The New York Herald Newspaper, July 27, 1874, Page 3

and reverence for ti ‘would it not? A. Tt would | those days. [Hel ir. Tilton ve im illastra- | on the instance of a gentieman Who his wile teit | had insuited her by saying that he sympatnized with her,.and boped tuat she would lit up her | head In self respect, remarking that Tilton’s enief | temptation had been temptation to the sin of the | wexes.) Mr. Tilton resuming: [do not think he did it vindictively, but the fact that he could have | done it at all burned in her biood. Q. Was she not distressed at any suggestion of impropriety? A. She was partictilariy so; and she is more so now than ever, because in her early | days such @ thought was never in: her mind; put | when it had passed through her experience it came out with this contrition; I think that hers js one of the white souls; that is the truthor the ease; she Never ought to have been taken away from her home; you gentlemen did it; you did it, | Mr. Tracy; “Thou art the man.” Q. Will you state more distinctly than you have done what you understood by that letter of Feb- ruary 3, 1668, fi which she says:—“Love is praise- wortiy, but to abuse the git issin. There 1 am | strong. No temptation or fascigation could cause me to yield my womanhood #” A. | quoted that et to show how strong her views were at tat | e. Q. Did you anate it for the purpose of showin; that at that time she was beingtemptea? A. have heard her say the substance of tnat over and over again, Q. When? A. Ido not know when: along time | 0, years ago, when he (Mr. Beecher) used to go there; it was not because I had any suspicion of him then; Elizabeth always lelt that when Mr. Beecher went to such and 81 aplace there were women that wouid flatter him; [do not think sne Qid at all; she has aiways veen a suckler for the honor ot lier sex; she said to herself, “1 will repre- sent my sex.” Q. in other words, she wanted to show him pur- | ity of sentiment, and of communion of mind with- Out passion? A, That is what she meant, 1 think, Q. That is what you understood her to mean? A. That is exactly what I understood uer to mean, @ For years? A. Yes, sir. ‘That is the way you looked upon the relation ween them for years, A. l ought to say for tue earlier years, Q. When did you first bring to your wife’s atten- tion the fact that yon feared that there was some- thing wrong? A, Elizaveth so biotied that out of my mind that I did not think of it again’ | How long ago was ity Yearsago? A, Yes, as | AT recolject it, 1t must have been during the early | years when we lived in Livingston street, in our Present liouse, Q. How jong have you lived there? A. I do not D . About ten years, I remember. General Tracy—It was a great many years ago? A. Yes, Q. Was it before 1868? A, Long before. | Mr. Claf_lin—in 64, probabiy. General ‘Iracy—Was it before 1865? A. Al Q. Where did you live at the beginning of the | Wart A. lam very moch ashamed that lam never | able to answer such a question. + You say that it was in the early years of your living at No. 174 Livingston street? A. Yes; p tures are vivid to me, and iremember where Elizabeth was sitting in the corner of my parlor; Tapoke to ber about it when we came home, Q. How long since was it that you have men- tioned that subject to any one uatil you put tt in this communication ¢ A. She blotted it out of my mind, Q. Did you ever speak of it to anyone? A, She blotted out ali wrong as concerning her in the circumstance. Q. You never mentioned it to Mr. Beecher? <A. I was very young im those days and utterly unsus- picious of such things, and when J spoke to her about it she was a little coniused and denied it; id then said it was so, but that she had sai ‘You must not do that;” 1 had in those days some- thing of the same reverence for Mr. Beecher that have since so eminently lost. THE LIBRARY SCENE, Q. Do you know woo was present besides your wiie ana Mrs, Beecher’ A. Nobody. Q There was nubody there but you three—yon were looking at engravings’ A. Yes. By Mr. Winslow—Were you sitting on the floor ? A. Not the whole of the time: I remember that those two were sitting down on the floor with the Frese Tam a restless sort of man, and I do not OW Wilere | was; it Was a long time ago. \ bout | Q. Bo you say that you saw it with yourown eyes? A. With my own eyes, KS Do you remember whether Mr. Beecher looked at you ticed it; I was standing up, I think; I have to bring up the picture in my mind; | do not remem- ber exactly whether | was standing or sitting; rhaps I was in a chair; I know that there was a ind of portiolio jolded out and that the pictures were jolded down (1ndicating with the bands) ; she B bo sitting on the floor or on @ stool, and he on the joor. Q. Were yon where he could see you? A. He was | Jooking at the pictures, Q. Ui he had looked up would he have seen you? a. Yes. By General Tracy—You were looking at some | Pictures in the room’ A. Yes; these things were on her lap. Q. What part of her person did he touch? A. Her ankles and lower limbs, yy Mr. sioW—Not above the knee? A. No, If he had he probably wonld have been struck; it Was aqnestion in my mind whether a minister could consider that @ proper sort of caress, his Q. Was it done sivly? A. Yes, very slyly; y General Tracy—How were they sitting? A. nee or le{t arm was under her dress, My impression is that she was sitting on some little stool and he on the floor by er side, and that some pictures were, perhaps, put up against the chair and folded, and that it was by an accidental brushing up of her dress that! saw his hand on ber ankle. Q. Do you know whether it was accidental or casual with Lim? A, 1 only know that | asked r. Q. Could you know whether it was accidental or