Year: 1876

| Ans.-Yes; and both devCut chris.


tians. II you will let me l " Ill read to
you letter which have Just received
rom my father. The old gentleman is
eighty years of aac, and thia letter will
indicate to you, and through the AP-


PEAL to the public, what my parents
think Of my course, and how thoroughly
th6y indorss 1t and feel foI me:


VICTORIA AND TEENIE-My dear and
most beloved children, vino arc the pride
of my life, hardly know how to express
myself for the love and hope / have for
your success since you let for the south
on yotr lecturing tour. Seeing at the
same time that you ere going to take
! Washington in your route, and lay
before congress your grievances and
damages, which you have so uDjustly
sustained, by and through the spleen
and prosecutions Of the officers Of our
government, to protect "the Tevered Cit
izen, Henry Ward Beecher," ss they
said your vindictiveness has been clearly
shown at the trial in this city some two
years ago, with what success you
are fully cognizant. Bot when
think for the moment of your great
ability, energy and perseverance, to pro-
tect and sustain yourself in the just
cause, feel satisfied that you will sue
ceed and come OFT triumphant over all
your opposers. You have your God
blessed mother with you to giTe you a
comforting word, and at the IS nue. time
have her uncessing prayers, that hope
viii reach heaven for your crest success.
/ often Wish l was with you asfd VIII
her, and on our bended knees send our
nnifan TInafn the fhFnnn nf f4n6
for our darling children, and also to
hear you speak to the people. I am far
advanced in life .snd past the three
score years and ten; stilI l enjoy good
health and strength of Body and mind,
seeminly as did when in the prime OF
life, and you still will have my uncess-
ing prayers while life may last. 1 re-
main, your kind and loving father,


"B. CLAFLIN."


Ques.-Are you relative Of II. B,
Clsflin and George Claflin?


Ans.-We are all OF one family. H
B. Clafiin and my father look near
enough alike to be twins. They are on
ly cousins, however.


Ques.-I dislike to put this question to
you, because I dislike even TO think,
much less to presume such thing in
regard to any woman, but SO many
statements have been made in regard 10
your moral life and that of your sist er,
feel constrained to ask you q question
in regard to that.


Ans.-We have been before the courts
Of the country seven times, and the best
detectives in the Union were employed
to sift our lives, and ferret out our be-
longings, attachments and characters,
and not one incident Of word or fact
could be proven that would stain US
even to the extent Of the point Of pin.
Aud it is because we have lived pure
lives that we have been enabled to un-
dertake and prosecute the great reform
upon which will address the people of
Memphis tomorrow night. l will re-
late one incident which will go to prove
| what l have said to you. The last time
We were on trial the lawyers had boast
ed that they would disqualify my
sister and myself because OF our bad
character. But when they turned to the
detective to whom they had paid three
| thousand dollars for services rendered in
tracking our footsteps, in finding out
everything about US ne could, the detec-
| tive called the lawyer to one side and
said this: "If you are determined to
use the notes that l have gathered in my
tour, they will entirely ruin your case,
and put Mrs. Woodruff and her sister
on the pinnacle of fame. / never heard
q better record than these two ladies sUs
tain, and l have found them to be
Woodworking, Industrious and virtuOus
women" And he spoke in an especial
sense Of my devotion to my family. [
will also here tell you that on the prose-
cution to which reference is had in re-
gard to this detective, leading lawyer,
conducting the case aginst US, under the
! plea of sickness, left the court, and after
ward stated to me that he did 30 believ-
| ing that any man who would prosecute
me, under the circumstances, would be
annihilated by his God. In concluding
my answer TO this question, want 20
in llfe-I want to speak from ev-
| till the people shall understand
that Mrs. WCodhull's work. which
has brought her into such notoriety, has
but one object in view, and that is to
love her kind, to bring about q gen.
eral intelligence upon the vital subject
Of maternity. Ana more than all that
have beautiful young daughter who
calls me mother, and | am asking and
praying daily for God tc give me
strength to speak Until the world shall
recognize that this mother never had 8
/ thought in her soul but purity; and l
want to leave record for that little girl
that che shall be proud OF, and place q
crown OF glory upon her head instead of
crown of thorns. l have borne a
crown OF thorns for her which l
pray to God shall descend to her
as q crown of roses. have left that
daughter at school, and as 1 was leav-
ing her on my lecturing tour she said to
me: "Mamma, if you should die before
the odium is lifted from your name l
will go to your grave, unesrth your
bones, and go on every platform and
tell the people what a good mother you
had been TO me, and how you have
brought me up. will be on my knees
every night praying for you, that the
people may understand you, that all
mothers may love their children as you
love me, and that Children will love
their mothers as l love you"


With this touching and pathetic close
we, as the lawyers say, rested our case,
and after brief conversation on other
topics took our leave.