Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-04-09
NO. Is.

never solicited improper favors, and when
in clarion tones he said that he never had
received such favors, as 1t would be impos-
sible, the audience INDUCED in a long-con-
tinued burst of applause, which Judge
Nelson, with all his stern observance of
decorum found it dificult to repress. Mr..
Beecher's style while thus vlndlcating Mrs.
Tilton's character was superb.
Then he was examined regarding the de-
livery by Bowen to him of Tiltons letter
demanding his retirement, and related
how he told Bowen Tilton was crazy, and
how they exchanged condolences regarding
the stories of Tilton's immoralities. When
asked to describe the interview with Tilton
| in Moulton's house on the night of Dec.
30, Mr.. Beecher gave ludicrously perfect
Imitation of Tllton's style, and afler de-
scribing the Interview, said Mr.. Tilton ask
ed him to go down to his house and verify
the charges. He was then asked to de-
scribe his interview with Mrs. Tilton.
This, as was expected, was objected 10 by
Mr.. Beach, but Judge Nelson gave the
lawyers and auditors q genuine surprise
by admitting the testimony on the ground
that Mr.. Beecher had the interview with
and by the authorization of Tilton. The
ruling of the court was objected to by Til
toms counsel. At this stage of the case the
most interesting part of Mr.. Beecher's tes-
timony was reached. He told how, on
reaching Mrs. Tilton's room, he found the
bed covered with pure white, Mrs, Tilton
dressed in pure white, her arms folded
on her breast, her face pale as the snow.
and looking like one dead although
alive; how he spoke to and upbraId-
ed her, and how she wrote the re-
traction without his suggesting one word
OF the contents of the letter. The narra-
tive was given with the most exquisite
tenderness and. pathos-every word told;
and when, at portion of the story, Mr..
Beecher's voice broke, and his eyes filled
with tears, the ladies in the audience and
some OF the jury also cried. 1t was a tri-
umph for the defendant, and he finished the
picture by saying that the interview SEEM
ed to him of ten hours duration, while it
really lasted but half an hour, Then be
described how Moulton 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 regard
ing Mr.. Moulton's drawing revolver was,
for the first time, plainly described. It
would seem that Mr.. Moulton felt the
warmth of the weather, and in taking off
his overcoat Mr.. Beecher saw the hilt of a
pistol in his pocket. Moulton took out the
pistol and laid it on the bureau. Mr..
Beecher humorously added that the pistol
was 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 an
swered that Moulton was not fool. Mr..
Fullerton said that there was no necessity
for the witness to swear to that. Mr..
Beecher then answered, "Never," that
there never was any insinuation or suppo-
sition of the kind made. This created an
other round OF applause, and several men
were removed from the gallery by the po-
lice.
Mr.. Beecher then described the manuer
in which his so-called letter of contrition
had been written. He told how Moulton
had played on his feelings by representing
him as having helped TO break down TIL
ton 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 the dinner bell rang, refused 10
sign as having been written by himself
but signed ~ have trusted this to Moulton
in confidence" He was then asked wheth-
er he had told Moulton he had prayed to
God with Elizabeth for help TO discontinue
their sexual relations, and answered "Nev-
er." When asked whether Moulton had
ever conveyed such an expression to him,
he half rose in his seat, and with the ut
most warmth and decision said that no such
assertion, in any form whatever, had been
made by Moulton or any other human be-
ing. This occasioned another murmur of
applause, and at this dramatic point in the
examination the court adjourned until
Monday morning.