intentional? A. I spoke oi it to her; she at first denied it and then confessed it, and said that sie had chidden him; 1 did not attach much import. ance to tt alter te explanation Was made. Q. You were in donbt whether it was inten- tional or accidental? A, It was merely a suspicion. THE BEDCHAMBER SCE! Q. How about the bedchamber scene? A. That Was a long while ago, and that was blotted out of my mind too. Q. When was it? A. I donot remember the year; it was a ood while ago. By Mr. Winsiow—Beliore or after the ankle scene? A. Before. Q. How long? A, I do not know. Q. Belore 1863? A. I do not know, Q. After you were living in Livingston street? A. Yes; lremember the ruom; again, [ identuy it by the picture; it was in the ieft hand room; I Dave two front rooms on the second story, and it was the left hand of these two rooms; I knocked at the door and Elizabeth came; 1 was eet that it was locked; she Was surprised at finding | me; Mr. Beecher was sitting {na red plush rock- ing chair—a sort of Ottoman chair—witn his vest Unouttoned; his face colored like arose when I | saw him. Q How long ago was that? A, Ido not know. %, How long had you lived in Livingston street at this time? A. Do not remember. Q. Had you lived there for two or three years? A. That Ido not know; I should say I had lived there, perhaps, two years, Q. Was it during the war? A. That Ido not | ought to spend the rest 0! his lifein penitence and | | anguish; if Mr. Beecher had heid the same relig- | tons views that I bold, and gone to that house de- | A. 1 did. know. Q. Do you know whether it was before or after your visit to Fort Sumter? A. No. | Q. The explanation was satisiactory to youon | that occasion’ A. kotirely so. ve So that you let it ve, and attriputed nothing toit? A. Yes, {attributed nothing to it; if whe door had been simply shut, | should have thought | Bothing Of it, but tne door being locked I wondered Q. Was there more than one door leading to that room? A. une door comes in from the hall. { Q. War there any otver door leading into the | room {rom the other room ? door communicating between the two rooms, +Q. Two siding doors? A. Yes, Q. And was there a door leading from the hall to { the other room? 4. Yes, that is the pian of the | house. Q. And the room that Mr. Beecher and your wite | were in was a room communicating with another room With sliding doors? A. Yes. Q. What was that room used for that Mr. Beecher | was in? A. A bedroom. Was there a bed in it? A. Yes, sir. Js the other rooma sitting room? A. Jt 1s. » Did you try that door which led into the sit- ting room? A. No, Why? <A. Because I came and knocked at the hail door, 9. For aught you know, they had gone into the sitting room from the hall, and trom there Mr, Beecher may have gone into the bearoom? A. Yes; 1 will give them the benefit of the doubt. THE SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION. Q. Was it explained to your satisiaction? A, e3. Q. What was the explanation tnat satisfied you? A. The annoyance of the children; my wife said that our children and some of the neighbors’ children were making a noise, and she wanted to have a quiet talk with Mr. Beecher, and 80 she locked herself in. Q, That satisfied you? A. That satisfied me; it Was entirely reasonavie; I only quote it as a sus. icion, a Do youn remember whether the sliding doors leading irom tha room to the sitting room were open’ A. They were shut; { remember it because I looked in; 1 saw the two white doors coming to- gether; the picture Js distinct to my mind; Ido bot forget pictures, By Mr. vig eee Was the door opened imme- diately? A. Yes; [do not want yon to think that I thought there was anything wrong at that inter. view at all. Q. The picture of the room was the only reason you have for believing that the sitting room dvor Was shut? A. Yes sir, Q. Did the explanation so satisfy you that that qhing was blotted irom your remembrance? A, 3. | Q. So you have never regarded that circum- Stance ag evidence of wrong in any one? A. No. . Have you ever mentioned that? A. I rath chiak | have. Q. Why? A. Because afterwards there arose cir- cumetaoces which made me feel sat the explana- tion which she had given of these two events was not true. By Mr. Winslow—To whom did you state it? A. think to my mother; I do not recollect; L never made any biazonry of tt, you know, abroad; I never thought, really, that there waa any wrong ght of subsequent eventa; I do in it until in the Ii Bol say NOW thor thare wag any wrong jn It; er | Made when you were away? | at the first? A. No; he did not know that Lno- | ! everything 1 wrote | Mnissed in you * | room than she was this mornin, NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JULY 27, 1874.~W1ITH SUPPLEMENT. Elizabeth always denied stoutly to me that any- thing wrong had taken place at that time. Q. What Kind of a room was that sitting room? A. it was the common sitting room of tbe house. q Fhe right hand part was the sitting room, and the leit hand part was a bedroom communi- cating with it by sliding doors? A, Yes, Q. That i# where you receive your intimate friendsy A. Yes. q. Lf you bad found Mr. Beecher with your wile in the sitting room you would have found him where you should have expected to tind bum, would you not? Yes, Q. Ut the door had not been locked you woutd not have thought anything of ity A. No; 1 should have been happy to have seen him; we were in the best possible relations in those days; nobody was a more welcome guest at our house than he. 4. Now, Mr, Tilton, can you say whether this scene was before the date of that letter of Keb- ruary 3, 18687 A, Yes, it must have been a long time beiore that, I think; I won’t be certain; it must have been a long