Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-13
The New Week Opens with a
Crowded House.
Mrs. MOultOn Did "NOt Fancy
the Woman Woodruff"
How Beech Sought to Cheer
Elizabeth.
He Did Not Consider His Life of
Usefulness at an End.
Mrs. TiltOn's Testimony to be
Placed Before the Public.
Beecher stiII Draws run Houses.

early, and as Mr.. Beach passed him on hi
way to his place in the court-rOOm, inquired
very particularly about his health. After
a few minutes consultation with his cOun
sci, Mr.. Beecher mounted the witness
stand, and continued his testimony as fol
lows:
Mrs. MOuItOn Did NOt Fancy Mrs.
WOOdhulL.
At times / visited the residence Of MOul-
ton not oftener than once a week for z
month or two months in 1871. After May
there were comparatively few visits until
autumn. Until this period there was little
done about the difficulty, but there was a
very busy time after the publication of
Woodruff. l recall two conversations with
Mrs. MOultcn about Mrs. Woodruff. AT
one Of these she referred to the enthusiasm
which her husband and Mr.. TiltOn bad for
Mrs. Woodruff. At another conversation
she asked me what l thought Of Mrs.
/ Woodruff, and / replied that my knowledge
of her was only derived from what l had
heard from others. She said she did not
fancy the woman, but Frank thought very
| highly Of her and she deferred to his desire
/ in having her at their house. There never
was a word with her about her receiving
| Hrs. Woodruff on my account.
| Did Not Advise Cooperation.
l never said to her it was a duty she
owed to- Frank to cooperate with him in
! trying to keep the story quiet. 1 neveF
| told Tilton l thought his wife should act
| with him in his endeayOrs to sUppresS6he
story. l never so talsed with Mrs. MOul-
ton, and never SO told hOultOn.
Sending Mrs. MOuItOn 10 Cheer Eliza
beth.
1 recOllect on two occasions when l
called 10 see MOultOn, Mrs. MOulton said
to me "why don't YOU call sometimes to
Bee me, or pay a social visit, instead Of
business visits to Frank?" had CONVEX
salions with her about this difficulty, and
had also cOnversed with her about Mrs.
Tiltou. l wanted some person TO visit
Mrs. Tilton and cheer her, and l thought
Mrs. MOultOn was the very person. After
visiting Mrs. TIlton, Mrs. MOultOn would
Sell me how she was getting along. She
said she did not blame Elizabeth, but on
one or two occasions she blamed Mr.. Til
ton, think, in regard TO his home rela-
tiOns. She spoke Of the state Of things in
the family, and said she would not wonder
if there was a separation in the family,
and said that Mrs. IiltOn would 90 back 10
her mother. / asked her if there was any
way by which Mrs. TiltOn could be deli
Cately helped.
Mrs. MOuItOn Never Accused BeeeieF. |
We had conversations about the story
that I had alienated Mrs. TiltOn's afiec- !
tions from her husband, which l said had |
never done. l said if had it was Unin- |
territorial on my part, and was very sorry |
for it. Mrs. MCultOn said very little in re- |
and intercourse in the family had brought |
this mischief On them, for which I felt 1 !
was to blame. During all my interviews |
with Mrs. MOultOn at that house she was /
incapable Of accusing me Of adultery or of /
any crime toward Mrs. TiltOn. We never |
c0uye1sed On that subject or in that man
ner. She never did so by allusiOn or i'm
plicatiOE, and she never spoke Of it being /
said by any person else.
Mr.. Rescher FIafIy COntradicis Mrs.
MOuItOu.
l never spoke to her of any conversation
with Lfr being my last. L never said that
if TiltOn published the letter Of apology it
was useless for me TO try to live II down.
l never said had no hope from Theodore,
or said he was a false man, l never
thought 50, felt so, or said so. She never
said for me to 90 to my churc9 and confess
my crime, and they would forgive me.
did not say 1 could not impliCate the
WOIr an !, hO had given me her love. I did
not say that if l confessed, my church
would not have me and il would be better
for NE TO 90 out Of life. This was an i'm
probable story. She never told me l could |
still write and hold my connection with !
the papers. never said l had q,
1
and it HOuld put me out Of my trouble. |
The only. powder l know Of is gun powder,
which was kept upstairs. This whole J
story is pTePOsterOus and false. l never
said to her / would come on the day fol
lowing aud give her some gifts for friends
with messages for them, and one gift for
Elizabeth. This IS pure, absolute fiction. {
[ never told her l suffered the tOrtUres of
lie damned, having to appear in my church !
with CheeEfUl-face in this connection. In
his conversation ! said this IN view Of the ]
manner in which IiltOn was constantly
bringing up the difficulty and l said It
should end or il would wear me out: This
after was in a conversation on May 81 at
heir house. Mrs. MOultOn did not tell me {
Mrs. TiltOn had e expressed sym
lathy for her Mrs. MOUltOn) in 7
hat she had lost faith in BeeChcr and
lads left the church, and that she (Mrs.
HiltOn) had implored her to 60 back, that
3eecher was not guilty, but that she her
elf was the guilty person. l don't think
he could have looked me in the face and {
aid half Of it. In October, 1873, Mrs. /
iiOultOn did not tell me Mrs. TiltOn said '
he wOHid sacrifice her husband rather than o
myself, and for the sake Of the church and
Ter family, she would deny it. I nevFr :
aid TO Mrs. Moulton that Mrs. TiltOQ was q
.pOOr child; that she was yendeayOTing to ! u
epaiT the wrong she had done, but it was v
90 late. / never said in cOnyersltiOnwith
irs. ACuijJn. i was cruel Of Mrs. '
Elton TO have confessed, and IN e
act, we never had any sucl u
I never said had Tepented ! ,
{ my sir an3 felt l was. forgiven. She d
ever said she did not know how l could
tand in my pulpiV' and preach 10 young /.
len AGAINST the crime OF adultery. l said
D somebody my trials had made me fee 7
o l could preach 10 suffering men, know |, Ii
NJ what It was to pass through trials my "
elf Mrs. MOultOn was lady and never T
Sed such a term in her conversation with | N
le as adultery. II was in regard to tba h
bSTge Of alternating Ms, Tilton's aFec- .
ons from her husband, that I said she was
good woman and that Mrs. Moulton
lould trust her, and said that nv ace
nd experience should have led me to fore \
ae and.preyeHJ any such trouble. il
,W Not Consider His Life OF IsefuI 81
ness Ended.
! never said l saw no way out Of il; that | l
" life CT usefulness was ended, nor did | "
he sugsesttha l should 90 to the church u
nd confess, and that Frank would 20 with y
.e, l did not say to her I never got any q
Dmfort from her, or that she seemed like a h
actiOn Of the day Of judgment. l never Ol
sed such a comparison to her. She seemed
lore 10 me like bank Of spring flowers. a.
never promised on that day TO call on the a.
ext with some mementOes, ror did l eN
" Mrs. Tilton had Sinued through y
aT affection for me. l never spoke ID
, Mrs. MoultOn Of the breaking out of the o.
nth rs crime. l said was averse to
ny person coming to Mrs. Tilton's family !"
nd talking about the troubles, but never 50
lid that while trying to restore the harm "
had done hV- 1nar | lI