River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-01-01
TILTON'S REPLY TO BEECHER.
lion De New York Sun, De- So.


following card to the public concerning
the two trials, the one civil and the
other criminal, involving the controver.
sy with the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
MR.. TILToN's CARD.
Mr.. Beecher's pronunciamento in the
Christian Union this week requires
me to reply as follows:
/. have charged the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher with seduction and adul'
terry. These charges have already
proved to the full belief Of three-quar.
tiers of the people Of this nation, includ'
ing almost unanimously the legal pro-
fession, who, above all other classes,
arc most competent to weigh evidence.
now wait to repeat and solemnize this
proof in court Of law. To this end,
two actions are pending in the City
Court of Brooklyn. These are, first,
civil suit instituted by me against Mr.
Beecher; second, a criminal indictment
procured by Mr. Beechcr against me.
The first of these causes, namely,
mine against him,is continually thwart-
ed by his strange and unexampled dc.
mand for catalogue Of the particular
dates and places at which he commit
ted his acts of adultery. What is the
practical effect of this demand : The
sexual intimacy between Mr.. Beecher
and Mrs. Tilton extended accord
ing to their own account of it) from the
TALL of 1868. through the whole of 1869,
into the spring of l870--overlapping
three successive years; and yet Mr..
Beecher, while publicly asking for what
ke calls the fullest inv, stigation, re-
quests me to dwarf and shriyel my
proof Of this prolonged criminality to
two particular days, namely Oct 10 and
IL, 1868; a limitation which his counsel
are willing to enlarge so as to include
an entire autumnal month, during
most Of which Mr.. Beecher was absent
from Brooklyn, sheltered in safe abb
beyond an opportunity for crime. 1t
is an aifront to ethics and equity, and
miracle impossible, to limit Mr..
Beecher's fourteen months Of adulteries
to two days.
UNWILLING TO APPEAR IN A FARCE.
Accordingly | give the public due no.
tice that, so far as the civil suit is con-
cerned (which is the only one controlled
by me,) shall go into court on the
first day when | am permitted to carry
all my evidence with me, but never
while / must leave nine-tenths Of this
evidence outside the door. In other
words to try Mr.. Beecher for adultery
with the adultery carefully forbidden
to be proved, is farce at which | am
not harlequin enough to play in these
sad days.
ii. Meanwhile, since Mr.. Beecher is
seeking to battle my case against him,
challenge him to end this by.play of
strife over a bill Of particulars by call
ing up his case against me. This he
has power to DO at any moment. What
is this case! On the Sd of October last
Mr.. Beecher went before Grand Jury
in Brooklyn, and by his own oath pro-
cured against me an indictment for IL
bel. This indictment furnishes the best
case to test the real issue between Mr..
Beecher and me. This real issue
is not whether he shall pay me
hundred thousand dollars for running
my home Though not penny Of this
money would | accept, even if a hun
bred juries should multiply it to a
millionl, but simply whether the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher is guilty Of seduc.
ton and adultery. And whatever com
plications may exist in my civil action
against Mr.. Beecher for damage, elicit.
ing his ceaseleSs demand for particulars,
on the other hand, simplicity itself is
not more simple than Mr.. Beecher' 5
criminal case against me for libel if
have accused him falsely. In this GRIM
inal case | shall neither trouble him for
particulars, nor drive him from the
special term to the general, nor drag
him to Albany To the Court Of Appeals,
nor compel him to try his cause with a
mere 1.-THE of his evidence, nor in any
manner impose on him a gossamer's
weight of difficulty in his bringing me
to justice. Moreover, in his criminal
case he will be relieved of his ill-omened
fears Of civil damages; he will have the
attack instead Of the defense he will
be entitled to the last word to the Jury:
and if have borne false witness against
him he will be able not only to prove
me guilty. but to send me to the pen.
tertiary.
CHARGES or rRlCTLaY.
III. am advised, and believe. that
the cunning managers Of Mr.. Beecher's
safety are seeking TO contrayene the
ends Of justice by the following strata.
gem, to.wit as soon as Mr.. Beecher's
counsel shall have restricted me so as
to make inadmissible my proofs Of his
fourteen months of adultery thus cut.
ing the very hearts core out of the
civil suit their plan then is to sudden.
~ withdraw the criminal indictment
against me which withdrawal is to be
explained to the public by Mr. Beech.
er's ehiof champion and fellow.suh'erer
under q charge Of seduction. the editor
Of the Brooklyn Edgia, as an act Of
unexampled magnaminity shown to me
by Mr.. Beecher.
BY this plan Of operations am to be
prevented from trying Mr.. Becchcr in
civil suit Mr.. Beecher is at the same
time to be saved from the grim ncces.
sity Of trying me under the criminal in.
dictment and so, by these two devices.
Mr.. Beecher is to escape trial alto.
gethcr.