Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-09

THIS TESTIMONY OF CHARLES sToRRs.

Mr. Storrs was probably the most import
ant witness for the defense, next to MIR.
Beecher lie was for many years the con
sistent friend of Mr.. Tilton, and his testi-
mony was given additional force by this re-
lation. Mr. Storr's whole evidence was in
keeping with the theory of the defense that
the original ofiense of Mr.. Beecher against
Mr.. Tilton was the formers advice TO the
wife of tine latter to separate from her hus-
band that it was subsequently advanced to
a charge of 9 improper proposals, and al
ter that to the grayer one OF actual adultery
lie swore that in January, lS1l, Mr. lilton
had told him that Mr.. Beecher, Mrs. Beech
er and Mrs Morse had influenced Mr.. BOW
en- to discharge him by retailing ISLANDERS by
women-one of whom was Miss Bessie Tur-
ner-against him, and had further lniiu-
enced his own wife against him. Mr. III
ton further stated that he had then charged
Mr. Beecher with making improper propo-
sails to his wife, which Mr.. Beecher had de-
MED. Mr. Beecher had subsequently gone
to Mrs TiIton, who had written denial OF
the story but Mr.. Moulton had compelled
Mr.. Beecher, at the mouth of the pistol, to
deliver it up and write an apology. THIS Is
the first time the defense have succeeded IN
bringing out these facts in such an emphatic
form.
Mr. StOrrs's attention being called to his
action jointly with Mr.. Clatin and MT.
Freeman, as arbitrator in the Bowen iilton-
Beecher matters, swore that, while Mr..
MoultOn was party to the agreement To
barn all the papers, he had subsequently
told the witness that he had not burned any
of them, 50 that in the end only the Wood
stock letter was suppressed by Its beng re-
turned to Mr.. Bowen.
\ third important point in Mr.. Storrs :
evidence was the development OF the lact
that Mr.. Tilton, as late as December I'm,
1872, month after the publication OF the
Woodruff scandal, had declared that while
he would not deny that Mr.. Beecher had
made improper proposals to his wife. there
never was anything crimlnally wrong be-
tween them.
\ still more striking fact brought out was
the threat of Mr. MoultOn to shoot Mr..
Beecher, if only Mr.. Storrs so advised, and
the further threat that if Augustus Storrs
signed the Plymouth Church Committee :
report, statement would be made drag
ring in the name of a member of Mr.. Storrs's
family This threat was subsequently idl-
filled Miss Eina Dean Proctor, an inmate
of Mr.. Storrs's family, was connected with
an infamous SANDER, for which Mr.. Monitor
has since had to apologize. Mr.. Storrs also
- NJ -. ~, - pl,,rnor,h Cbnr,b
ny -
Tbc determination of Mr. s,orrs.
which was conducted by Mr.. Beach in the
absence of Mr.. Fullerton, was a labored
effort to break the great force OI 'nls ini
por'aht teNtiinohy' pu. Mr. Deao" ieA','
drew from the witness ''''e o' any '''''' ~
ms '''elt'
Mr.. cLEvELAND's TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Cleveland will be the last of the sey-
eral witne,se. relied upon to impeach the
testimony of Mrs. Moulton as to the verbal
confession of Mr. Beecher of adultery with
Mrs Tilton The lady gaye the interview
in s,ch nositive terms. citing the language
with sucb anparent accuracy, and naming
the day with such particularly, that her
testimony made deep impression all over
the country. IL was without doubt the
strongest evidence riyen for the prosecution
the counsel for the defense instantly recog-
ri-eI the necessity of breakin, il down
: 4
else
Mr.. Moulton repeatedly fixed the date of
the confession BIZ Mr.. Beecher on June u,
ls-s. She was able to establish this from
the fnct that il was the day following the re
CENT OF de.uairing letter from Mr. Beech
er On Jane ls-3. Circumstances of the
ALLEGED confession including the threat to
commit suicide made this the only dav on
which spcb an interview could have taken
Mace for on the "a of June the whole i'm
mediate trouble had been ,moothed over and
Mr.. Beecher was no longer supposed to be
despondent. Mrs. Moulton was thus al>o-
lutelv certain of the date. June =. and of
the hour, from o'clock in the morning
until lunch time.
tn, testimony in contradiction has e-mh.
E.bed that M = o'clock on the morning in
question Mr. Beecher was writing a telc-
gram that at > o'clock he was at the Grand
Centrnl pepet New York. fully an hour
distant from his residence that at 3 ~
O'Clock he WIS at Peekskill where he re
manned until the 81 of June. returning late
in the afternoon IN marry a couple the same
evening that N DAYLIGHT on the ith he was
am an t-,stwarj hound train and his sister
-MNrp she ItIupI INN on the ON Oi June anu
remained constantly with him for a week
subsequently, II WAS therefore impoSsiblc
that Nrs N,plton could have seen him
within week II WIS further impossible
that De c5uld have left her on June to ~
AT . O'Clock to lunch. The evidence OF Mi
Cleveland l. IA fill mn the bio rap of 0sr or
five bour, which stbu, left Gpaccountef for.
MR. hkA'HkR On IHL STAND.
Mr.. Beecher was attired as usual not a
change in his habit. His long, gray hair
was disheyeled, a it usually i. D., he looked |
AS he always does, except that his face was
mot paler, but les flushed. Otherwise it |
was the same fixed, placid look which he |
has worn throughout the trial, except on /
the exciting occasion when Mrs. Moulton |
told her strange story Of his confession TO |
her. lie rose when Mr.. Eyarts spoke. and |
with only look and smile at his faithful |
wife. who turned her white. thin face up To