Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-02
How He Looked and Acted and
What He Said.
A Characteristic Rehash Cf the
Great Scandal,
Commencing with a Brief Auto
biographical Sketch.
What the Man of Plymouth
Knows About the
TiltOns,

] getting within the court, that they nigh
| hear the story of the scandal from the lip
! Of Rev. Henry Ward BeecheT himself, who
| it was announced would surely take tn,
witness stand. The morning was fine, tC
which may be attributed more than tn,
/ usual number Of women in the crowd. ThC
officers had hard work to keep the Grove
! from the entrances, so that those holding
| coveted tickets Of admission might enter,
/ Mr.. BeeCher and wife, attended by a stronger
| delegation than usual from Plymouth
! Church, were in court in good time.
Mr.. James Redpath was recalled and ex-
/ amined at some length, and then retired
How Beeeher Looked and Acted.
When Mr.. Beecher took the stand, ht
| was attired as usual, not a change in his
/ habit; his long gray hair was disheveled, as
! il usually is. He looked as he always does
! except that his face was not paleT, but less
! flushed: otherwise il was the same fixed,
placid look he has worn throughout the
| trial, except on the exciting occasion when
/ Mrs. MOultOn told her strange story of his
! confession to her. He rose and looked at
/ his wife, who turned her face up to him.
| He stepped behind the Plymouth group and
4 passing behind the jury box, approached
! the witness chair. He mounted the stand
! upon which it rests. An officer presented
| a Bible for him to be sworn,
4 but he mOtioned it aside, and turning
! full upon the clerk lifted up his right hand.
! The clerk supposed he desired to affirm,
/ and had began 10 administer that form Of
/ oath. when MeSsrs. Fullerton x Beach OBJ
/ iected, unless Mr.. BeecheT should declare
/ he had conscientious scruples against
| swearing upon the Scripture. A brief dis
| cussion between the Judge and Mr.. Beach
! was brought TO an end by Mr.. BeeCher him
self. who declared he had such conscientious
! scruples The clerk then began again: You
sOlemnlv affirm aud deClare-when Beecher
| dropped his arm, and Mr.. Evarts explained
/ that Beecher took the oath in the New En-
gland form. Again the clerk began, in
| clearer and more impressive tones,
strangely unlike the rusty, mechani-
cal habit Of speech which has
grown upon him in long years of ser
vice: You sOlemnly swear by the Ever
living God that the evidence You shall give
in this issue, between Theodore TiltOn,
plaintiff, and Henry Ward Beecher, shall
be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
bu, the truth.
Mr. Beecher, unlike any other witness
who had preceded him, and with a most
revcrential bow, his eyes cast down answer
ed: Il do
If any auditors anticipated anything
tremulOus in his tones they were dissp-
pointed. Once therep0TteT thought he saw
his upliited hand trem6le rs he took the
oath, but It was probably imagi
nation. His voice was unchanged as bis
habit and his look, and when he had dropped
his hat and taken from his shoulders his
cloak and thrown il across his arm, il was
the same face seen on every Friday evening
i'm Plymouth Church lecture room, and
throughout the rest Of the session he
sat there unchanged, unaffected, ap-
pareully rs cool as if in his lecture
room: visibly he was the least affected
man in the room; his manner was entirely
mconstrained. He sat most Of the time
with the two middle fingers Of his right
hand thrust in his vest. Once, when
having occasion to look for a memo
randum book, the officer behind
offered TO relieve him Of his cloak, and he
surrendered It with Thank yOu.' He
was perfectly al ease. The reporter looked
in vain for nervousness which readers are
ALWAYS glad 10 have described, and the de-
scriptiOn may appear tame, but il IS truth
full. The best idea to be formed Of him by
those who have seen him in the
pulpit is 70 recall him rs he appeared then
and there. Around the corners Of his
mouth and eyes there luTked q familiar,
auiet smile, which betrays great humOr,
which cannot be Tepressed and which SO
frequently Guds expression even in his most
serious disCOurses.
A Brief Autobiography.
He testified: / was born III Litchfield,
Conn.,, in 1917. My father was Rev. Ly-
man BeeCher. lie died at the AGE Of Sc. My
mother died when l was three years old.
l was thirteen years old when we went
away. The family then went 70 Boston
eight years. Ny father was a clergyman Of
the Orthodox Church in LitChfeld. There
were siN boys and four girls il the family.
All nv brothers were clergymeD. / went
to Amherst College in lS3O, aud went
through, graduating in 1854. pursued my
theological studies at Lane Seminary. l
was licensed 10 preach in 1884, and got
church in LinchbUTg, smalltO near Gin
cfnuqti. / was HaEt settled in Indianapolis,
where l went for eight years. Since
then have been in Brooklyn, the pastor OF
Plymouth Church from its foundation.
Had been its only pastor. The church did
not then number twenty-five members.
have been twice absent abroad; once | visit
ed England for two or three months on ac-
count of a weakness from sickness. My
second visit to Europe was, 1 think, in
June. 1865, returning in November. had
been very constant ID preaching before the
war and during the war, and my friends
advised this rest. At hrst / refused, but l
afterwards went to England and thence to
the Continent, returning to England III Sep
tcrnbe-. While there l gave diScOurses on
public affairs in America, in Manchester,
Edinburgh and other places.
How Plymouth Church Has Grown.
The number Of cOmmuniCants Of Ply
mouth Church now is about $500 or
1000: IT has been 1900 for the last ten
wears. have conducted morning and eve
ming services, Friday evening meetings and
social receptions in the paTlOTs Of the
church.
Reecher's journalistic Career.
I have been connected with journalism
ever since / was in the pulpit. 1 was on
the Vel- York InFrpGpdcnt first, and after
1870 took charge Of the Christian Union.
/ became an editor Of the Independent in
the fall Of 1863, but was also q contributor
20 that journal. La 1866 my connection
with that paper ceased. In 1870 L became
editor Of the CHriNi0H Union, said 10 have
a circulation Of 5000 copies. This journal
was established on the principle OF uniting
all COngega,ionalch churches on one fUunda-
tiOn.
His Lectures aad Vacations.
l had also to lecture a great deal. I be-
can i'm lS4S or 1919, and from that time
tin this trial began, / have been lecturing.
Nv vacation extended from tie lst of AH- |
gust to the middle Of September, on &C
count Of anIiction. / have hay fever. This |
y-aarffar has sgrnpffrDas hppn extended bV |