The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-09

aftarward sent in to the Judiciary commit
tee Of the House of Representatives. Back
of her. always egging her on, was the
staunch-hearted Tennie, and Immediately
Mrs. Woodruff followed up the submittai OF
her plant by a public dlsputatlon
in Washington. Champions gathered
quickly about the controvel slallsts,
the name and the social creed OF
the Clafins be gan to command universal at
tentiOn, and in 1870 Victoria announced her
intention TO run for the Presidency. Iennle
was constituency, lieutenant, disburSer of
funds and general henchman to the nominee,
and shortly afterward the party of equal
rights offered support to the woodruff
candidacy in the campaign of 1872. Next
we find the interchangeable duo immersed to
their elbows in Spiritualism, Victoria
lecturing over all the country, while len
ME is Illuminating pamphlets and dissent
mating the doctrine Of the emancipatlonlstS,
TIL suddenly the country was startled by
the first timations Of the most star ling
scandal that it has ever known.
STARTING THE BEECHER SCANDAL.
1t is not necessary to enter into the pain
full story of the Beecher-Tilton case. The
circumstances attending the first disclosure
of the accusation against Mr.. Beecaer were
of the most dramatic nature, and electrified
the United States from one end of it to
anOJneT. -uTS. w OOunull DaQ TAKEN lfdIu
for Boston for the purpose of declining a
nominat ion to the presidency of the National
Association of Spiritualsts, an Office to
which she had been elected in 1871. She
attended a meeting Of the society with this
end in view, when a strange thing hap-
pened. She was seized, it seems with a
sudden inspiration, and in frantic out
burst she poured forth detail after detail
of the Beecher- elton affair Her audience
ha1 in nd
when the nat re of her polemic was wired
around the land attention conferred itself on
the name of Victoria Woodruff and re
manned fixed there for long months after.
Before this, suspicious of a similar kind had
been limited at in various journals, which
were supposed to originate from the
Clahins, but in the autumn of 1872 in their
own organ appeared sweeping denuncia-
ton of Brooklyn's great divine. But i'm
me0iately upon the appearance of the
sheet the whole edition was seized and con-
fiscated, aud the publishers were arrested
and placed in the Tombs; but their work
had been effectively done, for a previou;
issue had been sent through the mails and
the story spread
The Clafiins had been personal friends
of the Beacber family as we'll as with
Theodore Tilton, and they had admirers in
such men as Gen. Benjamin f. Butler, who
had been won over to her side when The
Memorial of Victoria Woodruff" had been
submitted to the Judiciary committee in
Washington; Stephen Pearl Andrews,
Horace Greeley at one time, and many an
other substantial citizen, whom they iasci-
mated by their power and charm of earnest
ness, as well, of course, as all the eminent
blue-stockings of the land. During the
progress of the long, unfortunate trial
which followed the action of Theodore
TiltOn, party feeling was very intense. and
among those who came in for a big share of
the bitter scorn of Mr.. Beecners supporters
were the sisters Clahin.
In 1876, and just when the feeling against
them was the fiercest, they emigrated to
England where they have since lived The
name of Woodruff got changed somehow to
Woodhall land the now famous journal pur-
sued new fortunes in the quee S dominions
under the name of WoodhdU and CIdfjn'S
Journal. subsequently through their
j urnal the editors denied the charges that
they desired free love-" denounced many
of their old associates on this side the water,
whom they charged In turn with the inJen-
ton of injuring their regulations, and,
finally as far as the public was concerned,
became practically forgotten.