The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-14
vooDHULL AVID BEECHER.
Victoria Claims that she IL being Prosecuted
The Great scandal,


surprise / have read your statement OF tue
Veecher- Woodruff persecution, and the not
blood Of Indignation was reused In me 10 nhu
the same epirit that prompted that persecution
continued by The SUN In its reference TO- ana
insinuations about me. To Judge OF wood
huU b" by your article 1t could be Imagined that
she might be, aud PROBABLY Il, something below
which there Is nothing. had thought that the
d ay for this sort Of stun was past. But let me
CLEAN the eubtle stabs, the dark hints aud blind
insnuations from the article OF which no hold
can be obtained to show what they mean, out
whc1. nevertheless, are envenomed barbs well
calculated to pierce the remaining shreds Of
reputation which the outspOken persecution to
which you refer mad left ne:
To appreciate the arocity of this persecution, II not
person lily # is not even necessary to spos
&c. 10. s ''s aHi ens .. mem 'Hd ner
urae persecution cowsrdy ana cruel, almost lthout
,atc a. such had the victim been other ihau she MAS
To form thi' estimate impartally II is necessary
imagine Plymouth tnutcn, Noon Davis \. Com.
wno Is Lot woodruff.
Prejudice and contempt for her opinions and
deeds! what opnionsf what deedsf Does
InE SuN mean the opinions that she has been
represented to hold by the press In its misrepre-
sensations OF her and them, or those which she
really holds and which the press, after having
missiated them, has refused upon proper occa-
sion t. state them correctly Does The SUS
mean the deeds which It has been Infatuated by
the press that she has committed, spread broad
cast over tho Land 70 POISON the people against
her or those which cor stitIte her real lite Are
they the Imaginary ngments OF envenomed
brans, pumped up Into the public mind to nelp
on the very persecution that Inc suN ctitici,es.
or the actual experiences Of the wvman's life
What opiniOnst repeat. My own opinions, set
forth 10y myself before the two hundred or more
audiences whom l have addressed III the last
eight months, nave been universally endorsed.
Is II these OUtflnns tnIf, III the estln it1On OF
lHE SUN, entitle me to public contempt, or ere
tnev not rather Those which the Ire.s has en-
delvOred TO fOist up II the public Ms mine, tut
which utterly rcpuuiate AMI rc1e I, ana winch
TuE SuS should KNOW that | repudiate and re-
/ itct, be causo It has had the opportunity to
know Let my opinions be properly and fairly
presented 10 any audirnce that can he gathered
from the most conservative circles Of any so
ciety, and they Will he endorsed. why, then,
should The SUN present them 10 tue pubic as
AnG tue san e for her deeds. l repeat what
deeds? We have reeu traced from our cradles
through every place In wuich ~ nave ever re-
sided. TO our prisons, by detectives paid without
stunt by friends OF Mr. beecner, to fasten some
si.rle drci upon Us that might he brought into
| court to Ice Put IN evidence gainst US, aud they
! failed 10 tnd blemisn even. All ths ylle insin-
uatiOns OF dark deeds aud darker lives. when
| tr-ced' vanished INTO thih alr ~ the mouths OF
ia -ir inventors. After passing such crucial or
| de | as this Is II not tine that We should ce ise
to be pursued by tue press, after tie fashion OF
| lnE suns articef II seems 80 to me. But If 1t
do not TO the press, why do tney not rumage the
mass OF NTH aud from It's vile deu;h e1nume
some one fact to subst.ntiate the insinuaIiVu Of
| deeus tnn' merit cunteupt
But a. In: " Had tue victim been other than
| what she was !" ITO crush some person VINO is
/ not WOuuhuu.' Worse anu worse, and where
| tore ! lie muddle Into which 1HL SUN has fallen
| about her opinions and deeds has caused Il to
/ Tie victim Wa a WuodnulI. was A Clafln VINO
! possessed the sympathy ana had the assistance
| II sutue OF tue Uest and modest people in tue
world. who knew Us, and who extended their
sympathy aud assistance because they knew US
| to Ue just what We were, that we we're not con-
! vie eG anu rairOIded to Sing slug IN ten days.
