Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-23
MORE OF BESSIE TURNER.
A Rigid Cross Examination.
A Painful story for q Young Girl %
Tell-Thc Witness Equal 60 the De


After our telegrapbic report of the Tilton-
Beecher trial closed yesterday, the cross-ex.
animation of Bessie Turner was conducted
lows:
visit 10 my bedroom in 1853, and the second
occasion in 1863, il was ia the s1mmer, i
think. Mrs. Tilton was away in Monticello
the first time. 1t was in the summer of 1859
That Itlton came TO my room; this was after
my return from BOWS house Greeley was
at Mrs. Tilton's and spent two or three weeks
there that summer. When returned to Til
toms in 1859 remained there two or three
weeks, ard then went to Keyport TO his
fathers. i think Miss Annie Tilton, Mr..
Tilton's sister, was there, and Kate Melon
aid. the servant No person went with me
to keyport. think this was in the early
Part of the fall. Mrs. Tilton was away, /
think, at Monticello. but did not return un-
til after she got back. When l went to the
house 1 found her there. Kate Mcdonald re-
NAMED at Keyport. i was at Tilton's about
three weeks before ] went TO Keyport, and
saw Greeley there. There were then in the
house Greeley, Tilton and Kate Burke;
when left these were all the parties in the
house do not remember seeing Kate Ne
Donald there when left. After leaving Key
port went to Mrs. Putnam's in February,
1870, and remained there eight or nine
months, returning i'm November. 1870. / re-
turred with Mrs Triton. because I Thought
she was mol in good health, and should not
be allowed TO travel alone
THE SECOND VISIT OF TILToN TO NY ROOM
was in 1859, and the first in 1868, in the sum-
mer; at the latter time my impression is that
Mrs. T1lton was absent from home. / was
sleeping alone in the second story front bed
room. Mrs. TiltOn sometimes slept in the
front part and at other times the back part
of the house. do not remember where the
children slept then. Al that time l was ly-
ing there, and Mr.. Tilton came in 20 bid me
good night, and he stroked my hair, and re-
marked how soft il was. He put his hand
on my neck. / removed it, and he said,
"Why, Bessie, darling how modest you are"
He said people in the best classes of society
generally gave such caresses-in the best so
ciety that even ministers gave them. / told
him did not care what people in the best
society did. He talked To me about marriage
and afhn1ties, and asked me to allow him TO
love and caress me, and that no harm should
happen to me- / thought this conversation
ON his part was very strange. / was then
about seventeen years of age | was not
shocked. L studied over his language, as |
ala not know what he meant. l was angry
when he put his hand on my neck. ] had
up TO this time, been very much attached 10
Mrs. Tilton, but do not think I told her then
OF that occurrence. l remember him dis
tipctly saying, ''Why, Bessie, dear, how pain
fully modest you are;' did not know what
he meant by affinities and
PHYSICAL EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE:
in the summer of 1874 was on a visit TO some
friends in Pittsburg, Pa. and came on to
Brooklyn in August while here went be-
fore the church committee and testified before
them; / spoke 10 them OF two occasions on
which Tilton visited my room; the question
was put to me, "Did Theodore Tilton ever
attempt your ruin?'' and answered, "Yes,
committee that Mrs Tilton was at Month
cello on one OF these occasions; / do not
remember saying that Mrs. Tilton was in
Schoharie; ! now know that she was at Mon
ticello. and must have been mistaken when
/ told the committee Scnoharie; this was I'm
1853; was mistaken in saying before the
committee that on the first occasion when
was carried intohis rOomI awoke in his arms.
L was also mistaken when said that the two
events occurred near together; said to them
that thought Mrs. Tilton was at Schoharie
on one of these occasions; was in Steuben-
vile from 1871 until returned to Brooklyn
in 1874; only knew Of my going before the
CURED; talked with Gen. Tracy before /
went there; on the second night after i ar
rived in the city
WENT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE;
my father left me at Mr. Halliday's, and he
took me up to Mrs. Ovington's; il was in the
morning that went there, and that evening
appeared before the committee; I saw Mrs.
Tiltol there, and during my stay there the
object OF my appearing before the committee
was mentioned; do not think ii was men
TONED until General Tracy called; did not
tell of the occurrences at Mrs. Ovington's or
Mr.. Halliday's until General Tracy called;
the committee met at o'clock, and General
Tracy called between and 9; am sure did
not talk with him two hours; i do not remem-
Der who went with me before the commit
tee. talked over the subject with great
many parties Afterwards, with Mrs. Tilton,
Mr.. Sherman, and others. / found after
wards ON looking over the evidence given by
me on that occasion ttat had made some
mistakes in my testimony. L was stopping
at Mrs. Purdy's when made this discovery.
Mrs. Morse was also there, but did not talk
over the matter with her or as to the testi-
mony given by me. When made the dis
covery j: was after reelection. cast oyer
the testimony in my own mind when the
mistakes were discovered by me- There was
book of TIE testimony given me by Mr.
Sherman, but never looked at it. 1 dis
covered some OF my discrepancies through
talking with Mrs. Mitchell. While talking
to Mrs. Mitchell several little things were
called to my mind which had not recol-
lected be fore. / do not think told before
the committee about Mr.. Tilton stroking nv
hair and forehead, nor about his putting his
hand on my neck.
mony, which the witness said was not told
before the committee, as ii was forgotten at
the time.
FOR MRS. TILroN's SAKE.
The witness continued: had not thought
any thing about this conversation ten min
utes before L went before the COMMITTEES;
when L went before the committee 1 wen
with the intention OF telling all knew, and
| if had remembered ii 1 would have told IT
as now tell IL before the jury; told it to
/ Mr.. Joseph Richards, Miss oakley, Mrs.
| in December of 1901 told these parties; we
returned to Marietta the 10th of November,
| and think il was in December, and not No
vember, that told the story; told this story
TO let people know he was bad man; told
| this story for Mrs. Tiltons sake, as she was
blamed for being bad to him and wished to
about his knocking me down and how he act
| ed, and his treatment OF Mrs. Tilton. / told
| her that he tried TO ruin me. / did not tell
| her the details; / did not tell any OF these
| parties the story substantially; 1 only told
| Mrs. Putnam that
HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO RUIN ME.
Up to the time / came on the stand 1 have
told the story substantially TO a stenogra-
pher, Mr.. Sherman and Judge Porter. This
was last week, but before that think told
| some of the particulars to Mrs. Ovington;
| told her all the details of il. L never said
| word to Mrs. Bradshaw or any person about
| the charges made by Mr. Tilton against his
| wife and Mr.. Beecher. 1 do not remember
| whether said anything before the commit
tee about it. 1 may, however, have said
| something about 1t. 1 think stated that
| Mr.. Tilton said Mrs. Tilton had committed
| adultery with Mr.. Beecher. / think told
them Mr.. Tilton had told me this the very
| day after my return from Marietta, on the
| 18th of December. / do not recollect saying
4 that Mrs. Tilton should get a divorce from
| Mr.. Tilton. never told Mrs. Bradshaw that
Theodore Tilton had charged his wife with
committing adultery with Beecher. think
| l told her that bad repeated the story about
| Mr.. Tilton and myself TO these other parties.
told the committee that on two occasions
4 Theodore Tilton had attempted my ruin.
1 did not happen to think Of the details Of this
| second attempt when before them. told the
! committee that when he came a second time
| went to my room and locked the door.