The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-02

fame of Henry Ward Beecher. The press dispatches have told the story but ihad- equately. Tie scandal and the subslquert tfaal Tn Plymouth church plaee1 aRdef lasting shadow woman undoubtedly of charming gifts They left Beeener the popular preacher still in his pulpit. but they left him a marked pda tlan Who was cought as much Oue of autlnsltY as was sought as much out of curiosity as exile and penurY a man Of HAieableI brilliant attainments.
 To tell the story of tho life of Theodore Triton is to dig uo as1tn the fesudins of the Beecher trial, in which Henty Ward Beeeher, who had treated T1,bn almt st as q son, as the records showed. and who had known his wife, tue charming Mss Richards. from her -;rS11d. was eh a7sed with alienation or her affections hy the husband. That suit followed a hearing before a committee of Plymouth church on charges of adultery brought against the preacher by Theodore Tilton The adultery charges were mot proved, the church committee found, and the jury in the alienation suit disagreed. Technically therefore Henry Ward Beecher was cleared, but Mrs. Triton made statement in which she declared that all her hus- bands charges were true.
 The principals in that case are now all dead. Henry Ward Beecher was the first to go. dying in 1887. Ten years later and within two months of each other Mrs. Tilton and Mrs. Beecher died. Now, ten years later. Theodore Triton. who had lived abroad almost since the close of the trial, subsistlng mostly on the bounty of two friends, has died
 Theodore Triton was born In New York city in 1855. He died therefore in his seventy-second year. When he was l6 years old young Hilton attracted the at tention of Beecher, and the preacher baptized him, took him into his church and treated him almost as he might have treated a son.
 Directly after his graduation and on his twenteith birthday Triton married Eliza beth Richards, Henry Ward Beeeher per forming the ceremony.
 There were runners for a long time be- fore the scandal broke. In May, ls7l, Victoria C. Woodruff published card in which she used the words:
 For example,, 1 know of one man, public teacher of eminence, who lives in concubinage with the wife of another public teacher of almost equal eminence.'
 Although he was in possession of the story that his wife had been unfaithful, MT, Triton did nothing for almost six months. Then he wrote letter to MT. Beecher demanding that he leave the min istry of Plymouth church and quit the city of Brooklyn. Three days later his wife made a written confession. MT. Til- ton duplicating the pastor.
 The very .next night. December 30, 97o, Francis D. Mouton, friend to Tilton, and known afterward as "the mutual friend" persuaded MT. Beecher to meet Triton at Moultons house. In accordance with a promise to his wife, Mir, Triton then withdrew the demand that MT. Beecher should resign and consented that the preacher might see Mrs Triton, who was sick in bed. That evening Mir. Beecher saw and obtained from her re- traction of the confession and a promise to defend him against a council of min- isters if the accuser should be any one but her husband.
 But this did not end the matter. In january, l975. suit was begun in the Brooklyn city court before Chief Justice Nelson by MT. Triton against MT. Beech CT for $Ioo. 900 for the alienation of Mrs. Tilton's affections. Starting on January l. the suit lasted l2 court days. The defence said that 1t was a case of black mail. Nine members of the Jury were for the defendant and three for the plaintiff After the trial Mrs. Triton made public confession, covering practically the same ground as the first. Triton stayed in this countY a short time and then went to Europe.