Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-01-29

mit of a possible VarIauOA "a
- -. :. "s or;1ion from the given line, has
~ -. :, ~ .crutisy and comment The
SgI,ua1 80 Friend, who is the all-important
-;,ness mas, at this writing, been.upon
the sand some ten days Never, perhaps,
bAs witnesses passed a more searching
ordeal than this one. The talented gen.
tlemen who have conducted the cross
examinations, have not suffered their
acuteness and sharpness of wit TO lie idle.
They have not been slow to turn the sa-
lient point, or 10 throw the witness OF
his balance, and to gain advantage by his
confusion and discontinue. But, through
all, he has stood calm, and straight in his
integrity. Scarcely has he been rufied,
or shown impatience, and quite as rarely
has he been at fault in matters of essen
tial importance He has been prompt,
clear, definite and decided. He has been
courteous and respectful, and apparently
undisturbed in the midst of the wrang-
ling and contentious Of counsel, and the
instructions of the court have been given
as frequently to the interrogation as the
interrogated Mr. Moulton has shown
himself more than an ordinary man for
an emergency. This is the more appar-
ent when the number and distinguished
character of the counsel engaged is con-
adered. Their wit and sarcasm have
cleaned and glittered like the meteoric
showers of November The tedium of
the testimony is relieved by this feature
of the proceedings, and not unfrequently
becomes intensely interesting to the lis
tensr as well as the reader of the reports
The strong points that have been hereto
fore brought out in statements, examina-
tions of the white wash inquest, and va
rious ways, have been reproduced, and
fortified; and Beecher's language, used
in private conversations between himself
and witness, in which his "crime," "adul-
terry" and sexual expression" ," hsYe been
admitted in tears and talked of as an un-
derstood and unquestioned fact, shown
up.
Under all the load of obloquy which
Plymouth Church and its followers have
heaped upon this witness, he has stood
up bravely and vindicated his integrity.
The black-mail business that has been
used to his detriment, and stamped him
more strongly than anything else as the
william" now, in the light of his testimo-
ny, bis part in this matter, lies just here
Beecher proposed TO help Tilton and
family, which was met with objection by
Moulton and the proposition of Beecher
left unaccepted or approved by Moulton
until a second, certainly, if not third,
conference, at which the subject was
again broached by Beecher, and finally
yielded to by Moulton, and the $4,000
paid over; and Moulton undertook the
payment in installments, without Tilton's
knowing where it came from, or that
Beecher had anything to do with it. This
is all there is of this corruption and vii
lainy on Moulton's part. 1t appears to
be but the outcropping of conscious guilt,
and sop for a wounded spirit
There is another feature of these pro-
ceedings, that seems, in this connection,
worthy of notice. We have been point
ed to the press of New York city. as sus
tanning the Plymouth preacher, as evil
dence that sentiment was against the |
scandal and scandal mongers. Some of us
thought that this was to be accounted for
quite easily, when the wealth and influ-
ence of Plymouth Church was enlisted to
bring their pastor triumphantly out ofhis
difficulty. But to charge venality, where
there was nothing to support it, could
hardly be entertained. While it was ex-
tensively believed, it required little har
dihood to assert it. An effort was made, |
which resulted successfully, to make the
Tribune the official paper for printing the |
reports of proceedings. During the testi-
nony upon the confession of Beecher to |
when the letter of retraction |
was demanded, the language of Beecher, |
as testified to by witness, was sexual ex-
preston" and this was the language of
The official stenographer, but in the re-
port of the Tribute, the word "sexual"
was omitted entirely, changing the char
leter and force of the language Beside
his, the reports, as the counsel stated,
we're interlarded with editorial celorings
# the proceedings, faYoring the Beecher
interest. This was gross enough for the
ourt, at the suggestion of counsel, to
brow the IFIJWn6 overheard, and to fall
ack upon the official stenographer ofthe
Ourt, for a standard of reports. This
SENS to go some way towards fixing the
enslity that was before only suspected,
nd if well-founded with the Tribune,
Thy may not the suspicion find lodge
lent with other journals of the city, that
re enlisted in the same work of manu-
.cturing sentiment for protecting the
ireat Preacher? The zeal of Plymouth
hurch is equal to this and probably
luch more.
Judge Nelson presides over this impor-
ant trial with mastery ability, and an
that leaves mo room for crit
cism. His calmness and dignity of bear
lg is in striking contrast to the storm of
assion that the proceedings have aroused
n all sides.