The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-06


Letter frosn Mrs. WooAhull.
No. so BROAD STREET, New YORK,
March 26, 1875.
To the Editor of the New York Herald:
A colored man, formerly my servant,
named James r. Woodley, testified, in
substance, at the Beecher trial on Thurs
day last, as follows: That he was in
troduccd to Mr.. Tilton by me, and that
l instructed him, in the presence of Til
ton. regarding what meant by free.leve;
that Tilton was in the habit Of going with
ME to lunch at Dellnonico's; that he was
in the habit of visiting me at my resi-.
dences, No. Is East Thirty-eighth street,
No. 1l8 West Twenty-third street, and
No % Irving place, and remaining all
night, eating breakfast next morning
that he was arrested on Nov. 2, 1872, and
held as a witness, he having the day be-
fore come to my office from sick bed,
having been ill about month; that a
short time before this illness, on a given
Monday and Tuesday, fixing the time in
the fall of 1872, CIR. Iilton came to my
Office. having some writing in his hand.
which he read to Miss Clafin, Col. Blood
and me and that he urged it's publication !:
that Col. Blood objected to
having anything to do with
it; that he urged that there
could be 100000 made out of Plymouth
Church through it that Col. Blood, again
refusing to have anything to do with it,
locked the safe, puc on his hat, and left
the Office, returning in the morning fol-
lowing, not going to the house that night !;
that he (Woodley) was at the house that
night, and saw Mr.. Tilton there, and also
at breakfast next morning, this being in
Irving place; that whenever he saw Mr..
Iilton and me together it was usually
with his arms about my waist, and vari-
GUS other stuff.
The testimony, if true, will fall heavily
upon Tilton, and it ought to; but if false,
and can be shown to be SO, it will stamp
upon the defense the infamy Of procuring
manufactured testimony from the ser.
wants of the people when they could have
obtained the facts from the people them
selves.
Now, mark the utter impossibility of
the truth Of this testimony. The scan.
DIAL was published October %, 1872, the
paper dated November 2. At that time
our Office was at No. 48 Broad street, we
having removed there from M Al the
May previous. At that time we were
living at No. % Irving Place, having
gone there in September before, having
left No. Is East Thirty eighth street, the
April previously, and No. ll8 West
Twenty third street in May. At the last
two places of residence we did not keep
house, but boarded with sister.
Now, Mr.. Woodley was not in our EN-.
ploy in the Office at any time while at No.
AZ Broad street. Consequently, what
ever conversation he ight ever have
heard about anything must have been
while our Office was at No. AZ. Tjlton
never visited US at No. 48. Hence, what
ever conversation he may have heard in
which Tilton took part must have been
at No. "A. But Mr.. Woodley says that
all of this lengthy and important CONVEX.
sation occurred in the fall of 1872, short.
ly previous to the publication of the
scandal, and in the Office described as No.
48. The whole story is pure fabrica-
ton from beginning to end, and is not re-
lieved by particle of truth. There was
never any such conversation between the
parties named, either at the time men
toned or at any other time. Tilton never
mentioned the sum of 100000 or any
other number of dollars as the merchan-
disc value of the scandal in Plymouth
Church; nor did Col. Blood ever make or
have occasion to make objection to the
publication of the Beecher article. Nor
was the Beecher article prepared until a
few days before its publication; nor was
there ever slip of it in the hands OF any
servant in our employ.
Moreover the last time that Tilton Wis
tied me was at my Office, Al Broad street,
the day that he left the city to attend the
Cincinnati Convention that nominated
Mr.. Greeley for the Presidency, which
was in May, 1872. Since that day have
never spoken to Tilton, nor he to me. I
suppose he was ashamed to come and see
me after that. should have been had
been in his place. He was never at % IT.
wing Place, and but three or four times at
No. lib West 23d street. and he never re-
manned in any house in which lived over
night, with single exception, and that
was night in August, 1871, when he
was preparing my biography; nor did he
eat breakfast there save the next morn
ing after this occasion. Nor did Tilton
ever enjoy the honor Of formal intro
duction to this colored gentleman, nor of