Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-06-12
THE BEECHER TRLhL-ADDPES.S or
Mr.. BEACH,

necessarily leaked out. Mr.. Evarts wants people
to believe that the policy of silence was forced
upon Mr.. Beecher, but it is pretty evident from
the testimony that when Tilton threatened to pub
lsh his letter to Bowen, Beecher begged for 81
lcnce. 1t is clear from Beecher's own writings,
that after the Morse letter Beecher be gged for 81
leDce. 1t is certain that when Beecher sent Mr..
Bell to break up the meeting OF Deacons ne want
ed silence. So, also, in the letter in which be
asked his nephew Perkins TO put his foot upon the
hot emoers of scandal; and in the "bottom-facts
letter appear efforts to suppress the scandal and
in the letter which he sent to Mrs. Iilton by the
hands of her husband he again asks for conceal
ment; and what was the tripartte covenant but
devise for concealment /; And in another OF ms
letters he uses the expression. al the papers
will hold off for month we wall outrlde the gale;
and when he offered to resign, that was another
device for coDcealment, and when he spoke OF
stopping runous defense of "himself' he con-
tempated concealment. Mr.. Evarts, in reading
that letter. omitted the words "of me. linen
there is the letter i'll which he speaks OF "stuity.
ing all the devices by which we saved ourselves;
but the most striking instance Is his refusal to
answer Mrs. Bradsnaw's letter. When, after that,
he saws ''the policy of silence ought to have sue
ceeded" he makes a confession that he was party
to it.
BEFORE proceeding with his argument, Mr.. Beach
said he would answer some OF the proposluonss OF
the defense In asking the jury TO presume
Beccher to be innocent and give him the benett OF
a doubt Judge Porter misapplied principle more
appropriate to a criminal case than civil one
Mr. Beecher is no more entitled to presumption
of innocence than he would be IN sun on con
tract. The letter of Jan. G., 1867, was made by
Judge Porter the subject of the most severe de-
nupciatjon of Tilton, for "having published his
wife's infirmties to the world, whereas that por-
ton of it was left out by Tilton, as Judge Porter
mnst have known. Judge PoIter's vindictiveness
was such that he stopped at nothing to detame his
adversary. Vituperation OF this KIND based on
Measurements, did not become such men as the
counsel for the defense. MIR. Beach sand he would
show instance after instance when, during the
past thirteen days, the facts had been wantoniy
disregarded. Judge Porter thought 1t extraordl,
nary that the scene of the crime should be hXed
as the 10th and 18th of October, because no abb
could be proved. Those were the dates and places
furnished by Mrs. Titon and Beecher. All OF III
toms yagaries and rudeness, said the speaker, II
thew be true, have no place here-they give Henry
Ward Beecher no right to intrude into 1lltons
home Titons brutality may have cooled Mrs.
Tilton's Affection but it gave Henry Ward Beecher
no warrant to take advantage OF that circumstance;
1t NAV have been temptation TO Henry ward
Beecher to assault Mrs. Tiltons purity, but 1t was
no justification of the act Grant everything that
has been alleged against Iilton, does II overthrow
Beecher's confessions Does it explain the let
tiers over which Mr.. Evarts passed so dehcateiy
and lightly! If Tilton be brutal libertlne, IS
that any reason that Beecher should go unscathed
| of law and justice
II being :O3, the court took recess until 2 90
At 2:l2 Mr. Beach resumed his argument The
sneaker began with contradiction of the propo-
sition of the defense that 1'lton had garbled the
letters he used. After citing as specimen the
Griffith Gaunt letter, he SAID that no comment
could add to the Observation-Disclosures OF such msrep-
reservations as Judge Porters. Judge Porter ac-
cused Tilton of using that letter as evidence
against his wife. Mr.. Beach showed that the use
made of it was to defend Mrs. Tilton's character
for purity He rdiculed Judge Portcrs attempt
to enlist the sympathy of the jury by asserting
that the outside popular verdict was against ms
client--that Tilton controlled the entire press of
the country. After paying warm tribute to the
intelligence of the press he said he would have
been ashamed to have alluded to such an argument
had it not been forced upon him. Where are all
the pious and prominent men OF soc ETY. who nave
Storrs, DIR. Duryea DR.. Van Dyke, DR.. Budng.
