Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1875-02-10

spared your life, but IL you reproach
her, / will smite your name" Bee CHI
err staggered out, saying, This will
kill me"
1t appeared during this narrative
that, though Tiiton had summoned
Beecher to answer for adultery, and
though Beecher came to meet the
charge, the stories of Bowen were the
first subject of their interview, and
| BOwen's threats to drive Beecher from
Brooklyn. They exchanged views
about Bowen's programme, and then
took up the other matter in hand.
| The long narrative of witness continu-
ed till recess.
The afternoon session opened with
another attempt TO introduce Mrs.
! Tilton's destroyed confession and an
argument about 1t. Witness then re-
counted the interview with Beecher at
| Moulton's House, January 81, 1871,
when Tilton did not want To speak to
a man who had ruined his wife, and
when
BEECHER OFFERED TO COMMIT SUICIDE,
Being on the brink of hell. But
/ Beecher asked no mercy for himself,
| though his brief sexual intimacy with
/ Mrs. Tilton had been for love, not lust.
| The interview ended with u violent
outburst of grief by Beecher.
When Tilton told at frequent mo-
ments how Beecher had disparaged his
own wife, Beecher and Mrs. Beecher
looked into each others face, and mu-
tual smiles were constantly passing
between them.
Witness then narrated the interview
between himself, Beecher and Moul-
ton, at the latter's house, about his
separation from the Independent, and
| the public explanation to be given of
| it, by telling Bowen's stories about
Beecher, but Beecher did not want the
stories published, though he declared
them false, while admitting there was
some truth in one of them, though he
had used no violence upon the woman
referred to, or any other.
He then told about another inter.
view between Mr.. Beecher and him
self at Moulton's house, when Beecher
took the head of witness in his hands
and kissed him on the forehead. He
told about yet another interview with
the same parties at that place, when
Mr.. Beecher asked witness if he had
told twelve persons, of his (Beecher's)
criminal relations with Mrs. Tilton,
| Witness had told some persons, and
! possibly twelve knew it. Beecher
then asked witness if he had ever said
he (Beecher)
PREACHED TO FORTY or HIS MIS-
TREssEs.
| Witness was not sure, but he told
Beecher Mrs. Morse was dangerous
woman. He next told about the 9TH
of February, when he bore 9 letter
from Beecher to Mrs. Tilton, and
another from Moulton to Mrs. Tilton,
the former being written with the
knowledge of witness.
give these few points of Tilton's
amazing narrative, because ii ia sure
To be perused in full by all readers of
the Commercial, interested in the le-
gal development of this scandal. The
| moral spectacle, which in itself, this
recitation OF Tilton presented, was
simply appalling, and produced the
strangest fascination, mingled with
EXPRESSIONS OF HORROR ALL OVER
THE COURT.
| A husband was testifying in full
with circumstance, with fluency, and
with almost oTatorical manner, to
statements which he swore his wife,
in moment of supreme remorse,
made to him. Those statements were
of kind involving his honor, her
honor, their children's honor. Not
far off in the Court sat the wife her
self; not far from her sat the clergy
man with whom she is sworn by her
husband to have accused herself q
criminal intercourse.
The way In which the plaintiff was
| legally able to drive through the old
common law forbidding such disclo-
sures was apparent to the audience.
| The method of getting In a confession
is this: Your wife must tell il to you,
you must tell it to the person inculpa-
ted by that confession. Then you
can tell all your wife said to you by
showing that you told it to the person
by her accused with herself. Technic-
ally Tilton was not telling what Mrs.
| Tilton told him that would be ICON.
fidential." Technically he was only
telling what he told Beecher. AS,
however, that was just what his wife
told him, the practical effect OF the
new law was not the same as il it per-
mitted intermarital disclosures, with
this difference, that Mrs. Tilton hears
her alleged statements told, not by her,
but secondhand, and by her husband.
Independently Of the merits or de-
merits of this case, and of the strength
or weakness of the evidence, the moral
effect of the elaborate disclosures on
the witness stand of inteTmarital con-
fidences was about as disgusting as can
be imagined.
A SHADE OF COMEDY
Relieved it now and then when Tilton
told of the marital relations between
Mr.. and Mrs. Beecher. Both parties
seemed inexpressibly amused, and
when telling how he saved Beecher,
Beecher seemed to be feeling his
muscle" But independent of the
merits of the controversy, the social
phase Of it was horrible, simply hor-
rible. Lawyers, say the law making
this form of action possible, will not
survive this case.
TiItOn's Revolving Testimony COntIn.
ued.
Special 10 Cincinnati Commercially