The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-05-25
THE TRIAL RESUMED.
Judge Porter Continues.
Moulton and Tilton Again
EXcoriated.

New YORK, May 24.-The Brooklyn
Court room was again crowded to-day
and Judge Porter resumed his argument
He referred to the letter of contritior
which was the only known instance IN
which man lad written letter to him
self. How did it happen that TIM
man who was master II
every intellectual department, when
he came into Mr.. Moulton's presence
was like an untutored school boy. An
other feature OF this letter, is that Beech
er refused to sign it. Frank MoultoT
WAS sham from the beginning, and
strutted in borrowed plumage. Tilton as
literary writer, bore the foremost nam,
of any man in America, and had given
the idea that he was man of boundlesS
wealth. These two statements were put
forth to the world by Moulton. copied
from Theodore Tllton's drafts, or were
the result OF u !Ortnight's work on the
part of Benjamin +. Butler. 1t was
/ Tilton who gave directions for the carry
ing out of these schemes. 1t was in hl,
fertile brain that they had birth. and
when Moullon spoke of crushing Til;on
if he injured Beecher, it was but the Ian
guage OF II braggart. The dictations OF
Moulton, Tilton and Mrs. Moulton, al
bore the stamp of Tilton's mind. That
word paroxysmal, referring to kiss, was
never heard from Bcccher's lips, except
by two persons, Tilton and Moulton
l. Igr.anIiy., thn lripls nf 4,
mcr4l Niagara were no more Henry
Ward Beccher's than the words,
..MoraI Haystack,'
for the words would seem incongruous
They were Tilton's expressions
The counsel then commented on the
form in which the letter was written,
beginning: 81 ask through YOU Theodore
Tilton's forgiveness, and humble myself
before him aS | do before God; he would
have been a better man in my place than
| have BEEN" Did Mr.. Bcccher write
this? If he did which DID he mean,
God or Tilton would have better man
in his place. The language in this let
ter prccluded all idea Of the charge
against Beccher being adultery, and the
man who said BecCher wrote it lied and
was an untrustworthy witness. Coun-
sci referred toa letter dated May 3, 1871,
written by Mrs. Tilton to Beecher rs
her pastor, was that letter of adultery,
&c, to her paramour? 1t had more OF
the strain of broken-heartcd woman
than to II man whom she had falsely ac.
cused. Never did Becchcr once use the
term hcst-hiding. He had written
books and the counsel on the other side
had searched them in vain for that term.
Judge Fullerton found reference to "A
robin hiding her nest, and which Fuller
ton paraded before them. You could
not 90 to hear Beecher Sunday next
without being impressed with his vivid
ness and impressiveness.
After referring TO other letters the
counsel said: What led Moulton and
Tilton to he, AS they said, for Bcecher?
Moulton said he lied for tenderness and
delicacy to Bcechcr and Plymouth
Church, and Titon said for motives of
the same character towards his wife.
Could Tilton have these feelings
and those which led him to
bastardize his own dead boy,
and to seek TO ruin his
adopted daughter? But these wit
nesses' testimony expressed themselves
with malignity which rendered their tcs-
timony comparatively worthless. If the
jury believed the testimony of Wilkeson
and Schultz, what was the character of
Tilton? \ man who had broken and
violated all his pledges. Tilton was liv-
ing by blackmail for Il number of years
ready to accept it in the form of Dcne-
factions or otherwise. Why did Tilton
threaten to blow the roof of of Plymouth
Church unless they acceded to his tcrms2
Was it not soliciting help from Beccher?
When, according to Mr.. and Mrs. Owing.
ton. Tilton said that Elizabeth loved
Mr.. Beechcr and he ought to do some
thing for her; that Elizabeth had lone
all that she could for him, and hc
ought to come forward and save her Til
ton, speaking of his wife, said that she
would lie for him. il necessary. Was
this the use Theodore Tllton put this
woman to? Was this the school III
which Mrs. Moulton had been reared n2
Frank Mou.ton said Bcccher was Il liar
and libertine, and that was the reason
he had broken faith with him; he had adj
mitted, also, that he had broken faith
with Tilton. There was no person with
whom he had not broken faith. And
was this man, on whom no person SEEM
ed to place reliance, to be believed when
he maligned Henry Ward Beccher?
This man had threatened to shoot
Beecher,. but this was mere hravado, and
men who could make such threat with
out intending anything, was of low
order of morals.
The Court here took recess.
After Recess.