Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-04-06
0 describe his interview with Mrs. Tiiton. This,

to describe MS interview with Mrs. llton. Ibis,
as was expected, was objected to by Mr. Beach,
but Judge Nelson gave the lawyers and auditors
a genuine surprise by admitting the testimony on
the ground that Mr.. Beecher had the interview
with and by the authorization OF lllton. The rul-
ing of the court was objected to by Illtons coun-
sell AT this stage of the case the most interesting
part of Mr.. Beecher's testimony was reached. He
told how, on reaching Mrs. Tiltons room, he found
the bed covered with pure white, Mrs. Tilton
dressed in pure white, her face pale as the snow,
and looking like one dead although alive; how he
spoke to and upbraided her, and how she wrote
the retraction without his suggesting one word of
the contents of the letter. This narrative was
given with the most exquisite tenderness and pa
thos--every word told; and when, at portion of
the story, Mr. Beccher's voice broke, and his eyes
filed with tears, the ladies in the audience and
some of the jury cried 1t was a triumph for the
defendant, and he finished the picture by saying
that the interview seemed to him of ten hours
duration, while it really lasted but half an hour.
Then he described how Mouton got Mrs Tilton's
letter of retraction by promising to burn both
accusation and retraction, or TO return them,
and, in this respect the story regarding Mr.. Moul-
tons drawing revolver was, for the first time,
plainly described. 1t seems that Mr.. Moalton felt
the warmth of the weather, and in taking off his
overcoat Mr.. Bcecher saw the hilt of pistol in
his pocket. Moulton took out the pistol and laid
ii on the bureau. Mr.. Bcecher humorouslY added
that the pistol not fired off. When asked
whether Moulton said to him that he had obtained
the retraction when he had committed adultery
with Mrs. Tilton, Mr.. Beecher answered that
Moulton was not fool. Mr. Fullerton said there
was no necessity for the witness to swear to that.
Mr. Bcecher then answered, Never, that there
never was any insinuaton or supposition OF the
kind made. This created another round of APP
pausc, and several men were removed from the
gallery by the Police.
Mr.. Beecher then described the manner in which
his so-caled letter Of contrition had been written.
lie told how Moulton had played on his feelings
representing him as having helped to break down
Tilton in business and disrupt his family, how he
was ashamed and mortified to think that he had
laid himself open to such charge, how Moulton
asked him to write down his spoken thoughts to
pacify Tilton, how he refused. how Moulton from
time to time jotted down memoranda, and how he,
when his dinner bell rang refused to sign as hay
ing been written by himself, bat signed 81 have
trusted this to Moulton in confidence" lie was
then asked whether he had told Mouton he had
prayed to God with Elizabeth for help to discon-
tinue their sexual relations, and answered "Nev
err" When asked whether Moulton had ever con-
veyed such an expression to him, he half rose in
his seat, and with the utmost warmth and decision
said that no such assertion, in any form whatever,
had been made by Moulton or any other human
being. This occasoned another murmur of APP
plause, and at this dramatic point in the examina-
ton Mr.. Evarts announced that the hour for adj
journment had arrived.