rtfFnfaa
| the strung hands and tue strong support OF these
peO L.. whose names 1t Is not necessary to parade
TO the ~Oild and their knowledge VI the purity
| ~ our lNts' thc hOuesil OF our motives, ana
| the intentions OF our movements. tina. defeated
J the ini nous conspiracy. Had any part OF tue
/ ioui things that nave Oven paraded before the
| world about US had any foundation IN fact,
ihcie would nave oeen no hope iot us; aud HE
| SUN, 4 10 h-Ne any conception OF tue spiut ~
! the PERSECUTION. knows n well enough. II Was
bee ,us- ro part Of theri was rue that we were
! not anI could mol ue crushed aud, ioI the same
! rea-cn OIL. co.nlleie Nndlc stlun Is u question
| II time Ouly.
But UeSond all this. the proceedings that were
| Instit.ted Against Us would never have been
| lie had Il not been tor tAs course Of the
! pres. for Xix months previous to tue publication
| Of tue expose. For year or more before tnat
IubncatiN Il many, II n most, II the editorial
I'M es ia tni- CTS were Ia possession Uf the fac
| therein SCI tOr,h; but W mint even ever found
! - va, INTO HuN Of I e pers that Nj. Ijeecner
was other th.n ne sho,li DC. F,nul the very
| dal. however. that IL became huoWn to tie
! tact. ana II VS. surnnsed tn.t / uItsut make
! them puulic. bee. IN the talgvt al wuicu were
suVt II ever ridiculous, improbable, and iui-
pos .Ibe snaft Of yitupefatye abuse.
Had not the uress thus prepared the way Tor
Outrage that was per9etrated uDou Us IA
the name u tue law, Noah DAVIS would
never have dared to issue tue warrant for or
arrest, nor ms assistant to snimeiessi, declare.
Ia open court, that the outrage WAS perpetlated
because At Was we'd worth the while of TIE
United states 10 Vludicate the reputation OF a
reNered citztn' by such an iuiamy. As The
sun says. II was Il persecution witAOUt par
nlcl, AID benz So IS u 10 oe Supposed that tue
c.urch could nave made use OF tue machinery
Of tue courts a. II DID, unless the court officials
were vel assufed mat the lfess would WINK at
the outrdgvs aye more, that u would receive its
| taken since tue iAiclcal proceedings d, when
| We were committed 10 jail without a herring
| we're tally reported Uy tue press, even to tie
| very wutds OF tne District Attorney auou; VIM
| uicdung the revered citizen, without u word Of
adverse continent. Hence, l sa> that let tue
| rc-pontlliAty of Mr.. B-ecnrr aud the time
| serving officials be Us gteat a. II may for their
par. Ia the prosecutions, that OF the press is stl
| = eA,tr Tor naYng nrst IN de u possible.
! Ine Ircss of tue West aud South. wnete have
been lectunnG during the greater part II tue
sei,On, upon hearing the statement n ny thvo-
| RES, aud the defence OF my course, ackuoWl-
| edged tuat, ful owing the Lead OF the New Nork
| press, they hau done me =. eat wrong. aud Ihti
stead ~ nlsreurtssntrg my opinions, ma scuG-
Iug reporters To ny Lectures Instructed, as we're
some at recent Iecture Of mine ia this c,ty,
TO make no report unle-s mere should he a
row. they gave honest representations OF wnat
| 4 said. uru toe New NoTN press SHALL do THE
! tardy justice to awomau u2on whom II has made
II y saiole Tor the word 4 lay heavy hands, tue
! OuEibUu about her OPINIONS and deeds Wal
be exploded. This Will come at last, though IL
| uay, peTnalF, De delayed until am passed
| away. Bu. nave a fair daughter Just bud ling
mt WON .uhoOd. t. whom l visa to leave Il
uutarLisncd name. II l. Tor her s-ke, mucn more
than Tor ny own, thIt pray Tor life AMI strength
to puisac the lies with which my re JutdtIon nis
been blAc,enrd INTO every town aud nAIniet u
the country where they have penetrated, and
| wisdom sufficient to catch ana crush the fpDd
things, 30 int tueir venom suai not emnttter
{ Ger failure, VICTORIA {. OODHULL.
III NASSAU STREET, New York city, Apfil ".
BRIBERY ~ GREECE.