Year: 1875

THE LETTER OF CONTRITION ANALYZED.


The question at issue between Mouton and this
defendant th-Was the paper prepared beginning Of
the conversation deliberately dictated sentence by sentence
written down exactly delivered and present with The parties
during the remainder Of the interview the other hand
hastily prepared the end Of the conversation by
who endcavored gather up and record the saIen
points Of what had been previously uttered To settle THIS
question veracv gentlemen, appeal the paper itself
Is credible that Henry Ward Beecher dictated and de-
deliberately signed such sentences here re-
coded We that the paper bears on its face conclusive
evidence desperate haste leading inaccuracies OF compost
ton which neither M Beecher Moulton could ever have
committed they written deliberately and at their leisure
In the first place il lacks all the indications which would dis
tngush letter written dictated by Of culture
habtuated the production Of thoughtful methoica papers
The slightest glance convince any intelligent man that no
could have literally dictated this ncoheren
production, what his mental condition. If it were
Of absolute insanity Even he had been insane is
doubtful whether habits Of literary would not have
led him 20 prepare letter having at least the ex'
symbols Of logic sense and order But the paper now
under consideration the most uneducated man may see IS
absolutely without logical sequence and violates the most ia


a. rules Of composition If Mr. Beecher had really dictated


Mr. Mou.ton by sentence MS literary H.
sincts would inevitably prompted production having
such natural beginning middle and end as is common 20 al
letters written BY educated men,


This paper has Of these things opens with an abrupt
extra ayau expression which literally construed pEoane
and which shows upon lis face that is distortion OF pro
per though excited expression But also the entire dis
Of the latter part Of the sentence from the first
desire gentlemen during my this letter 10 hand
TO you You will have take t. half Of you al time and
then pass to the Others. First il you please, hand TO III
IIaey the bac; THE original paper handed TO
Mr. Hasey The sentence Of this letter, gentlemen Is as
follows


my DEAR FRIEND MoU1Toy ask through yoa Theodore
Tltons forgiveness and humble myself before him a. DO
before my God he would have been better man IL my ecun
stances than have been


Now ask that the last clause OF that sentence
has no sort Of relation and yet Mr. Mouton cody
swore in your presence that Mr. Becher deliberately dictated
as one single connected sentence, without any Intervening
SOD these extraordinary words: ask through you Theo
dore TIiions forgiveness, and humble myself before
him as | do before my God; lie wouid have
been better in my circumstances than


have been" No one but maniac could have deliberately
tered such aud neither Mr. Aoulton N Thon
has ventured print that sentence type Ts origin
ally written But all dsionted; they do not
follow each other in any natural order Their confusion Is per-
fecv comprehensive believe that ,y nasty reports
Of hasy expressions spread long conversation al inter
yas and eagerly grasped at by who anxious 70
record the worst language which he could possibly select from
the excited ueranccs Of under deep feeling but utterly
lncomprehcnsbe If accept Hr Mouon oath that the pa
per was deliberately dictated and deliberately written


tiit shOuld CAL aehuh 70 sl.
stronger evidence OF the desperate haste with which this
Doncr was prepared by other internal evidence Of
still more unmistakeaoie nature in the first place, II
you observe the paper, you will see that the first
four or five lines more distinctly written than
The subsequent portion Down the word God every e
ter is complete in itself after this word comma IS inserted


where there should be period and word begins with


small instead Of capital Fl in the first sentence, after
the word God" You hardly read that sentence gentle
men without making period the word God" and COM
mencng Of course with capital and yet you
viii observe that it is commenced with small Il and
separated only BY a comma. Now, Henry Ward Beecher
voud never have dictated such
that: 1t is not possible, g II possible that
Francis Moul;on would have written sentence
that except in the greatest haste and referring
10 the internal evidence from the paper tse that Mr. BeeceT
version Of the conversation be and Mr. Moul'ons
must be untrue 1t Will be further observed that the writer n
srs comma after the word man. where there should be
none and a dash the word "Oeen," where should
be period. BE writes, Il cant ask nothing -
clearly showing that did write this from dctaon. For
he would not have written where Mr. Beeche had inst
dictated can" But starting to frame the sentence can
ask" discovered the remainder was formed IN bis mind
that he must change cant 70 can and cancelled the ~
ar You manuscp-a clear evidence as We submit to
Won gentlemen that word not written from dc;ason,
hut II bears internal evidence Il written by WHO
vas starting 70 frame sentence in his own
mind writes three words Of the sentence and then
sees as the balance Of it Is formed in his mind,
that he must change the word, and so he changes
"can't" to can" And the word "other" s mperfecy
written the necessary letters being undscovcrabe Is seen
y an inspection the paper showing further evidence OF the
haste win which the writer with the composition.
You see as he begun he began eisurey writing the first few
nes-every word perfect but he on in his compost


ton his haste increasing darkness perhaps coming on in 'he
roo there are left Of the words and characters that
cannot be said to represent any letters The word would
yey imperfect could say that the last character
intended for I'D" After the word "ache" he makes dash,
instead period there should be- The first period occur
ring in the paper Is found after the word myself
ayay down IN the composition The words for myself
were interined which would not have been the case
had he written them down from Mr. Beechers dctaon.


The second period after the word suffer The next
peod occurs after the word "ncupated The sentence sue
ceeding begins with snail A after The period he has
marked.