Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-03-17
LITTLE MRS. TILTON.
4 Pen Picture IF an EnsignificRnt
Looking W OnRn who has stirred up
the World

Looking " oman who has stirred up
the world.
Brooklyn Letter to the Boston zette.
How she should have been the cause
of so much turmoil is "A problem that
is almost impossible to solve without II
personal acquaintance with her. She
is slight, insignificant looking wo-
man, lean and angular, with Il face of
some pretensions to beauty. Her
height is almost dwartish, aud upon
seeing her for the first time one could
not realize how two such strongly phys
ical men as TiltOn and Beecher could
have been attracted by so slight and
uninleresting au object. But great
events from little causes flow. There is
nothing in her face or manner that
would point to her as the writer of the
passionate and sentimental.letters that
have been read on the trial. On the
contrary, she would sooner be associa-
ted with making preserves or preserv-
ing pickles, and eating both with true
New England ZesJ at tea. That she is
woman OF strong character is evinced
by the persisteucy with which she has
sat the trial through, and has listened
without a blush To the bitter cruel
things which have been said of her
| can not reconcile Tilt0n's hsT-
augues about her mOdesty, refinement,
and deicacy with her almost brazen
boldnees in visiting the court where
she Is made the central point of all the
nastness upon which the case hinges.
Certainly her nature is not one that il
cas- iy shocked, aud, unless she is
hiOdght there for effect can not un-
derstand why she Is brought there at
all. Her course has beenrthe subject
of universal unfavOrable comment in
almost every direction. It may be
true that even the worm turns when il
Is trOdden upon, but it would be much
more creditable in this Instance if the
worm were to turn in private. IL her
| face be examined critically and care-
/ fully, one will become easily convinced
| that the lines in il are not AT all weak.
| When she forgets herself, there comes
| a harsh expression that plainly mani
| tests self-will. She will not sculd, but
she will plan. She will be etfusiye,
| but she viii not tell all she knows
/ One would naturally expect "a woman
with so fragile "a physique, especially
/ if she were the tender aud suOw>pure
being her husband maintains her to
be, TO be worn, worried, crushed by
the mental trials to which she has
been subjected but she is not, if she
may be judged by her looks and her
bearing; she is cool, firm, and self
/ possessed.
once or twice she has shed tears, but
they have been plainly tears of veXa~
ton and not Of grief. From this |
would surmise, in the language of one
of the visitors to the trial, that
" Whatever else she may be, she is no
body's fool.n At all events, she is
about the last person in the world who
would attract a passing gaze, except
for the insignilicance Of her appear
ance, which is remarkable. Perhaps
Helen, of Troy, WAS little woman,
p, with pale, pinched and demure face,
with no anatomy worth speaking of,
and Paris purple faced, robust and
lachTymose warrior, while Meneaus
was, not unlikely, conceited fellow
who never thought il necessary to
show much interest in his wife until
the fact Of Paris carrying her Off be-
came so notorious that respect for pub
lie opinion forced him To make a noise
about it. We know that Cleopatra
was over lean, and had a snub nose.
Antony must have often sat upon the
ragged edge of despair when he
thought Of Octavia. Many Of the lean
and homely women of history have
managed 10 make considerable trouble
( with the hearts Of great men. We can
not judge Of the powers Of rat-taii
file by merely looking at il,