Year: 1875




saloons. in clubs and conventions, it is the one
i theme that overrdes all Others.


By people of average placidity the speech Of
ex-Judge Porter is objected to because of the
intensity of its invectves and the bitteI-
ness of its arraignment of the chief conspira-
| tors Very likely as matter of policy it would
have been wiser for the advocate to have re-
pressed his indignation. But it is not so easy
| for man Of Judge Porter's temperament after
devoting six months to careful and exhaus-
tive study of the history of this affair in all its
! minutest details and arriving at the conclusion
that his client has been foully 'aspersed and
fendishly outraged, to restrain the feelings Of
| wrath and loathing, which the discovery has in-
spired. He has thrown himself into the case
with an abandon and fervor far more chaIac-
teristic of the devoted friend than of tie dis
passionate counsellor. For some time he
4 attended to nothing else, taking'up his atods
/ with Mr.. Beecher and employing every avail
/ able moment day and night in mastering the
! details of the extraordinary combination which
has been formed for destroying the illustrious
4 pastor of Plymouth Church. And while be was
mastering the particulars of the repulsive
1 story his evaporation rose to fever heat and
mover subsided for an instant. 1t will be
| remembered that the cross examintion of
1 Moulten had been allotted to him, but just at
the outset of the interrogation he was taken i'll
4 and lost the coveted opportunity which was
| griavous disappointment to him. Some OF the
1 questions he did ask before he was interrupted
1 will be remembered by those who have kept
the run of the tria'. When he extorted from
i the witness that his earlier explanations
1 were falsehoods invented to save Beecher, he
4 exclaimed half in inquiringly, half in comment,
1 and you DID lie'' "Ye-s" was the somewhat
4 hesitating reply, "We have your word for it,.
I was the coEtemptuous response of the irate
] inqusitor This scene gave rise to the first and
1 only reproof Judge Porter ever received from
1 the bench. His Honor decided that it was
improper to remark upon the evidence in


advance of summing up. The lawyer accepted
the rebuke and left the rest of his criticism for
1 the final speech 5asb


Again when he had led Moult,n up to a
statement of the time and circumstance
I Of his acquaintance with and pro-
fessed friendship for Beecher, he wrung
4 out of him the acknowledgment that
q his violent attachment to Beecher began on the
4 very evening when he pretended to have
I learned forlthe first time that he tBeecher) had


corrupted the wife of his (Moulton's) most in
innate friend. From these beginnings the par


ties most nearly interested anticipated rather
i lively performance while Moulton was under


Judge Porter's scrutiny, but they were disap-
4 pointed. After Moulton was released from the
i witness box he approached Judge Porter, and


assuming tone of compliment, thanked him,


with apparent seriousness for his courtesy. The
Judges face wore puzzled look for a mo-


ment; then flush of temper came over it and
he measured out in his slow distinct manner
!; this reply, "Sir, you had better, reserve your
i Compliments till this trial is over. There is to
be summing up one of these days, and when
4 Z have done my share of that duty, think you
will have very little inclination to thank me for
any thing" The probabilities are Moulton was


not over grateful to the Judge when he had
corcluded his six days speech.


If the counsellor had been a colder man he


would have made far more temperate address.
4 If there had been less heart in it, there would
| have been more art But he spoke precisely


as if he was oblivious of any other audience
] than the twelve men who sat before him-as


though it mattered little what the outside


world might say or think, so he could burn in


to'the consciousness of every man on that jury


his own immovable conviction of the innocence


of his client and the guilt of his accusers. This
all absorbing purpose held such absolute sway
| of him that he had small time for or thought of


mincing his phrases or draping bis metaphors


with silken fringe. The very diffusiveness Of


the argument furnishes the best proof of its


sincerity and earnestness. His nervous system


was so completely wrought up by dwelling up
on that long network of falsehood and intrigue


which had been so industriously laid under the


feet of the eminent man whom six months of


intimacy had taught him TO revere and love,


that it was equally difficult to cease the praise
| of him or the deuunciation of his enemies. The


further off the critics are from the scene and


the occasion of this remarkable grafton, the


more apt they will be to take exception to its


redundancy and vehemence, but the real test
of its merits will be the effect it has produced


on the small audience to which # was especial
ly addressed, and of that We shall hear when


the verdict is rendered. .t


The latest contribution to the scandal is an


extraordinary pronunciamento of prodigious


length, emanating from a son. of Henry G.


Bowen. 1t appears in the garb of an "inter-


ew,' but of course has been carefully pre-


pared, revised and corrected by its author. 1t


may have been meant as o vindicstion of Bow
| en-, but 1t Is in fact naive confession OF the
| long series of annoyances, meannesses and


spiteful insinuations of Bowen against Beech
| er of which every chapter Of this eyentful mar


rative has contained some fresh revelation.
| According to this veracious chronicler Bowen
| has hated Beecher for great many years, has
| ID m
| lost an opportunity to do him an injury. He


knew nothing about the Tilton affair, but has


been constantly intimating that he could tell
dreadful things about Beecher if he were cooked


to. Really this picture of Bowen drawn by his


own son and meant to put him in the most fa-


yorable light the subject would admit of, dis


nlsys his moral deformities more glaringly
| than any other portrayal extant. And the


beauty of 1t, the artist seems quite unaware OF


the fidelity or the responsiveness of the figure be


has limned. He represents him as going from


door to door in Brooklyn year after year, and
dropping mysterious hints to the people he met


about what he could tell if he chose to and
would tell if he was dared to, derogatory to the


Plymouth pastor. Everybody who has had
any experience of religious societies, knows


very well what pestileuce follows in the wake


of peripatetic busybody like this In our


New. England parishes this sort of business


was formerly supposed to be limited to the soft


er sex of "a certain age-which means certain


" aged" and one of these could do mischief


enough to set a whole community by the ears.


But this man was one of the original founders
of the church, affected friendship for Mr..
Beecher was very punctusl in attendance at
all the services and peculiarly sauctimonious
In his department. His pocket handkerchief
was perpetually saturated with the tears he