ton DIR. Talmage and othersf 81 have not seen,
Mr.. Beach said, with grand burst, ANY OF those
Christian Pastors taking Beecher by the hand OF
fellowship. | have seen Plymouth Church IN all
its glory have seen the zealots and sycophants
of this defendant gathering about him, but have
not seen any of the great and good men spoken
of by the defendants counsel. would be Willing
to leave my to the verdict OF these men, or OF
the press" But these were not subjects proper
for discussion in this place. These noXious and
improper influences had no right here. II the
speaker alluded to them it was not for the purpose
Of initiating any such unworthy appeal, but to
warn the jury against giving way to them. lie
wanted no sympathy of that kind. 1t would be
the happlest event in the history OF this case to
Theodore Tilton and his counsel, could they be
assured that his wife still loves him with her early
devotion. Where, he asked has Theodore 1ilton
ever faltered in his fidelity to his wife, IN his pur-
pose of keeping this stain from his family There
was not single act of his in evidence that Jusu-
fed Mrs. Tton in leaving her home.
Judge Porter had remarked upon the gray hairs
incident as most striking instance OF deliberate
perjury. The truth was that Tilton had no gray
hairs at that time, but his wife, who was two
years older than he, had. Iilton, IN his letter,
was referring to her gray hairs The letter says
nothing about himself. Judge Porter had said
with much denunciation, that Mrs. Hilton had
learned the expression, true lnwardness from
Tton, and argued that 1t was impossible that
Beecher should have used such phrase. Mr.
Beach quoted the very expression, aud Italicized,
from one of Beecher's letters. Mrs. 1ilton had
not used it at all. Mr.. Beach thought that John
Milton and John X. Porter had said that truth
needs no policy" What then, was the necessity
of these Misrepresentation Again, Porter had
said that Tilton acknowledged that the true story
was not intended for the public, but was laid away
as weapon with which to strike the pocket OF
Beecher A satisfactory answer Is that 1t was pub
lished. The next accusation is that, IN the Bacon
letter. Tlton failed to give that part of the letter
Of cont1tion that is most favorable to Mr.. Beech
er. This was a serious accusation and the other
side must have regarded it, and others like it, as
important toward impeaching the varacity of Ill
ton, or tlcy WOuiu not nave given 81 LHHCh
and argument to them. DIR. Bacon had impugned
the honor and manliness of Titon--had represent
ed him as a knave and dog, who was subsisting
on tine magnanimity of Beecher. The Bowen let
ter was Intended merely as an answer to DIR.
Bowen's attack. There is no imputation or sug-
gestion in it against Bcecher or Mrs. Iilton. On
the contrary, it defends both. Was Iilton to be
stlli With all his conceded greatness of genius,
he could not have held his head above the pave
ment in this community, had he rested tamey un-
der such an imputation. The letter of contritlon
was Tilton's best defense. Counsel for the de-
tense represent Mrs. Moulton in place as loath-
ing Mr.. Tton, and in another as becoming aeon
spiratress and perjuress in his interest, MIR.
Beach read from Mrs. Moultons evidence to show
that the alleged oathing was untrue. Mr.. Fuller
ton here called Mr.. Beach's attention to the fact
that it was 4 o'clock, but Mr.. Beach asked per-
mission TO finish his points and read from another
portion of Mrs. Moulton's testimony to show that
there was nothing in it to justify Judge Porters
other assertion. At 4 90 the court adjourned.
POLITICAL.
The New York World commends Gen. Forrest
as man who "nurturcs the flower of peace" with
the blood she'd at Fort Pillow
Charles H. Powers, republican, was elected
Ralva@ Commissioners Wednesday by the New