Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-03-10
New York Letter

BROOKLYN, N. ", March I, 1875.
To the Editors Of the Chronicle.
1t will possibly interest your readers
to know bow the people In Brooklyn.
aud New York city, talk about The
Beecher-Tllton trial, now progressing
In this city, and also how 1t looks to
an East Tennesseean, fortunate Tor UNI
Fortunately enough to yet ticket of
admission, aud witness how the great
moral tragedy Is conducted
The court house of Brooklyn is an
immense building, but, like your new
postofiice aud court house building, is
cut up into many small rooms, so that
the room where this trial is taking
place is not larger than the circuit
court room in Knoxville, capable of
holding from one hundred and fifty TO
two hundred people. Only those pro-
vided with a ticket of admission, given
10y either the Judge or some member
of the bar, engaged in this case, can
enter the court house. This would
seem sufficient precaution to prevent
a jam, but such Is not the case, for
tickets have been given out to five
times the capacity of the room. In
addition to this, many forged tickets
have been printed, which adds to the
crowd seeking admittance, and you
can imagine, perhaps, the feeling of
some fellow who has stood in the line,
shivering with cold for two hours or
more, and, when at the door, Just as he
thinks he Is ready to walk in, finds
the much priced piece of pasteboard
which he fancied sufficient to insure
him entrance, only IA bogus ticket, and
he compelled to stand aside and let his
more fortunate neighbor walk in.
The excitement seems to increase
each day. You hear nothing else on
the ferry boats, street cars, or places
where men do congregate. In point
of number, l think public sentiment
is thus far about equally divided but,
judging from appearances, Mr.. Beech
er's friends, as class, are much more
respectable than Mr.. Tilton's, and at
this time Mr.. Beecher seems to be
gaining ground rapidly. The opening
speech of General Tracy, which will
probably be concluded to-day, has
more than satisfied Mr.. Beechers
friends. He charges conspiracy on the
part of Tilton, Moulton and Henry c..
Bowen, of the Independent, and if he
can prove one~half what he promises
to do, Mr.. Beecher wills escape "scot
Free General Tracy seems to be fully
equal to the task and is evidently us
ing his "whole ability to clear the
good name of his pastor and friend.
He puts both the plaintiff and his wit
nesses in very unenviable light before
the world.
l find one fact very much to the
credit of Mr.. Beecher, and which should
go far towards clearing his name and
ia me of the present cloud upon them.
That is, that those who have known
Mr.. Beecher the most intimately dur
ing his thirty years residence in Brook
Ign, are now his warmest friends. He
is certainly wonderful man, filling
his pulpit on each Sunday and Friday
night, while this trial is going on, with
his usual vigOr and interest; at each
of these meetings probably not one
fourth of those who go to hear him are
able to get even standing room in that
mammoth building.
The jury in the case are of more than
usual Curry intelligence, judging from
their appearance, and what their YER
dict will be of course 30 one can tell,
but my belief is that they will judge
Mr.. Beecher not guilty. KNOX.