New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-27
ton That he swcrs to destroy Henry Ward Beechcf not
from malice and hatred and banned cupdIty, but from
honest and loyal love,
TEE CHARITABLE VIEW OF MRS. MOUL-
TONS TESTIMONY.

TONS TESTIMONY
But, gentlemen, in regard to Mrs. Moult0n,
feel very differently. It is subject on which have
reflected what and desire 70 call your attention TO
what believe to be and Just questions like this
There thread OF truth through the whole Of her mar
ration. There wers conversations between her and Mr.
Reccher The virus Of those conversations consists In
hanspoang them from one period to another. In intro
dcing into conversation what belonged TO another
in the substitution for harmless and innocent words OF
words like oIime." like guilt" This, you will remem
Der. Is her part . mere question OF memory
We have . maxim In the law that one eye
witness is dozen witnesses. but eye
witnesses differ In the narration OF what they have seen
No one all exactly another sees IT, No one re-
members it though he IL, and accurately. The
most expert artist cannot paint tho face OF his nearest
friend from ulaided memory. No two persons Will give
the same account Of accident OF Which both wit
nesses No two who happen to have been spectators will
concur in thor account Of street fight. No two com
manders agreed the description OF battle
in which both engaged 1t has been said that II
blind man 20 ask day aborer TO describe scene,
he would get very different description from what
poet artist would have given him Of the scene
The observes what does not arrest the attention or
impress the gnation OF the other. oror do these
discrepancies in tie description Of scenes In the
past recalled by fading memory. How the dis
crepancies widen In the memory OF words
after the lapse OF years! How widely
would two men differ who should attempt, unaided by
notes 10 relate the language OF witness heard by both
within ton days the present trial! How would tho
bias Of each for against the witness the party for
whom he called give uncOnsciousy coloring to his
IncmORT Of the language! Few men report con-
yersa;on Of hour. accurately in tho language OF
the parties, the very day after 1t How DIFF
fereEt would be tho words Of the narrative from those
actually sed how iapssslo to give tho exact order or
tao eohvcrs.tion Bait THIS iidcuY Is inseasuribly In
Ks
year. or two tirss years ago WEn It Is ono al many
conversations with diGaran parties relating to tho Same
subject how difficult ~ Discriminate between the words
spoken By and those spoken by aDother How much
il this diculty increased when tho narrator at
the time had no thought Of being called
upon TO repeat tho language! How dlAcult for
unbiased witness TO reproduce the language after the
lapse Of years How much difficult wien the mar
ration by who has been since brought into reia
lions Of hostility AMI when the Is prompted and
warped by those who present at the time and inter
osted to color the import of one conversation
How easy 10 Is to nscad fading memory by applying TO
charge words used in reference to another How easy
10 miscad by connecting the words Of conversation
With antecedcn subsequent uteranccs How danger
to rely tho momory of few words In an hours
conversation discovered from the context, which woud
havo explained them; all the rest having faded from
recolleconl We all know how much depends on aceu-
rate observation at The time how much upon the inter
mediate events which have occupied the memory with
matters Of immediate and personal concern. How diff
cult Il to Dis n inmate between impressions derived
from party and those derived from another How
easily DO memories deceive US % 10 remote trans
actions! How uniformly do we fad. if we refer to notes
made at the time that have been mised as to import
ant circumstances have ourselves detailed There is no
faculty the mind imperfect. liable To honest
error thers il none easily affected by kindly feeling
and friendly Weak and faibe at the BEST memory
is easily warped by family feeling, by interest or by
prejudice We know how easily the memory OF honest
men oentmes mscaGs them into exaggeration. We see
how often ny habila narration, good and worthy men
come to believe stories originally invented in pastme
and come 10 believe themselves the heroes Of incl
dents which related to thcm OF Others in the days
Of early boyho0d by the fresde How often we mis-
led into stating facts what by reasoning we are od 10
believe, mistnh ne conviction for memory! How often
do we find that Witnesses perfectly honest testify to
what proves be untrue from failure TO discriminate
between knowledge and belief. between memory and con-
yicon All led by tho daily experience OF life
10 admit the nnity Of their memories, and yet in every
specific the who makes the admission relies
upon memory with the absolute certainty as II
It had mover deceived hin!
The best human memory rests shifting sands, and
all our observation teaches us that in nothing Is It
likely deceive than In the reproduction OF conyersa
tons after an interval Of year and after change or re-
iatiots For instance, suppose that MI Beechcr had
accepted the proposition OF Francis d. MOuon TO read
that card Plymouth Church. and they had burned all
these papers, it would not have ended this scandal
TiliOn would still have been behind; Frank Moulton
would still have been tho witness; and the same men
WHO have published the world that they held Henry
Ward Deechers written confession OF adultery would
then have sworn the originals being destroyed that the
word adultery" appeared in the apology; that the
word 'crirne appeared in such letter; that tho words
| sexual intercourse appeared in another.
mention this illustrate how dangerous it Is to rely
upon the mere unaidet memory even OF lady who
10 tell the truth, the whole TRUTH anu nothing Dt
the TRUTH where the fate Of human being in the estima-
ton countrymcn. In the estimation OF Chrstendon
for III time depends the shading OF word suppose
Mrs MoutOn has, the best OF her ability gwen you
what occurred between her and Henry Ward Beecher,
her mistake honest mistake destroys innocent man,
and enables a seOundre to crush him. II we're driven
to such question and am not, and II we were to look
To the antecedens OF Elizabeth II. Ton as she is de-
scrtbei by the ladies who have been before you, by
women Of the rare accomplishments and intelligence
Of Ms Oyngton, Mrs. Putnam. Miss Oakley, Miss Moore
and q series OF others whom have named-nay. looking
at she described by her own husband looking at
them "a you them In the correspondence which was
published shameessy TO the world Is there aught in
the antecedents OF Elizabeth r. Titon that would lead
Won TO think she would be likely, after she had
turned the middle age OF life, to become Suddenly an
adnteress than there in the anecedents OF Mrs Emma
r Moulton to lead you suppose that In controversy
between husband and his enemy which she thought
the ruin OF the husband unless destroyed that
enemy she should strain point in narration for the
purpose OF saving that husband the father OF her child
the fortune Of both their future prospects, their personal
honorl There arc several noteworthy features III her
testimony. One Is tho fact that according TO her own
account the Jealous friend and partisan OF the de-
fendant 70 whom she now npqtes adultery Until Sunday
July 49, 1874, the day after TiltOn ali. Monltcn SENT
their contradictory messages by Redpah to Mr. Beecher
Another the fact that before that day she was in
consultation with Judge Morris and Cen Butler, and
that that day, just one month before Mr. Beecher
made the statement OF which Mouton complains it
in her own house her and her husband
that she shoud not appear before the Church Committee