Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-08
THE BEECHER TRIAL.

IdE bEECuEn 1hlhL'
Is it possible to watch the strangenets, the
improbability and the numberless complications
of the Beecher case2 Volumes have been writ |
ten about. it-whole libraries rather-yet it is as
fascinating in its uncertainty ever. 1t is USE
less for novebsts to tell the public to drop the
theme, that.ts discussion can do no good it di-
vides attention to-day with the exciting events
transpiring in Louisiana and people might as
well be told to drop one subject as the other.
Now that the long deferred trial has been fairly
begun readers who fancied they were sick of
the Brooklyn Scandal begin, spite of them
selves to feel their interest revive. 1t is a
cause unparalleled in law, and why should it not
excite interest? 1t concerns some of the weigh
tiest social principles and the central figure is
one of the most prominent of our atter-day no.
liabilities the interest felt ia thus everyway to
be understood
If the same could but be said of the case it
self And the most unsatisfactory thought of
all is that this trial will settle nothing There is
no evidence which the public has not already in
its possession and all that the lawyers can dc is
to simplify that evidence, though they may quite
possibly mystify it yet further. There is n for
lorn feeling upon all who are about to set them
selves to the work Of following the trial that the
result will leave them no nearer the truth than
they now are that the jury will disagree and
the world be left then as before unable to make
up its mind wholly as regards the justice of the
claims of the various parties. But the strange
ness of the situation grows no less notwith-
standing this conviction is general. We see Mr..
Beecher with these terrible accusations hanging
over him sustained by his church and at SUCCESS
ful in his ministrations as ever. We see the an
nual sale of Plymouth pews, held after the trial
of the Pastor had commenced, netting a larger
sum of money than ever before. We hear Mr..
Beecher declaring from his pulpit that he will be
standing there year from now, and will doubt
less hear Of his Lecture Room talk this
evening and of his sermon on next Sunday being
delivered just as though we were all dwelling in
Already and such things as crime or slander were
unknown On the other side we see Tilton af-
ter his principal witness has been markedly dis
proved and dishonored, bearing himself as def
antly as ever sparing no energy in the effort to
destroy the great preacher, and knowing that if
lie fails he himself must go under socially, with
out hope of resurrection. These things are all
passing strange, but the strangest of all is the
reflection that there must be villany somewhere,
yet that, virtually, from the mpossbiity of form
ing judgment, all parties, innocent and guilty,
are regarded alike. If Mr. Beecher has been all
this time maligned who can measure tile outrag e
put upon him. And 80 of Mr. Tilton. One must
be right, the other wrong. Yet we treat them in
our thoughts practically the same. Who is the
tdipus who shall solve us the riddle Mr.
Evarts, or Mr.. Beach, or the twelve good men and
true Possibly, but as yet very few people be
lieve it.