The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-26
A Revised judgment of Mr.. EeGrts-2he
Popular Verdict-LiteraTD, DC.
Correspondence of the star.

Correspondence Of the Star.
| NEW YORK, Feb. "a, 1875.
Again I am compelled to say that the
tactics of the defense are damaging, and
also to revise my Judgment OF Mr.. Ey-
arts personally. His generally urbane
demeanor toward Mr.Tilton, whom every
body expected him to attack, with their
more or less cordial support, misled me
| into an encomium on the refinement OF
his nature, which his brutal aggression
on the part Of the first lady exposed to
his oross-examination Mrs. MoultoD
and on the first gentleman in the same
situation, whose painful circumstances
.appealed to the special sympathy Of
every person of ordinary humanity-Mr.
Richards-now requires me to retract
with all possible emphasis. And the pol
ICY of these attacks was no less repre-
hensible than their spirit. They did for
the plaintiff more than any dramatic
skill of his counsel could do; exciting
strong sympathy for his witnesses and
indignation against their assailants.
MIR. RICHARDS POSITION
demands a.word from me, as l have had
opportunity to understand it. Never
was witness more reluctantly forced
into such position; although when
compelled to answer, he gave his answer
out and out, instead of sullenly waiting
Il W nave IL uIdSScu Oub Wy by lldUiGbs Dut
there is no doubt OF the fact that he had
buried the painful circumstance witness
ed by him, in the confidence of his two
nearest triends-wite and brother-who
never betrayed it, and that the eventual
extraction of it from him in court was
equally unexpected to himself, to the
plaintiff, Tilton, and to the counsel. Til
| ton never heard of it until be heard 1t
from the witness stand. Counsel had
no idea of it when they subpGnaed him.
THE SOLE CLUE
that drew him into the case was eau
: tious hint he had let drop for his brother
in-law long ago, prior to any discoveries,
in the form of an inquiry whether he
Tilton) was aware how frequently Mr.
}, leecber was visiting his wife, and
whether he was satisfied that his visits
were altogether of pastoral character
, This circumstance recalled to mind, led
to his summons to testify, and the ground
, of it being probed, the fact given in his
! examination was brought to light, to the
almost equal confusion of the brother
the sister and the defendant. In conse
uuence of this testimony, the system O.
I'D pOpulum defense pursued required
: MRS. TILrON TO PARADE AT MONTCLA1R
1 her brothers. place of residence, on tht
following Sunday. 1t is well known
} that all the public movements of the un
happy lady are worked by the stagt
manager, Shearman, IN system of fac
7 ing down the infamy, with an assump
, tion, at all possible opportunities, of the
demeanor-not of innocence under accu
| satlon, but-and here is the stupidity O.
. it-of innocence unimpeached and I'M
, questionable. That is an Over-impudenI
assumption for any accused mortal tc
make before the world, no matter how
well it is sustained by an organized
crowd OF cldcQaeurS. Hence the appear
, ance of Mrs. Tilton with open face a
the Congregational Church OF Montclair
with general introductions. almost
+ levee, on the steps after service, in place
OF prompt and modest retiring, servet
-, only to disgust everybody who was hear'
4 to remark upon it. Such barefaced i'm
:, pudence as Mrs. Tilton is called upol
by the hare-brained advisers of Mr.
Beecher to practice, in court, on tht
cars, and on public occasions like the
above, does pot tend to make people
think that the charge in question is in
credible, but rather the contrary.
l can not be mistaken in public opin
> ion when l say that the case is already
/ gone, overwhelmingly, against Mr.
| Beecher. 1t would be premature, will
l respect to all fair and judicial minds, tt
| say this at the present stage, if the de
not committed the cardinal one Of eiyin!
itself to the public in advance of trial
! Otherwise, men would say to themselves
, and each other, "W ait until you have
heard him.' AS it is, they can only say
!, ,, "We hare heard him"-and so they MAKE
, up their conclusion at once; confident
from the nature Of the case, that nothin!
of great Importance can have been omit
, ted in the testimony oil Mr.. Beecher's be
half before the Church Committee ant
II the public last summer. l understood
!, Mr.. Beecher to say openly at the close o
Mrs. Moulton's direct examination, tina
it was a tissue of lies. Also, that sh'
was testifying under terror of her hus
band, who required her to support hin
under penalty of separation, not 0nl,
9 IRON himself, but from her son. l know
: at least, that some people do believe il
: the existence and efficacy of such a pre-
Iposterous threat, or brutuin fulmen, a
this. 1t does not take halt an eye to se
: that Mrs. Moulton is woman whom NO
e lbody could intimidate into saying wha
9 she didn't choose to. Mr.. Evarts demon
t strated that by experiment.
D l don't vouch for the report that tn
!. genial preacher-novelist is leaving tn
7 Christian Union, for have not had tim
. to inquire into it, nor yet that he is leav
5 ing the Methodist Episcopal connection
But he is certainly preaching with grea
acceptance to large audiences, in thu
once famous Dutch Reformed-now Con
+ gregatlonal-Lee Avenue church, Brook
Iyn, with distinct view to becoming tht
pastor if his improved health holds ou
and the work works well.
CARRYING THE WAR INTO AFRICA.
1 ought to need no apology for men
tioning warmly the efforts of the publish
ers of est. Nicholas" though they are
.. quite in the way of business, to catcl
.sthat boy" That boy, l mean, in at leas
every other family, who is constantly in
ebriating and brutali2ing his mental ma
ture with the inflammatory poison of thu
pirates own story paper. They under
take to catch him, not in the orthodox
way, confess, with the bare hook, bu
> with bait; and, still bolder innovation
: with bait that he likes! A twenty-five
, cent paper-bound volume is out with the
title of
ssTIP ToP,o
: A collection of the rousing stories fol
!. boys, with which st. Nicholas has fol
some time been avowedly trying to rur
out the villain order of literature which
: had well nigh mastered the juvenile
. market. Boys friends will gladly see
how they can help this good cause, ant
will be glad that the sef-interest aids
the nobler ambition of truly Christian