Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-09-21

n Sleeping Car, and Unconscious
OF His ErrOr Until Awakened by
an outraged Hasbamd-SOma In.
credutous Persons Thinking What
New York Sun, 1871
The burden of conversation among
the employees at the Grand Central depot
yesterday was Theodore Tilton's esca.
pade on the sleeping car Friday night
last. The ticket agent of the Wagner
Sleeping cor Company said that Thurs
day night last a tall, handsome man
with clean face and long flowing locks,
stepped up to the window of the com.
psnys office and asked for a berth 10 a
sleeping-car to Moore's junction, near
Plattsburg, in this State. He asked the
nan what name he should insert on the
ticket, and he told him Theodore Tilton.
he thought no more of the ticket until
he was told that Mr.. Tilton had returned
to the city with a swollen face, the result
of a fight between him and a Mr.. Wood
concerning the latter's wife.
The ear of Plattsburg left st. Adams,
Vermont, at 6:05 pm, on Friday last,
and reached New York at 6:45 the fol
lowing morning. On Friday morning a
Mr.. Wood bought a ticket for East AL
bany. Then he waited for the st. AL.
bans train, and on its arrival entered
the sleeping coach aud inquired for his
vile. he entered the north end OF the
car, and there encountered the colored
porter, Charles Bell, and from him he
learned the whereabouts Of Mrs. Wood.
She occupied the lower berth on the ex-
IRENE southern tier, and Mr.. Wood
started to find her. The upper and low
er berths of each tier are hidden by two
lolg curtains suspended side by side
from q heavy bar near the top of the car.
On reaching Berth No. 2 Mr.. Wood
pushed the curtains aside, but did net
see Mrs. Wood A man lay in the lower
berth, and the upper one was empty.
The anxious husband returned to the
porter, and the conversation and scene,
as reported in yesterdays Sun, took
place.
The baggagemen about the depot
maintained an ominous silence, and pre-.
tended entire ignorance of the affair.
When asked whether they had been re-
quested to say nothing, they g%rinned and
said they wouldn't tell if they had been
Detective MacMahon thought hat the
whole thing was a put up job" mo
man, SAID he, would start off as Mr..
Wood did to meet his wife, unless he
knew what was going on" One man
said that Henry Ward Beecher was at
the bottom of it, or some of his gang
Another said that Wood pounded Tilton
very severely. The ticket agent thought
that it was pretty thin to pretend that it
was a mistake on the part Of Tilton.
Some thought that the porter, Bell, had
q hand in it. The clerk said that no
man could get down from the upper
berth very well without punching the
curtains so that a person standing where
the porter did could see him. Aud if the
mistake vas made when Tilton objected
to the porter's backing boots at the end
of the berth the porter must certainly
have seen it. All agree that was no
mistake.
Why" said one man, do you sup
pose that if Tilton had forgot himself
for a minute and climbed into the wrong
berth hat he wouldn't darn soou have
found out that there was a woman there.
No, sir. You can bet your lite that be
knew what he was about, and 80 did Mrs.
Wood"
"And then look" interrupted another,
at the position Wood found them in.
he ought to have shot Tilton. | would. "
Thus the conversation went on until
the whole scene, from the catching Of
Tilton in the berth with Mrs. Wood to
the fpal carrying Of his clothes into the
smoking car, was rehearsed.
The clerk thinks that Bell, the porter,
will not say anything more about the
escapade unless be is compelled to un
der oath. No one seemed to know who
Mr.. Wood is or what his business is. hir.
Tilton refused to talk, and requested
that the-reporter would not bother him