The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-20
Side Flashes OF the Beecher Trial
As Far As II Goes.

AS Far As IL Goes.
We come to the close of another week OF
the Beecher trial The reserve imposed upon
al journals in dealing with this extraordinary
drama is proper Without this there would be no
justice. But there are phases of it that should
not be put aside without comment 1t is not
merely trial, but revelation. As Mr.. Til
ton sues tor money which he does not want
and viii not accept, and as Mr.. Beecher de-
tends reputation which he has survived,
there Is less danger in public comments than
II MIR. Tilton craved money, or Mr. Beecher
| hoped to leave the presence of Judge Nelson
with the splendor of his old fame As the
Brooklyn Eagle of last evening says:-"Every
person who has come into relief with it has
been either blackened. The story has acted
like poison wherever intr oduced The SEN
tlment of the country has been debauched by
it, and those who have been brought out
as its once secret holders figure as persons in
whom the power of right thinking and right
feeling has ceased. Every witness seems to
turn up streaked and disfgured. Yesterday
we had man testifying against his sister, tes-
tifying to an incident which no brother of
ordinary reticence would have ever whis-
pered." We quite agree with the Eagle that
the testimony of Mr. Richards cannot be read
without shudder and the fact that Mr.. Til
ton found it necessary to his Wind cation shows
the resolute sincerity with which he fights
his case.
The evidence of Mrs. Moulton closes prac-
tically the case for the prosecution. Mr..
Tilton has told his story. The worst is now
known. How Mr.. Beecher can explain this is
serious problem. But that is not for us to
suggest, nor even to express any opinion upon
the case until Mr.. Beecher has had this oppor-
tunity. Mr.. Tiltons story is thistle re-
ceived from his wife confession of o crime
He reserved this confession for several months,
when he wrote letter demanding the with
drawal of MIR. Beecher from Brooklyn, and the
consequent downfall of his journal and his
church. Shortly after he summoned MIR.
Beecher to his presence and accused him of
crime. He addressed letter also to
Mr.. Bowen, reminding him that he had
accused Mr.. Beecher of other crimes.
Under the pressure of this letter, and
from other reasons which were, no doubt,
quite subordinate to it, Mr. Bowen paid
| Mr.. Tilton claim of seven thousand
dollars, and signed covenant" with Mr.
.Beecher and Mr.. Tilton proclaiming peace
| This peace continued and Mr.. Tilton founded
newspaper MIR. Beecher, through Mr.
Moulton, contributed five thousand dollars to
this project. The paper did not succeed, and
Mr.. Tilton, driven to the wall by his own EN-
barrassments, by an unfortunate sympathy
with Mrs. Woodhulrs strange, mad fancies,
and by the somewhat reckless rhetoric OF DR..
Bacon, turned on Mr.. Beecher and dragged
him before the world as the destroyer of his
home, his influence and his fame. The rea-
sons for this opinion now at last before the
world. Mr.. Beecher stands charged with
adultery, perjury and talsehood, upon the evil
dence of Mr.. Tilton, Mr. Moulton and the latter
genueman's wife. Of these witnesses Mrs.
Moulton is the most circumstantial Her evil
dence is the most important thus far given,
and it will be read throughout the country
with profound and painful interest Mr..
| Tilton's case has been presented with great
| ability His counsel have succeeded in gaining
every point On Thursday we had the IN
usual spectacle Of the Judge appealing to the
plaintiffs counsel to allow Mr.. Evarts to ask
a question, which, of course, declined
Some of the rulings showing, as they do, great
learning and impartlality on the part OF the
Judge, are to us singular developments of
the tendency of our law and will not be without
their influence upon the public when we come
to consider this trial as a whole
The most striking discovery is the relation
between husband and wife. If anything has
been clear to our minds it is that the marriage
condition is one of sacred confidence. Blessed
by God it is the hottest Of human associations.
| No statute can interfere with it. This is as it
should be. But the Brooklyn trial makes
another precedent. According to this the
husband may go upon the stand and swear his
wife into infamy. Her letters and communi-
cations become part of his attack But the
wife can say nothing. In other words, any
husband can testify to his fears and his sus-
pcions, to statements, confessions and MARIA
tives going to show that he had been wronged.
The wife, who knows in her heart whether she
is guilty or innocent can say nothing We
confess we can see no justice in this law unless
we accept the theory that q woman is q
bit of property who fulfls certain dependent
offices in the marriage relation, whose honor
may be sworn away when it pleases her hus-
band without any opportunity Of indicating
herself. Who knows better than Mrs. Tilton
whether she is guilty or innocent? Who has
more at stake in this issue? Who has as
much? Her name her woman's honor and
the happiness of her children are in peril.
Mr. Beecher, if he is convicted, loses his
place as Christian minister, while Mr.. Til
ton becomes "rehabilitated'' and Mr.. Moulton
is ''rehabilitated. Ifacquitted, then we learn