Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-06-11
THE DESTRUCTION OF MRS. TlLroN's WRITTEN
ACCIS ATInN


come now, gentlemen, to the first meet
ing of the injured husband and the adulter-
er after the alleged discovery of the guilt.
Six months after it is said communication
of some kind prejudicial to Mr. Beecher' 5
relation to Mrs. Tilton, these two men are
brought together, and | think, gentlemen,
that you Will in advance agree with me that
this interview carries more importance in its
real occurrences, if you can get at them,
than any other interviews. If there was
any accusation made at all, it was made
then, and what was made then was the ac-
cusation that existed, either in imagination
or had been produced by invention. What
| ever the accusation was, or was to be, was
then and there made. Whatever of conles-
siOns, whatever of concession, whatever of
acquiescence on the part of the accused ever
took place, took place then and there What
had Mr.. Tilton done, on his own showing, in
respect to that proposed interview before it
occurred? lie had got from his wife, as he
says, and as apparently is true, paper witt
ten In her own hand, of some character and
purpOrt. He had got it by efforts in that
sick rcom, persisted IN day after day, against
the remOnstrances of the nurse, and that pa
per he obtained on the 29th, on Thursday,
and kept 1t unshOwn, he says, to anybody
till the night Of the 30th. Now, what would
you give to have that paper? 1t has been
destroyed. Who destroyed it? Theodore
Tilton. Who gave it to him to destroy
Francis ID. Moulton. When? They both
swear, not giving day and month and year,
but with relation to another event, = Imme-
diately after the Tripartite Agreement -
Iff.af InD har f..r Ia
Moulton - Immediately after the TripaI-
tite Agreement y to give TO Theodore Tilton
that paper to destroy? All gentlemen,
they all swear, all these people, that there
was not any agreement, nor any connection,
nor any idea in reference to the destruction
of the papers with the - Tripartite Agree
ment, or the arbitration. All our witness
es swear the other way C!alin, Freeland,
Storrs, and Nilkeson, all swear that there
was an agreement that all the papers should |
be destroyed. Now, | have got the oath Of |
Mr.. Moult0n and the oath OF Mr.. 1ilton, |
that Immediately after that Mr.. Moulton |
handed to Mr.. Illton the Tapers to be de- |
stroyed, and have got the oath of Mr.. |
Moulton that he told Mr. Beecher that be |
would keep that paper tied TO the other, and /
that they never should be separated, and |
should be kept together for his protection.
All gentlemen, You have a sel.-conles.ed,
absolute treachery, and absolute conviction
of their own fal>ehood you have got them
both. Their conduct shows in their ready |
seizure OF an opportunity given by that com
pact to destroy all, 10 hurry - destruction
this one, ant then in order 10 explain their
Possession Of all the Others 70 Use against
Mr.. Beeeher, when be wanted this one for
himself Oi ali Others in the world, they say
there was not anything said about destruc-
ton of paIers, and there was no right to
destroy any papers. Where is your promise
that the two papers should he kept together?
All gentlemen, what did Moulton tell
Chas. SIorrs about this unilateral destruc-
ton, and this unilaterel saving Of papers?
Charles Storrs was asked what Mr. Moulton
said about burning the lapers, and he says
that sam Wilkeson had written him that he
wanted him to be sure to burn Mr. Beecher's
- apology, and all the papers, and Mr..
Moulton says e. OF course | burned all
the papers, and laughed, and he says, "Mr.
Beecher thinks | have" and then he says
- If sam Wilkeson thinks have burned all
the papers he i mistaken. What would
Theodore do with his trouhle2' And when
Mr.. Moulton i recalled he don't deny 4 word
Of that. Now, don't YOU believe that it was
a part Of the arrangement that peace was
concluded all around, and that all the pa
pers were to be DESTROYED ana don't YOU
believe that this man FASTENED to destroy the
paper that We want, and that we miss II
truth would be on their side from it, 50 much
the better for them, - much the les reason
for their destroying il. - YOU needn't wor-
ry yourselves that they have los, anything
by its being put cut Of existence.
To be continued