time before 1868, Q. You say that her letters iniormed you that Mr. Beecher had made twelve pastoral visits at your house in five weeks? A. Lhave those letters, By Mr. Hiil—Yon have all the letters from which you say you discovered that ed mare visits were . Yea, Q. And those you will produce? A, I think that perhaps I will. by General Tracy—It was written here (in Mr. Tilton’s communication) six and changed to tive weeks—wiich is correct’ A. (Alter some explana- | tious.) It is correct as it is there. Q. You say, Mr. Tilton, ‘or a year alter what you state as Mrs, ‘Tilton’s confession, she insisted to | you that she had nut violated her marriage vow? A. Yes; Elizabeth was in a sori of vapoionus hke cloud; she was between ligut and dark; she could not see that it was wrobg; she maintained to her mother im my presence that she had not done wrong; she cannot bear to do . Wrong; 4 sense of having doue wrong is enough to crush her; she natn ally seeks for her Own peace @ conscientious verdict; | she never would have had these relations if she ha supposed at the tine tuat they were wrong; Eiiza- beth never does anything that at the time seems wrong; for such a large mural nature, there is a lack Of a certain balance and equipoise; sie has not a will that guides and restrains; but Elizabeth never does at any time that which does not have the stamp of her conscience at the time upon it, Q. Do you say that sne did or did not insist that she had violated her marriage vows? A, Sie always Was saving that “it never seemed to her wiong;” and “'heodore, Ldo not ‘how see that 1 have wronged you.” Q. What do you understand her as meaning by “Yo love 18 praiseworthy, but the abuse of love is sin”? to too great an extent, Q. Would not that include criminal relations? A. Yes. ¢ Then you understand her, as early as 1868, as saying that the abuse ol the gift of luve by adultery would bea sim? A. Yes. Q. Sne is a lady of intelligence, is she not? A, She is in some respects a lady of extraordinary in- | telligence; she has @ remarkable giit at times which anybody might envy; there is nothing iow about Elizabeth, Q, Is she a lady of large reading? A, There are very few ladies of larger reading; she was educated acker Instituie; 1do not think she took quite a full course; she reads much to her blind aunt and to the children; | used to read a good deal to her; she was a good critic; Mr. Beecher carried to her sheets ot his “Lilie of Christ”? and maby chapters of “Norwood;" fused to read to her many things. Qw do you say about the “Life of Christ” and “Norwood”—that he carried them to her to eriticise? A. Yes, or not exactly to criticise; she | is not a critic in the sense that she can take a par- id | cular phrase and change the language of it; but she could tell whether a little speech jut’ into ; Rose Wentworth's mouth Was one a woman would | be likely to say. | _Q He took those chapters to read to her for that } purpose, having a high regard tor her opinion in that matter—not as high regard tor her opinion in | astrictly critical sense? A. No; but in the sense | Whether it was womanly, and larger than that, | | whether it touched human sympathy or not. | I re- member that he took her the first sheet of the “Lite of Christ;”? she wrote to me saying, ‘He said he had not read it to anybody eise.”” Q. When did he write ‘Norwood +” A. [ do not | “Lite of Christ 9? | think, f } . it was published alter “Norwood ?’ A, 1 do | not know about that. » You know he took it to her to read! A. I know, because she wrote it in her Jetters; I ve- | heve she tola the truth; you ask about “Nurwood” aud the “Life of Christ;’? he had brought the open- img part of the “Lite Of Curist” and L think also chapters of “Norwood.” Q. You understand that ne brought them to her for the purpose 01 criticism? A, Yes. Q. You yourselt would regard her as an admira- ; ble crit: A. On, yes; I always liked tu take ‘to Elizabeth ; sometimes when I thought J had written anything particularly nice 1 ran down and read it to her; she was one ot the best 91 critics; she never praised an article be- cause it Was mine or his, but only when she liked | it, Q. You found her judgment not warped by her affections in thaty A. No, that ts the particular feature of her character; if a lady were sitting at the piano and playing, and Elizabeth loved that lady very much, she would tell her about the play- ing—that it was good, or that it was not—but sie | would not say that the playing was good because + she would not say so unless | she loved the woman; it was good; { was always quite certain tnat if Euzabeih liked what I wrote she did not like it on my account, though she was glad when | wrote a good thing; dt was an honest criticism; if I had | beeu &@ minister none of this trouble would have | Come; she was always in sorrow that I was nota | , Minister—which is the only virtue that | possess; thank God 1 do not belong to the priestnood or tue Church; it may not be an acceptable statement to the committee, Q, Do you mean oy that, Mr. Tilton, that tne Want of strong religious leature in your character | was what sne missed im your A. No, Mr. ‘Tracy, it | | Was not that; because, though I should not like to | Say 1t of myself; yet | am a more religious man than most men of my acquaintance—that is, | am @man of religious sympathies who thoroughly | Rates and despises religious creeds; | do not be lieve in one of the thirty-nine articies, nor in either of the Catechisms, nor im the divinity in- junction of the Scriptures, nor in the divinity of Christ, in the sense in which it ts heid. | I believe ms writings to be enfooded by the | Divine breath. It was not that I lack religious spirit, A man ought not to say that, per- haps, of