Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-07-23
Th,y. Times on the Beeeher Trial.

Tho Nsx York Times. of July Sd, con-
tanned an eight column review OF the Df00A
lrp trial. which the Tilton papers p'aiSe 10
a strong argument against MIR. Deeene''
In what its strength consists appears at the
oot.et Its summary of the evidence opens
III the assertions that "Mrs. Tllton maue
,ho first ,crtten confession of her guilt on
the 81 day of July, lo7o,'' and that ,'ne
papcr signed by Mrs. TiltOn on the Z''h Q,
december. 1870, was partial repetition Oh
her original confession" In proof 1t cites
Mr. Tilton's statement, extorted from her
h. ber husband. for the information oil d.
s,orrs This the Times declares to be "a
5,on,nent which has never been challenged.
rhot document commences as follows
In .July. 1870, prompted by my duty,
;,farmed nv husband that IL. W. Beecher'
NV friend and pastor, had solicited me 70
he n wife to him. together with all that
This implied. Six months aiterWaru ny
husband felt impelled by the clrcnms'a H,ss
ola conspiracy against him, IN whlch NE; Mas'
Beecher had taken part, to have an ih'e'
view with Mr.. Beeeher.
In order that Mr.. B. might know exactly
what had said to my husband, wrote d
hr;cf statement q have forgotten IN "na'
formO which my husband showed TO MI
Beecher.
Now. who does not see that here Is no
.....,,i,.sion.' or acknowledgment that she
orcr made a confession? 1t is declaration,
plain as the light, that she made in July
$50 not a confession" but an accusation
II shows. too. that whatever it was 1t was
said. not written; and that the aecusa-
ton Of Dec, ooh. was not 'Pdrt'ai repe-
titi5n'' Of any essential portion of her org
inal accusation; hut a statement made IN
order that Mr. Bsecher might "kHo'r eiao'-
IN" what she had said to Mr.. Tilton.
/ Now what shall be said Of writer who
uses language 50 loosely, and is 50 reckless
in assertions, Of which the very document
he eite- furnishes the clear refutation 1t
j. hardly worth while to follow him through
ei,bt and halt columns of equally reckless
ar INSCRIPTIONS argument. 1t i enough
To say Of him. that he is one who finds 1t
unnatural and monstrous' that 1.-THE
mother Of several children, deeply religious
and pi5us woman, should be coerced into
writing a charge against her pastor : but
who finds it not unnatural enough to de-
serve mention. that the mother Of several
children, "A deeply religious and pious wo-
man. should Weld to a -eiucer while in the
height of her agony over the loss ola lovely
bow, and should live for two years in adul-
terv. without consciousness Of any wrong
but that Of deception one who apparently
find, it not "monstrous" that husband
should swear that he cooily consulted the
se3ueer of his wife in reference to the pa
terni,v of her child, and accepted with
bu-ine---like calmne-s the paramour ex-
planation that he could not satisfy him as TO
exact dates, a. be failed to make memo
rardum Of the transaction at the time =
one VINO, having demonstrated to his own
satisfaction that there was secret he
tween Mr.. Beecher and the Tiltons, and a
grave offence" towards Tilton committed
by Mr.. Beechcr. cannot or viii not see that
the secret and tie offence could have been
an,thing bat adultery