Year: 1875

Hennessey, one of the Times staff, put in
claim for copy of the affidavit. An angry
alteration took place and it is said Shanks
struck the first blow, planting his fist on Hen
nessey's nose. Shanks says Hennessey made
grab at the papers Hennessey struck back
twice, then grasped at Shanks' throat, thrust
him back through the crowd and crushed him
against one of the tables, while dozens of hands
were stretched out to separate the combatants
and ward Off the blows of Hennessey'S fist. The
spectators were in state of wild excitement,
which was not quelled till the officers arrested
the combatants and took them before Judge
Nelson, who discharged them on their prom
Using to appear before Judge Walsh tomorrow
to answer charge of disorderly conduct in
court.


A crowd of about 1000 men and boys are as
assembled around the outer gates of the court
house, which are closed and the rough element
excluded.


At 10 oc'ock Mr.. Evarts came in and was
received with applause. He had an distracted
air. Beecher did not come back since half
past fonr


Court AdjOurns.


At 10 p. m. Judge Nelson adjourned the
court to 10 O'Clock tomorrow morning.


Affidavit of Mrs. TiIton.


The following affidavit was prepared by me
and placed i'll the hands of counsel in the ex-
pectation of an opportunity to present it in
court. but no such opportunity having been
given, and affidavits basely false having been
published against me, now desire to publish
this in my own vindicatiop.


[Signed,) ELIZABETH r. TIEToN.
City Court, Brooklyn: Theodore Tilton VS..


Henry Ward Beecher. City of Brooklyn,


county of Kings, S.:


as follows:


In the months of September, October and
November, 1862 resided with my husband in
Livingstone street, and l had the entire charge
of the household affairs. No persons were en-
ployed in laying carpets or attending to any
work to the house during those months except
by my direction. did not employ or authorize
the employment of any man named Price or
Loader for any work about the house of any
kind, nor do l recolect or believe any such men
were in my house during any OF the three
months above mentioned or in any part of the
fall OF 1869; nor to the best of my knowledge
and belief were they ever in the house at any
time.


have in the N. Y. Herald seen statement
purporting to have been made by man who L
am now informed is named Joseph Loader, to
the effect that in the month of October, 1869,
while Loader and one Price were working on
the hall stairs. opened the door to Mr.. Beech
er, that he seized hold of me, clasped his arms
around my waist kissed me off my feet and
then walked into the front parlor with his arm
around my waist. The whole of this story is
utterly false and none of these events occurred.
1 annex to this affidavit an extract from a
newspaper containing the statement of this
man Loader as to what happered in the house
while ha says he was there. This narrative, as
far as it relates in any way to Mr. Beecher or
myself, is utterly false, and the occurrence
therein described never took place either in
October, 1869, or at any other time. There
never was any impropriety OF coHduct or any
improper relations between Henry Ward
Beecher and myself, and all charges of adul-
terry or improper conduct, or of any attempt
upon his part or mine to have or solicit any i'm
proper conduct, or of any attempt upon his
part or mine to have or solicit any improper or
lndecorouS relations or acts, are utterly and
absolutely false. There never was any act of
familiarity or mark of friendship or affection
either on the part of Mr.. Beecher or myself in
the absence of my husband of a greater degree
or different kind from what took place habitu-
ally between us in the presence of my husband,
nor was there ever as great familiarity be-
tween Mr.. Beecher and myself as there was
between me and my step-father or brother nor
did any act or word pass between Mr.. Beecher
and myself which could not with proprety
have passed between a father and daughter.


The front parlor was divided from the library
by glass folding doors, to which there was no
key and which were never locked. These
doors would not come closely together, and
when they were shut there were always two
wide cracks-one between the two doors, and
the other between one of the doors and the
wall-andlthrough these cracks one could easily
what was going on in the front paror. Nor
was it possible in 1869 or at any time while 1
lived in my husbands house for anyone to
look through the cracks between the folding
doorslwithOut the figure of such person being
seen through the glass doors from the parlor.
The front parlOr was therefore place in
which no secrecy ives possible, and at the same
time no one could have approached the folding
doors as the man Price is described as having
done without being seen by me from the parlor
if had been there. The sofa was close to the
front window, and it was my custom always at
the season of year referred to so place the
blinds that passers-by could have seen the sofa
from the street.


The children of the neighborhood were also
accustomed constantly to play about our house
and to run freely over the piazza in front, upon
which the parlor windows opened, aud there
was NOT the slightest security for privacy in the
front parlor either from people outside of the
house or from the servants and children with
H. 1t was frequently the case that quite
number of children were playing upon the
piazza in the afternoon for long time without
interruption and in full view of the parlor


In October, 1869, had no housekeeper, but
had three servants and wet nurse, and also
had in the house three children from six years
upwards, besides my baby then about four
months old, all of whom excepting the baby
were accustomed to go in and out through the
front parlor and library freely. No housekeep-
er or any other person paid the bills of work
peoplesof anykind employed about the house in
the fall of 1869. paid all such bills myself


In conclusion, declare in the presence of
Almighty God that am absolutely innocent
of all the Offences charged against me with
relation to Henry Ward Beecher, except only
that under the influence of my husband, which
found it impossible to resist so long as 1 per-
sisted in living with him, have made charges
against Mr.. Beecher which were false and
entirely unfounded, and which my husband
knew to be false; and 1 declare that
1 left my husband voluntarily and with
out any solicitation or suggestion on the
part of Mr.. Beecher, but so far as
I have any knowledge or information of his
views contrary to the views of Mrs. Beecher,
and did so because had found by sad expe-
rience that the only result of my long endeavor
to.serve my husband was that kept m yself in
his power and that it was impossible for me, so
long as lived with him, to resist his demands
or to speak the truth when he required me to
deny il,


(Signed,) ELIZABETH R. TILToN


Sworn before me the 18th day Of June. 1876


(Sgned,) A. MCCUE.


Judge of the City Court of Brooklyn.