himself, but 4 do not lack the religious spirit; Llove God, and am fond of religious senti- ment, but I hate the creeds; | was taught to hate them during the anti-slavery controversy; | saw the churches selling the negroes, and I despise a chuich; bow put it down there (to a reporter) ; Sa; splse ministers. Q. Well, it was that lack of reverence for the churen and its ordinances and your lack of belief ip the divinity of Christ as sbhé heid it that she A. Yes. Q. And She grieved over it? A. Oh yes, indeea; grieved over it with tears, Q. And what she found wanting In you she found in Mr. Beecher, did she not? A. Yes, she did, and he took advantage of it; that is why I say he Dying the divinity of Christ, he pever could have made any approach to her, and the affection and love which sae bore to him would never nave ex- isted—1 mean the siropg affection—it could not possibly have done so, Q. The entnusiasm for him which she felt would never nave existed in that case? A. No, Q. You have no doubt that it was that ieature in Ris character which roused her enthusiasm and | made him to her @ sort of poem, did it not? A. Yes, a sort of apostle; I think she regarded Mr. A. There 18 a middie | Beecher almost as though Jesus Christ himself had | and walked in; that 18 an extravagant expression, but you must not take it literally; I kuow that she Wanted to make the children look upon the clergy with reverence; she ought to be an intense Roman Catholic, like Mme. Guion—a mystic; I think she certainly spends hours on her knees some days; L don't suppose’ a day ever passes over Euzabeth that the sun, if he could peep though the windows, would not see heron her | Knees, and my oldest daugiter, Florence, though here has | she looks like me, is Itke her mother come this great calamity on my house; there was | that publication last mght; sne saw it; and this | Beecher; he morning what dia sne do? [heard a noise in the house, and found that she was down in the tront parlor playing on the melodeon like a heroine, standing in the midst of this calamity like a rock in the sea; she gets that somewhat from me; { can stand all storms; she gets also irom her | | mother the religious inspiration; Florence this mprning had a genius for religion, when you would suppose thet she would have been crushed; you (General Tracy) are not stronger In the court ig at that musical instrument. Q. Youuse the expression daughter “genius for religion ;’? does not that ex- } C e | niormed me that he was going to get an answer | press the character of your wife? A. Yes—even | he iniorm going to ge | she had made to me against herseli, which was more 80; my daughter is more intellectual; she is an abler and more stable woman, thougn not 80 sentimental, and less demonstrative; they are both great characters, Q. Weil, she 18a character who could have an intimacy and reverence and enthusiasm for a man oi Mr. Beecher’s temperament and religious con- victions and teaching and carry it to an extreme leng*h without the theught of passion or crimi- Rality? A. Ido not think the thoughts of passion and of crimina:ity were in her breast at ali; £ think they were altogether in his; i think she thought only of ler love and reverence. Such a character would not excite the thought of jeaiousy as to her? A, Not in the slightest; I uever hud the slightest feeling o1 jeal- ousy in regard to Elizabeth. Q The tact that she was manifesting this enthu- | siasm and atl that would aot lead you to suspect | mined to make no more resistance. Theodore’: her motives and purfty originally? A. It would | temperament is such that the future, even if tem- not; later it did, Q. For how long a period? A. I do not know; I remember I wrote her some letters which, if she has kept them, would fix the date; there wasa time when I felt that Mr. Beecher was using his in- fluence greatly upon her. Q. ‘lo cuntrol her tn her domestic rejations with you? A, No, but to win ner; he was always trying to get her to say that she loved him better than me, Q. She never would say it? A, I don't think she ever did. A. Lrather think sae meant carrying love | now, . When did he write his first volume of hia ; A. lt was alter “Norwood,” I | that 1 despise the church, aud generally de- | | in regard to your | im a8 a evangelical minister; but I don’t think that on the whole he was as much +o her as { was; still, of course, Mr, Tracy, | cannot question her | motives; 11 she should Say he Was more to her than | 1 was I cannot dispute it. Q. You set out @ jetter that she wrote on the | ni ht of December 30, after you returned to your house, referring to the retraction she had given | to Mr. Beecher; did she write that jetier or did | you? A, She wrote it. | Did you dictate it? A, No. . Why did she write it? A. Because I waked her to Make a culm statement of what she had de- | signed in this letter to Mr. Beecher. She was in such @ state of dgony that she wold me she could not recall her letter to him; she said she had ven him this letter thatie might fortily himself , in & Council Of ministers; I asked her to take & pen at the end of the evening and give the exact circumstances and explain What she meant by it, and she wrote that letter; it was only the next day that the other letter came back, and then this oue ceased to be of any importance; what struck me in that business as so damnable in Mr. Beecher was that alter coming and con- fessing to me and Mr, Mouiton his criminal | relations with Mrs. Tilton, and then asking to see | | her a few minutes, and going around the corner | to see her, he should have come back again in half | am hour, expressing his absolute heartbrokenness, | Whereas he nad in his pocket this retraction from her; I