The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-21
THE SCANDAL TRIAL.
The Argument for the Defense-First Day Of
Ex-Judge Porter's Speech.

Eh-Juueo foitoi oPDoch
All the interested parties and crowd of
outsiders were early on hand in the Brook
Ign courtroom, Wednesday morning, to
hear ex-Judge Porter make bis argument
for Beechcr. He began by referring to the
length Of the trial, which he declared
would stand alongside of the Tichborne
case as one % the two greatest mpostures
in the history Of the jurisprudence of the
nineteenth century, and devoted most of
the morning session to review of Beech
ers previous character and history, as
strong evidence of his innocence. On the
other hand, .Tllton and Moulton are COM
PEELED to admit that they have been lying
about this business for four years, while
Tilton represents himself as having lived
with the alleged adultercss for years after
he discovered her guilt. Judge Porter next
referred to Mrs. Tilton's character as the
most convincing evidence that she was not
guilty-a woman so pure that even her
present accuser, while charging her with
adultery has declared from the witness
stand that she is "pure as an angel" He
enlarged upon the improbability of these
people committing the crime in two houses
where no door is locked and every servant
can look into every room and every child
has free access and characterized as mon
strous Tilton's report Of the interview be-
tween him, his wife and Beecher as to the
paternity of the boy Ralph.
Mr.. Porter next referred to Mis-. Tilton's
letters to her husband which were pub
lished, last summer,-sent out to the world
to serve a false, infamous purpose and
then, not Theodore Tilton, but some one
who writes very much like him, commu-
nicates with the Springfield Republican,
and other newspapers in the country, and
we have forty Theodore Tiltons, instead of
one. The reference here is probably to tie
fact that the Republican. last summer, pub
lished the correspondence in question on
the same morning as the Chicago Tribune
and the New York Tribune. These letters
show that Mrs. Tilton had an idolatrous
love tor her husband, and could anything
be meanel than to publish them MIR.
Porter read extracts from several, includ-
ing one in which she says: II have learned
to love you with Christ couple you with
the Savior of mankind as a man bowed
down with grief for my sake; and then,
| turning toward Tilton. he said &: "And this
| IS the man who was so like the Savior,
| bowed down with grief for her sake He
called attention to Mrs. Titons frequent
| reference in these letters to Mr.. Beecher s
visits. even after the date of her alleged
fall, as proof that these visits were inno-
cent ones. Mr.. Porter next read the
letter of Mrs. Tilton TO her huSh"i'l
in which occurs the passagr = To
love is praiseworthv. hn' " ahu.e
your Gift is sin. Therefore would iain
restore your self respect. No demonstra-
tions or fascinations would cause me Ia
lose my womanhood." This, he said, was
the modest, tender prayer of wife to her
husband not to abuse his power of winning
love, and the bastard to whom that was adj
dressed published it in form which made
her confess that which she prays him to
avoid.
Quoting from another letter the passage
'Mr. Beecher was here to-day he spoke
of the calm and soothing influence | have
over him, and said. What pretty house
| lieve, gentlemen of the jury, that Beechel
meant adultery by that Reading from
| still another the passage 'My heart sad
dens, tonight for my lost child. Oh ! deal
| Theodore, may not persuade you to love
the Lord Jesus ?" counsel brought down
his clenched hand on the table heavily and
said The whole history of the human race
furnishes no instance of an adulterous
woman writing such letter to cuckold
| husband. The woman who wrote that let
ter was not an adulteress, but loved Tiltor
too well. Mr. Porter next quoted from
letters written in 1866 and other years pre-
vious to the alleged adultery passages
where Mrs Tilton speaks of her "sin' anC
.'remorse' for her ''sin," but Tilton say
that this does not refer to adultery.
Judge Porter next read various extract!
from Tilton's letters to his wife, and sale
that there was nothing in them but self
alteration and -glorification. In one tC
his wife, in March, 1867. Tilton wrot'
about his gray hairs" Bessie Turner
swore that he spoke about his gray hairs il
1870, and yet he came back to the stanC
and, in the presence of the living God
swore that he had no gray hairs then. HI
next read letter of Mrs. Tilton. writer
January, 1867, and remarked Why, YOU
can't open an old letter of this poor ltt
woman but you have something abou
Bowen. You cant haye q midnight meet
ing in the snow between Beecher an(
Moulton but you have the snow-storn
vocal with EXPLANATIONS about Bowen
treachery Bowen is editor of pape
which is sometimes called religious, bu
how is it that, whenever they come to dis
turning families, they always bring in TIT
name of Tilton's friend, Henry g. Bowen
In one of her letters Mrs. Tlton speaks O
"Mattie Mrs. Bradshaw receiving
two letters day from Tilton
but she is not jealous yet becaus
Beecher wrote in all his life four or fiv
to Mrs. Tilton, most of them at the in
stance of Tilton, it is taken as evidence G
adultery. The letter of Mrs. Tilton to he
husband, January 13, 1870, was next read
in which she mentioned visit of Beeche
on that day, and Mr.. Porter asked VIII
should she write to her husband in a re
mote state to mention needlessly the nam
of her paramodr. Another letter of Mrs
Tilton, written IN November, 1868, to he
husband, was read, referring to difficulties
not concerning Beecher, but between Til
ton and those with whom he should nc
have them, and Judge Porter remarke
that this disposed of Tlton's reference T.
domestic difficulties at this time, with
view of sustaining his charge. He ais
read an extract from one of Tilton's letter
to his wife about the same date, confessin
that his troubles were not caused by hi
wife, child n or servants, but that the
were of his own making, and saying
"Would to God they were of my own er
during. but | have to impart them
. others" And this was the man who cam
to the witness chair and swore that hi
, troubles were of Henry Ward Beecher
, making.
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