Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-16

III IL "
though unattended and unconscious. wrought
in that quiet little woman smouldering fire
that had burned unknown to me within her,
and finally broke out with such infinite mis-
| chief
DENYING MRS. NoULToS's TESTIMONY
Q.--What did Mrs Moulton say in re
gard to the subject az yoh talked with her
about it? Airs. Moulton never said a
great deal about it in such conversations
| she was not, so far as | am concerned,
talker; she was very patient listener, and
she was very quick and apprehensive; but
she didn't generally talk one word to my
twenty.
Q..Now, Mr. Beecher, during all your
interviews with Mrs Moulton at that house,
was anything ever said by Mrs. Moulton to
you on the subject OF your having been
guilty of adultery with Mrs. Tilton or hay-
ing been guilty Of crime with Mrs. Tilton
Airs. Moulton was absolutely incapable
of saying that in my presence, and never
said it, neither by direct words nor BY aiin-
sion-to her honor.
Q.-Was there any conversation at any
time between you and Mrs. Moplton IN
which that charge or imputation against
you in respect to Mrs Tilton, as made by
ANYBODY, was the subject OF conversation
Airs. Moulton and never eonyersed on
that subject in that respect and in those re
lations she was lady, thoroughbred, TO
my apprehension, end | never heard her
say word that Jared upon my sense OF
deiicacy and the propriety OF lady 5
tongue.
Mr.. Eyar,s read, and Mr.. Beecher denied
in detail Mrs. Moult0n's testimony regard
ing threats of suicide and advice to confess
before the church Mr.. Beecher's negatives
were fervid, and one OF them started ap-
pause He smiled sarcastically while Mr..
Eyarts was reading Mrs. Moulton's account
OF his declaration that he would 20 home
and swallow deadly powder that was in
his library and in denial of its truth said
That whole representation IS preposterous-
ly false. The only powder | knew of was
gunpowder up stairs.
Mr.. Monlton, whose face was deeply
flushed, kept his eyes steadily upoa the wit
ness while his wife was being 50 explicitly
and repeatedly called a liar.
In the same manner all the parts Of Mrs..
Moulton's testimony which implied the ex-
istcnee OF confession Of guilt on the part of
Mr.. Beecher were read to him, and each
emphatically contradcted. Pure fiction, -
"All imaginary" Not word Of truth in
it," at is preposterous, "Mrs Moultou
was a lady. and she never talked about or
alluded to adultery in my presence,
False, sir, false and A most melan-
choly falsChood," were among the forms of
denial used by Mr. Beecher. The topics
embraced by his negatives were nearly the
whole Of Mrs. Moulton's testimony. Once
he replied, "She never said it oil her own
accord - meaning that she had been in
duced to say it falsely on the witncs stand.
The whole was epitomized in the following
questions and answers
Q.-NOw, Mr. Beecher, in all your inter-
coarse with Mrs. Moulton did She at any
time, in any conversation with yol, either
in words or by any implication, impute or
suggest the crime Of adultery or Illicit sexual
relations between yourself and Mr. Hilton ?
A.-She never did; neither By word nor by
implication.
Q.-Was that fact stated, or impated, or
Supposed, ever topic Of conversation or sug-
gestion from you to her, or from her 10 YOU
At never was.
Q-Do v0u remember any conversation
when Mrs Moulton said Mr. Tton was
trelcherous2 A-Nes. Tecollect Ter ex-
pressing such sentiments about Mr. Elton
Q.-Mr Bsecher, you have spoken Of see
ins Mrs Moulton on the lSt Of Nay and |
that You were at the house in the evening
and saw Mr. Moulton2 Al wa. -ir, and !
saw them both.
Q.-Now, on the 3lst were you lying on
the lounge covered with an afghan Al
No, sir. was never 81 disposed OF "a the /
Sl-t Of May
Q.-Now, Mr.. Moulton state. that upon
getting up from the sofa you walzel up and |
down the room, and, with tears streaming /
down your cheeks, You said, You thought /
il WIS very hard to be brought To such an
end after a lie Of usefulness, AMI said,
There was only one way out Of it-ly con-
Tossing il A.-Nu such conversation
took place.
Q-Pacing her hand on yOar shoulder,
lid She say, 60 down to the church, con-
iess, Frank viii stand by yOu, and did
you reply, Emma, you are Ike q section
Ji the Jay OF Judgment A.-Na. sir, il
i tine last thing | should ever have thought
IF applying to her ; She was more To ne Ike
q bank Of Spring howers. never had any
such conversation nothing OF the kind ever
occurred between her AMI me. They are
lb-oiutely Inconsistent with the nature Of
he woman, with her life and thoaght ana
disposition
Q-Bat did it ever occur A.-(With
'mpha,i-l - Never occurred - never oc-
urrel.
CsN. gyrLrRs ofrER OF HELF
Farther on Mr. Beecher testified that
S hen Moulton told him be intended u call
Il zen. Butler, he (Beecher) said he had
al au intimation of that that Gen But
er bad sent word to me that he ielt that
ias not in the hands OF good advisers, and
hut he iclt great interest in my case, and
hat Dee should he in New York IN about
en- DAYS, and il woad like to see him be
f1uid meet me there, and lac thought that
p could carry me through the case no mat
Pr what the facts were. also SAID To Mr.
loulton that 1t didn't seem To- NE necessary
bat should see zen. Butler
Mr.. Egarts next introduced the FIRST state
ient prepared by Mr. Beeeher, ami read to
be- Plymouth Church Investigating Commit
r. This has never been published before.
iuugh the second and longer statement was :
wen to the newspapers at the time Mr. J
eecheT is reported as saying of it This
the statement which, it was charged. was
oppressed. IL is about as new to me as to
lybody now, a. | haven't seen IL since | ..
al 1t 10 the committee. Nv wife was
among my papers tine other \
W am very careless about such thinss. !
I'd my wife is the custodian Of my papers h
ID She found among them this statement '
be document is As follows 4
Mr. EEEcuEn's FIRST sTATEufNr. =
WEDNESDAY,, July ll.l--4- =
DEAR BRETHREN when, at length, the time y
me that could break the long silence OF four j
ar. thought Il proper. and in accordance with i,
the primo pies which Plymouth Church has dc. =
ldcd. that should speak 10 you ami through you Il
The church, the only ecclesiastical tribunal whose
ih"riN recognize as binding upon me. l asked a
g appointment Of 4 large committee OF able and =,
partial men, because, though my own statement "
i 10 be, IN my lud Sinent, the chief element vet u
ere were many incidental and collateral uues- {,
y determined. -
do not propose 70 enter upon the details o. D
story running through four years / shall stale | {,
iacts which concern the original troubles and | "a
We alone the tangled sequences 1
Ny arquaintauees with Mrs. Elizabeth Ti!ton
les rom her childhood my intimacy in her ~
uily, from about lsd2j. Her nature was strong II
devotional. she had genus OF religious sent n
mt HAD she lived in other days. and 10 the v
thuitc 'hurch. she has always seemed Ia ma In -
one Of those who would have had Inspirations b,
.estatic visions. Ny interest n her increased |
d she deserved the respectful affection " heh she
q ron me. loved her one would his own ~.
ID She had grown up under my teachings. she II
never known any other reli giOus teacher aud she
associated with my name. and lllumined il b.
imas inati"n, whatever was worthy OF affection W
T.. m. Ia /