say it was damnabie and nefarious, Q. Do you say that when you saw Mr. Beecher at Mr. Moulton’s huuse Mr. Moulton was present? . Yes, he was present in this way—l wanted a lengthy interview with Mr. Beecher alone, aud when he came into the room I iocked the door and Ve tue key in my pocket, and narrated in order Klizabeth’s confession; it was @ long one, and it would have been indelicate lor me to touch it with any more elaboration than! have here; 1do not pile to be questioned about it; it was a long | story, Q. Was Mr. Moulton present? A. Not at that | part of te interview; alter the door was opened he was; the snverview that we three together bad was very sort; | was on the stairs while Mr. eecher taiked with Mr, Moulton on the stairs; | that interview was to bring me and Mr, Beecher together; the next time we ali three had an in- | terview. { Q. This retraction, you say in your communica- | tion, Mr. Beecher returned to you through Mr, | Moulton; is that trne? A, Yes, sir. | | Q Was that retraction ever delivered to you? | | A. I have got it now. Q. Is it not in the possession of Mr. Moulton? | A. Yes, but it belongs to me; Mr, Mouiton had | asale place and | had not, and he has some of my | | Papers. Q Do you mean to say that Mr. Moulton de- | livered that reiraetion to your actual keeping, and | that you have had possession of it ior any length | of time? A. sle did deliver it to me, and it was sent back to him, Q. Lask you whether Mr. Moulton delivered that | retraction to you and you kept it? A, Mr. Moul- | ton put that retraction into my hand; exactly | what I dia with it—whether I carried it to my suie or nor—i do not remember; { took a number of Papers and put them in his keeping because [had | no sale place, Q. how long do you think you had possession of that papery A. Ido not remember; 1 never saw | the retraction till 1t was brought back to me; then | 1 read it; it may be that I never took it away from | Mr. Moulton’s house; it was sent back to me; it Was put into my band; I read it, and 1 made a copy of it. Q. in shorthand ? A. Yes. Q. Did you ever have it longer than that? | | i A. | ! hand. | Q. But you returned it to Mr. Moulton, and he has kept it and hasit pow? A. Yes; unless he ; bas been robbed. | .Q. The letter which you say Mr. Beecher wrote rs. Tilton, wita your permission, 1 see, as pub- | ished, directs her to retura it to him through your | | hands. A, Yes. Q Was it returned to him through your hands? | A. It was returned to Mr, Moulton by me, Q. Dit you make a copy of iv? A. I did. | Q Then you took advantage of Mr. Beecher’s | direction to have tuat letter returned to him | through your hands, to make a copy, and you made and preserved acopy or the lettery 4. I did, exactly ; and | have Jound a very good use for it in this late emergency. Q. What you call the *apology’—is that im Mr, Beecher's haudwriting? A. It is not. Q In whose handwriting is it? A. In Francis D. Mouiton’s, except the last sentence, which is Mr. Beecher’s. Q. “I trust this to Moulton in confidence,” is in Mr, Beecher's handwriting, is it not? A. Yes. Q. Tae words “in contiaence’? are underscored, are they not? A. I do not know. Q. Ihat document is written on how many half sheets of paper? A. I do not think on any; it is on sheets as big as that (legal cap). é q. On how many—two or three? A, Yes, large sheets. Q. Do you know whether the last sentence, ‘I trust this to Moulton in confidence,” is separated | by a wide Space trom the rest? A, Ido not know; | Frank can show it to you. | | Q, 18 1t not sepurated by a Wide space? No, not | | by @ wide space, Q. 1 ask you whether the last sentence of the | letter 1s uot here somewhere (indicating witb the hand), and the line “1 trast this to Moulton in con- | fidence, H. W. Beecher,’ down there (indicaung) ? | A. No, it 1s not. Q. ls 1t not at the bottom of the page? A. It may be at the bottom ol the page, | Q 18 it not away trom the writing? A. No, it is ; Mot; itis @ part of the letter, | | .Q You were not present when it was written? No; otherwise it would not have been writien. Q. Because it would have been spoken? A. Yes; | the’substance was spoken to me a day or two al- terwards in Mr. Moulton’s bedchamber, | @ You say if you had been present it would not | have been written? A. Yes. Q. Tuat letter is not addressed to you, is ity A. It was addressed to Mr. Moulton, but it was brought to me on the authority o/ Mr. Beecher himsei{; it Was brought to me greatly to my sur- | prise; Mr. Moulton put it before me as evidence | that I suould maintain peace; 1 did not ask tor it; | | it cume unsolicited. | Q You quote a letter dated on the 7th of Janu- | ary to you from Mr. Beecher. Was your suit with Bowen then pending? A, My suit with Bowen Was pending from the Ist of January to the miuldie of the next year; 1 think it was in April, 1872; 1 never sued tim; Mr. Moulton wanted to assume the manugemwent of my afiairs with Mr. Bowen; Mr. Moulton, when sick, summoned us to him, au | | except to avoid leugth ? ; auswer. tome, and asI wrote shorthand, J always used to | make @ copy of them. Q. And 18 that tie only copy that you have of these papers? A, It is the only copy I have of Frank’s papers. | Q Copies in shorthand being read and never being compared with the originals’ 4 en | Frank read to me three or jour or five sentences 1 | would write them down, By Mr. Hali—Did you compare them with tne originals? A. What do you mean by comparing them with the originals? Q. Do you know that they are ap exact tran- seript of the originals? A. Yes. You wrote them {from your phonographic notes? A. You will find these extracts all per- Jectly correct—every one, absolutely. By Mr. Winslow—Do you remember the purport | of what you leit out? A, My impression 13 that | this one of Beecher's letfers to Frank was very long: it would certainly occupy four pages Oo} & sheet of foolscap; there was a long ar- | ument in it to show the diMicuities that he was in; it 1 had quoted the whole tt would have made this statement much stronger, but it would have made it a cumbered document. Q, Is there something that you have not quoted ? A. A great deal; but there s nothing in that quota tion that violates the whole spirit of the latter, Q. Had you no reason for omitting what you did A. No; ony it alluded to Interviews; for instance, in tis way:— a greatly distressed with what the deacon said,” or “Tne Brooklyn Hagle must nut go on in this way;"? | Many thiugs might be added that are unimportant in this exbiore but that were important at the time. 4. On page 103 oman can see the difficulties that environ me, -» did you quote tae whole of thatjettery A. Only & frawment of it; there 18 not a whole letter in all these quotations, Q. In making these quotations! see no stars? A. 1 do not Kuow whether it ts the omission of the | printer, but { putin stars to show Waere the con- nection was broken off; where | took a paragraph which was long and it was continuous from begin- ning to end there 18 no need of stars, Q. Your letter, “lo a Compialning Friend,” that Was publis' ed, to whom Was that written? A, | That was written to nobody; everybody was say- ing, “You ought to answer the Woodhull scandal,” and {put my wits together to irame a possible Q. Then you say that the letter “To a Complain- ing Friend” was a tiction? A, Yes, it was written OD purpose as a public card, Q. How long uiter the Woodhull scandal was that? A. It was published a long time aiter that date; notlonger than twoor three weeks, I think, | perhaps not tep days; my impression is that it } was not published until along time aiter; | thought | I had written an ingenious card, but it did not | amount to anything; Wendell Phillips said, “Lt 1s | @ fine thing but for one thing; you ought to have | said that your wile was not guilty; but I could | use us. not say that, and the card went lor nothing; it | was one of a number of ingenious subtertuges; [ wrote it thinking that it would please Hlizabeth; 1 read it to her before it was printed and she liked it; alterward she spoke to me violently about it, and said it was another way of perpetuating the | scandal. | Q. And charged you with publishing it for that purpose? A, No, hot that. | Q. But now she say that the efect of that | publication would be to perpetuate the scandal and revive it? A. Yes, alter it was published. Q The Woodhull scandat was dying out of the | minds of the peopie, was it not, then, when that was published’ A. 1 tnink not; I did not know | Yes; long enongh to make lorty copies im short- | the time when it was; itis a death of which | have | do had no notice yet; f thou that cara, but It failed, q | asked whetner the Woodhu!l scandal was not dying out of the minds of the peuple, and whether it would not have died out but jor that? A. Well, [don’t know; fie are a better judge of that than lam; I think I heard less of it. Q. Do you not know that the publication of that | letter revived the talk and the scapualy A. Yes, | yes; everything revives the talk; the appointment | Of an investizating committee revived it in the | same way, in general terms. Q What other Publicaties have you made since | the publication of the Woodhuil scandal and the | letter “To a Complaining Friend,” and the Bacon | letter aud letters to the Council? A. The letter | “To a Complaining Friend’? was put in the Eagle | with @ ierocious comment; if it had not been | printed with a vad comment, I think it would nave | had a good effect; but that letter did harm. Q. You mean to say that it revived ot perpetu. | ated the scandal instead of allaying it? A. it did | harm in the sense that 1t purported to be a denial, | looked as if it was meant for a denial which did | not deny, and it left about this impression—that | Mr. Tilton, a direct man, who knows what ue | means and could say it, if he could have denied this squarely would have done it; the impression Was that it was written to deny, but that it aid not deny. Q. Did it not carry In tt a strong implication of guilty A, Well, perhaps in a sense you might in- Jerentiaily say think you might say that; I | think it L had never said a Word on the subject ‘at | all, trom the beginning down, it would have been | a great deal better. | Q. ‘the scandal would have died out long ago, | would it not? Lt has only been kept alive by your | | Writings? A. | have acted like @ tool, I admit. By Mr. Tracy.—We ali concede that, and do not need to call witnesses to prove it. Q. Now, when the ‘council was in session, that took tue jorm, did 1t not, of an ecclesiasucal con- igs I did a crafty thing in | Of sight? A. ‘Lhere is no scandal proper. | question, was it not? A. In a technical sense; but everybody said that that council revived the business, the scandal? A, Yes; or it did not need reviving— it had jie in it Q. Did not your letters to the council largely | call out the letters by Dr. Bucon? A, [think Dr. | Bacon took a sublime Indifference to my letters in the first place; he sent them back from the coun- | cil: Ldo not now recollect that there was any ex- tract from my letters to the council that were in- | troduced at all by Dr. Bacon; perhaps there was; if he made any alinsion at all to them it was a most unimportaut one, Q. You knew that the effect of your letters to the | council would be to revive the scandai, did you not? A. No, I did not; I wrote them to vindicate myselt; | dia noc care whether they revived the | scaudal or