The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-04
BEECHER AS A WITNESS.
A Circle Of Lawyers Discuss
the Testimony.
THE HOLES IN THE STORY
A Scrap of Paper with a Sus-
picious History.


In q downtown once, and, naturally enough, had
q discussion among themselves on the foremost
topic OF the day-the Brooklyn scandal-and
more especially on Beecher in the character OF
witness. Laymen, after reading Beecher's testi-
mony, arrive at the conclusion that the old man
tells very square" story that he reconciles In
reasonable fashion the plea OF innocence with
the singular language or hts letters and state
ments. People predisposed TO acquit the Plymouth
pastor OF the crime with which ne Is charged find
IL easy to accept his evidence as the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. Lawyers
are matter OF TACT men, and they notice and garner
up paltry hssle facts tina. laymen brush aside with
contempt
THE SCRAP OF PAPER.
"Beecher,n said lawyer No. ! OF the circle,
produced q scrap OF paper the first day OF his
examination, which he SAID contained mis- advice
to his wife, when she was going down to see MRS.
Tlton as 70 what Mrs. I1lton should do in the mat
ter OF separating from her husband. He said the
reason why he wrote this advice co his wife was
that he had company In the house and did not
wish them to hear it spoken aloud Is that very
ikelyf Why could he not step out in the hall and
tell her In hall q minute the advice he had to
glvef Was it not more apt to disturb mis- COM
pany to retire and sit down at desk to writer
In that note he alleges TO have written then TO ms
wife he says:I incline to think that your view Is
OF support VIII be wisest.' Now. why was not
this scrap OF paper produced beforef How is It Of
all other scraps this should be preserved Don's
you see the point2 The wife could not De pro-
duced to corroborate hts statement that he adj
vised separation between Mrs. Tilton and her
husband, and this scrap OF paper was manufac-
tured TOR the occasion The great point Beecher
| wants 20 make here is that his sin consisted In
ADVISING TILToN's WIFE
|
bad man. TO have been unfaithful TO his wife. He
heard stories about him, as he says. from Mrs.
| Morse, Mrs. nlton. Bessie Turner and
Henry O. Bowen, all good Christian people
and members OF his church, that would
/ Justify MIS- Tflt0n in leaving him.
\ Then when heather and q stranger ike Frank
Moulton comes 10 his house and tells him these are
hes concerning Titon, he bursts into paroxysms
OF remorse al having thus wronged Tilton, and, rec
| olectlng the crime he committed or advising
| Mrs. Titon to leave her lawful husband he said q
| thousand things against himself without thought
or meaning. This Is what Beecher saws. Now
what are the facts In place OF Beecher advising
Mrs. Tilton leave her husband he counselled the
contrary thing, and this Is revealed by the letter
OF Mrs. Morse, written one month after the iime
TO go down TO Mrs. Titon. Mrs. Morse
said In that letter addressed TO Beecnsr nearly
in these words, You and sl others
| VINO advise her tEilzabetnl to remain with him
! Beecner mad not recommended separation and
dIsposes OF one excuse ne gives for the extraor-
0lnary exhibition OF penitence and remorse he
BEEcHERs BLUBBERIxG.
Lawyer No. l paused, satisfied that he had
/ Knocked one prop, At least, from under the lao
no no became discarsive. Il don't Deiieve,'' SAID
i seecner on on the witness stand. il may do well
enough iol a Songrssatlon o. old women: u Is
! thousand times. The iuea OF q man with leo
nine face like his sitting up there as might king
on his throne breaking out into tears over an old
story he has written and told about so often Is
A sKIIFUL PIECE OF EVIDENCE.
II was lawyer No. VINO remarked, II heard the
! evidence yesterday and read IL over to-day, aud,
my stars but II IS skllmlly put up. DO you mind
I how he allows q question TO be asked MIN here
aud there that tells little against MN, so as to
| give nasuralness, veristmllitude 10 the whole
thing, ana then how questions are pat that he
pretends he oon't understand, ana when they are
made clearer Tor him ne hesltates TO answer, so as
70 give the impression that ne u taken by sur
prisesn
Lawyer No. /. breaking in again, said 81 IN
derstand Judge Porter mas Deen stopping entirely
at Beecners house for the last tnree weeks,
coacntng the defendant
I'll were Ia the plaintifrs case" said grave,
eaturnlne member o. the party, II would waive
cross-examnatlon aud let tne case go TO the jury
with brief speech. A crosse Examination viii
man OF great mental resources and mastery or
language. cross-examlnaEion wm only give
HIS OWN CONSTRUCTION
before the jury OF these letters he has written.
The jury can construe now only ss tue whole
world cOnstrues them.n
LAWYER NO. l.
returning to the analysis OF Beecher's testimony,
observed :-"Beecher wants TO make IL APP
pear That Mrs Tilton had an inordinate
affection Tor MIN, OF which he was uncon-
TO be misled or carried away by the woman. How
does this position agree with the expression In
one OF his letters where he takes all the blame
a nO was
slnned against ana that she was bearing the
transgressions Of another In september, 1879,
says:-'May YOU never be missed by q good
woman as have been mlsled Dy good man.
that Beecher Was ignorant OF what ne was doing,
tnat he was led on and on witnout realizing
Inc conversation broke into criticism or various
portions Of the case, but came back gam 70 Mr..
Beeenef on Tue IgursmTe remaTk pelng made mat
declaration oil Beecher that ne never had any i'm
proper relations with Mrs. TIson. "What else
would ne could ne sayY He Dad
TAKEN wEBsTKR's ADVICE
70 heart that the least gentleman could do for
tue lady VINO mad perilled ner reputation for his
Illicit amours would be to lie foT her,
"Wbere was the prominent hitch IN Beecheris
testimony7n was inquired.
aWnere he tried 20 explain the letter or contrt-
ton marx his lnconsistency. In MS statement OF
asn W the ~ wa eao ne oven Sren
him, ana his signature must have been q forgery.
In his testimony on Friday ne said Moulton asked
him to put his signature 70 It, and he replied no,
that ne would not sign what be mad not read.
Finally he signed It. and TO his signature ne added
II infrust this IN confidence 70 Mr.. koulton.u
This ne admits, and admits also that Mouton read
him over the document sentence BY sentence.
That he recognized IL as his letter Is plain from
the statement ne made year after In writing to
luton, my letter 70 you through Moulton,M refer
ring TO TITS document and no other.
MORAL COwARDICE
Putting the evidence asIde,n said lawyer No. l.
get US see what Beecher did tue night OF that
interview with Titon In which Tilton accused him
OF various offences againss MIN. Did be rise In
uignantly ana repeI themf Did he act ike one
VINO lelt his Innocence and felt also manly inn
patience with his accuser3 How had he wronged
iilton Had NOT Bowen and Bessie Turner and
mrs Morse and Mrs. Tt0n told him OF Tliton's In.
hdehties We're not all these four people, Chris
tans aud church members, more en- titled to credit
than Frank Moulton, who called himself q
heathen9 And mere was Tilton, most Infamous or
all 4 Beecner's story be true, WHO goes 20 MS