1t was not
bad enough to include 1ilton and Moul-
ton in this category, but they couldn't
stop until they had included the mother
also. His friend Porter charged that
Mrs. MOultOn was perjuTeT, and not to
be believed, and had the other side not
endeavOred to show by witnesses that
Mrs. MoultOn's stories were not to be
credited? A very serious charge was
trOught in the outset against Mrs. MOul-
ton, and raised by Mr.. Shearman, that
when on the stand she did not once look
in the face of EVarts, and Evarts him.
self said her glances were furtiye; but
she had not that gift OF dramatic effect
possessed in an eminent degree by Bes-
sic Turner and also by Beecher himself,
~
mouth church and their brilliant ushers.
Perhaps Mrs. Moulton saw nothing at
tractive in the face Of Evarts to look at.
Laughter, which was rebuked by Judge
Nelson, Mr.. Beach then cited passages
from letters OF Beecher, in which he
spoke in the highest terms Of her. The
counsel also quoted from Mrs. M0ulton's
testimony in respect TO the advice she
gave Beecher when he came to her and
confessed his sin. She favored q con-
fession, not in secret, but in public, and
to his church. This advice appealed TO
the judgment Of Beecher in his cooler
moments, as is shown By some Of his
letters. Mr.. Beach quoted further from
Mrs, MOulton's testimony in regard to
Beecher's opinion Of her, when he said
she always seemed to him like q section
OF the day Of judgment; when she con-
tended that he would be forgiven by
full and free confession made TO his
church. This was the only way, said the
counsel, of obtaining forgiveness for his
sin and reconciliation, and this was what
any christian woman would have said.
You are combating with the world,
Beecher; you are giving cause OF Of
fense, and scandaliZing your pulpit;
the only way OF escape and to redeem
yourself from this trouble was - con-
Tess your sin; plead forgiveness of your
God, and your sincerity 10 be ruled.
This was the only method by which for
giveness was to be obtained. 1t
had been argued in this case
that it was very improbable that
Beecher, if an sdulteTeT, should advise
a separation between Mrs. Tiiton and
her husband. But the jury should Temem-
Der that up 10 the night of the fourth OF
September, 1870, Beecher was not aware
that Mrs. T1ltOn had confessed TO her
husband the previous July, and he was
therefore in ignorance of that disclosure.
What had he to fear from giving such
az advice? Mr.. Beach then quoted from
the testimony of Mrs. MOulton in regard
TO an alleged conversation with Mrs.
TiltOn, in which she said that Beecher
was a good man, and that she MRS. Til.
toni would sacrifice her husband and
truth TO save BeecheT; and that she,
thought, under the circumstances,
she would be justified in telling lie.
But, said the speaker, this had. been de-
MED 10y Beecber a. a fabrication. Mrs.
MOultOn speaks this without any hesita-
tion and with a consciousness Of the
truth of her story, which should impress
LIe jury D4O 11Ib AlOllLOD com the
expression" section OF the day Of
t?i'-and who doubted but that
it was the utterauce Of BeecheT, and en-
tirsly consistent with his modes Of eX-
preston and thought, snd Il was not the
production OF this lGly? The whole cred
ioility OF the statement Of this lady was
placed on the dste at which this inter-
view was fixed by her; and Beeeher
says that he was not at her house that
day. Counsel quoted from the Opin-
ion Of Chief Justice Shaw, in the Web
steT case, as to the proving OF an abb,
and also from an article In one OF the
morning papers Of April ), 1870, which
counsel pronounced TO be sound and sa-
gsciCus. BeecheT sWears, said counsel,
that on the morning of the second Of
June, between nine and ten o'clock, that
he was in consultation with Kinsells
IS to the form Of the card which
he published that day; but the drawing
up Of card OF fifteen or twenty lines
would not Occupy very much time on
the part Of two such learned minds.