not. | Q. Did not you know what the effect would be? | ) hot Link that is 80; it it Was 1 did not Know it; I | Snould not make the publication ¥ troversy, in which the scandal proper dropped out | Q. Well, thts scandal itseli dropped out of sight, | and the controversy was over an ecciesiast.cal | |p ie Elizabeut has been insane; she is not insane | t Q Mr. Tilton, you have quoted the letters of | your wife here to prove what the character of your jome was in the beginning of 1868 and through | 18667 A. I quoted them to show What it was pre- vious to her surrender to him. Q You have stated, Mr. ‘Tilton, that there were | | acts of criminality, first at Mr. Beevher's house. and secondly, at your own house; do you pretend to have @ persoval knowledge of those acts’ a, Only the knowledge of Mrs. Tilton’s coniession~. that 18 all; I was absent at the time, x Mr. Moulton was in college with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. He bas always been your friend trom your col- lege days? A, Yes, sir, ald I hope he will be to the end ot my life. Your novel is dedicated to him? A. Yes, but he bas not done me the houor of reading it; 1 will never dedicate another, | Q. You say that you bad not reported this scan- | dal to the Woodhull Women or woman; but you do not deny that you had irequentiy spoken harshly of Mr. Beecher to her? A, Oh, pot harshly; 1 have spoken often -erttically of him, but always with a view to have her do no harm to him; I ex- pressed my opinion about him. Q. How came she and Mr, Beecher to have an in- terview ? . 1 do not remember the circum- stances; Ithink Frank Moulton devised it; Mr. | Beecher had a number of interviews with her at Frank’s house and one at mine. Q. Was not the object to get Mr. Beecher com- mitted to her views of iree jove’ A. No; to her views of the fourteenth and fiiteenth amendments of woman's suffrage . Butler and J championed it, and we'wanted Mr, Beecher to dg the same, o Was it not to get him to preside at Steinway Hall? A, ‘Ihat was not at my house, but at Frank's; I think at mine it was in regard to the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, Q. Well, an effort was made to get him to preside there and introduce her at Steinway Hall, and an exposition of this scandal was threatened ii be did not preside there? A, Frank received @ letter from Colonel Blood that he thought was a threat; it angered Frank a good deal, By Mr. Winslow—Did you see the letter from Colonel Blood, in which it was threatened that this scandal would be exposed if Mr. Beecher aid not preside at the Steinway Hall meeting? A. Ido do not think there was any truth in it. | Mr. Beecher had been importuned to preside, | had he not? A. Yes; there came a note trom Colonel Biood about the Woodhulls not being re- ceived in some hotel; they said it was because | they were umpovular, and they wanted Mr. Beecher’s help; there was something tn the letter which Frank regarded as unhandsome, and | knew he was angry and expressed slmseif strongly about it, and said it looked like blackmail; it was one Of the first indications of their attempting to | Q. Do you not know that Mr. Beecher was | threatened that in case he did not preside at that meeting this scandal! should be publishea? A, It ; 48 the drst time that I have ever heard it sug- | gested, Q. Was he not threatened by Mrs, Woodnull ? A. Not tuat I have any knowledge of. Q. Was not the very object of soliciting Mr. | Beecher to presive at the Steinway Hall meeting | on the part of you and Mr. Moulton in order *o | place Mrs, Woodhull under obligation, so that she A. Precisely ;,We did not know that there was to be a pubii- | cation; we wanted to keep her on our side, and wanted to take every possible occasion to it; her husband had spent a consid. | erable length of time to devise this Stein- | way Hall speech; what it was apout I do not | know; she gave me and Frank the proofs, and he ut them in bis drawer; I never looked at then was our Joily that we did not, for I might have known what was in that speech; she wanted Mr. Beecher to preside; | told Mr. Beecher that bow- ever unpopular she was he might go and preside, and I sketched a little sort ofaspeech (and [ think Frank sketched one) that, if he could see his way to do it, he. might make: Fellow citizens—Here is 2 woman Who ts gotng to speak. She will prob- ably speak on what you do not believe; but that is no 1eason why ahe should not be beard. It is because { disagree with her that I would introduce her. I like free speech, 1 have the honor of presenting her.” 1 said to him that he was able to carry a little speech of that sort, and I felt that if he went and presided it would put her under the same obligation to him | a8 liancied that | had put her under to me in | writing her DEEaE TY: considered that I had se- cured her good will by writing that and other things, and I thought that if Mr. Beecher would ao some signal service of that kind, which he could do and which would be noted as such, it would fix | ber under Felony and we would alibe fixed; Frank nad done her some service; Frank had been very friendly to her; he had done her many ser- vices and ne had great respect for her. Q. You pressed that argument on Mr. Beecher? | Yes, and Frank also. safety? A. Yes; I said , @ matter of “Think it over, and if you find that you can, go | | | i and do it.’? 4. Do you Know whether the letter from Colonel Blood had been received at that timer not know. Q. Mr. Beeches rejected your arguments and re- fused to preside? A, He did not refuse, but said that it he saw his way clear he would come and | let us know, Q. But he did not let you know? A. he did not let us know. Q. And you presided instead? A. I did not want to oe Thad no idea of what the speech was going to be. Q, Although the proofs were in your hands and you might have known? A, Yes: but | never did | Know; the proois had been vrought to Frank’s Q. Did not you know that your letters revived | study; 1 may have had the idea that they were lor | Mr. Beecher to see the speech; hut It was not the rinted speech that did the vamage, it was the in- terjectea remarks in response to the audience; she said violent things, Q. Had you written her life at thattime? a, Yes, I had; 1 am pretty certain of it. Q. What other things had you done to put her under obligations? A. 1 wiil tell you what J did; I wrote that idea of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, and spent taree of the solidest weeks of my life in Working it Into an argument and printing itinto a tract; it was her idea, but she did not know how to expose it, and 1 worked it u in one Of the most elaborate pieces of writing that lever did; that was one of the great services; tne second was the writing of a sketcn; then, also, when Senator Carpentor attacked that proposition said, “Ll Want lo keep you on record aud bind you , A. 1 thought of vindicating myseil; I nad been at- | I made an elaborate reply. to good will. ”? Q. You had a controversy? A. I had a contro- yersy; I agreed not to do anything but at Mr. Mouiton’s discretion; Mr. Bowen owed me $7,000, and Frank sau, “He fas got to pay that; but would rather pay it myseli than that it should bring Mr. Beecher in colusion, and 1 will agree that you sbAli have it, ii 1 have to pay it myself; therelore, let this thing remain with me as jong as Ilike—a year or ten years;” Frank was determin- ed that peace should be kept. Q. Were there any proceedings to perpetuate testimony taken? A. Frank thougnt Mr. Bowen Ougnt to come Lo a settiement, and said, “Ll think | 1 will put this in court;”” and Mr. Ward instituted | Some proceedings; it was the mere suggestion of @ suit, done without my Knowledge; 1 think 1t was | to perpetuate Mr. Johuson’s testimony; 1 have | | lorgotten, fe | _Q. ‘hat was in 1872? A. Yes, it must have been | | in March, q You say you put the management of your | matter against Bowen in the hands of Moulton? | Q. Did not he represent to you that it was abso- lutely indispensable or material that you and Mr. Beecher should keep on iriendiy terms in refer- | ence to this controversy with Bowen? A. No. ‘The sum and essence of his management was the management of my relations to Mr. Beecher; he | regarded Mr. bowen as an incident; 1 could not | afford to lose my office, and Mr. Moulton said, | “You have got to keep peace with Mr. Beecher tor the sake Of yoursel! and tumily ;’’ Mr. Mouiton al- | Ways made Mr, Bowen subsidiary to Mr. Beecher— me also, till 1 revolted, alter Dr, Bacon's letter, Q. Do you mean to say that it was never re- garded as important that friendly reiations should be maintained between you aud Mr. Beecher, hav- ing reference to pa dimculty with Bowen? A, Not @ particle; the more quarreiled witn Mr, Beecher, the better Mr. Bowen liked it; tf, asa Fesult of the controversy, Mr. Beecher should be dead, Mr. Bowen would not be oue of the mourners, but one that would uplift the horn ot eee he never wanted peace with Mr, Beecher; he always wanted war with Mr, | ig an enemy of Mr. Beecher, and | would rejoice in nis downiall; pernaps I ought | not to Say that; it ts speaking of the motives of | | people, but it is true. | Q. The tripartite treaty was not signed until after February 7, 18717 N ( | { { No, } Q. Was not your letter to Mr. Moulton of that | date written for che purpose of calling out a reply from him?» A, No; I wrote tt because Frank in- | sisted upon it; Frank had the idea that if 1 gave | my word he would have me bound; he wanted me to write the utmost of what I could of good will tn | this letter. | Q. And did he get a corresponding answer from | Mr, Beecher? A. Perhaps so; [do not think that from Mr. Beecher, Q. He miormed yon that he nad got an answer | | from him afterward, did he mot? A. Yes, he suowed it to me and I copied it. in order to draw out An answer from Mr. Beecher? A. No, I wrote it to please Frank, because ne | wanted me to; perhaps there may be a sense in which I was to write what 1 couid oi good wiil, and Mr, Beecher what he could of good will; perhaps | there may be correctness im your phrase; there was no collusion on my part with Mr, Beecher; it was Mr. Moulton’s tron-like way of compelling things to go on in peace and harmony; he is a man of desperate strength of will. Q. Now, will you preduce all the letters which You quote on pages 113 and 114 of your communi- cation, beginning, “My dear Frank, Lam deter- | | | porarily earned, would be absolutely worthless, and rendering me liable at any time of day?” &c. A. I cannot; Mr. Moulton can, Q, Have you acopy ot itt A. Yes, I think fam not wrong. Q. Gan you produce acopy? A. Ido not know; 1 am Lesa 4 f cannot tell you; 1 have a mass of phonographic notes; whenever these ietters came, whenever there was Late in them that Frank wanted me to see, he would read them to me; whenever Mr. Beecher said anything that he thought, being read to me, would gratify my feel- Q You do not believe she ever felt or believed it, do you? A, No; that is to nay, in one sense she Joved him; she loved his religious views, she joved ings and conduce to a compromise or peace be- tween us, Rebar 4 of the kinduess with which [ treated him, or of his diMcuities, Frank read them | tw “me,"? | mn the original? A. Lthipk it is “me; itis “me? | | stance, and at a time when you were aiso contess- Q. bo you say that your letter was not written ; m tacked and f wrote ade.ence; the scandal had to | ‘are OL itsell; 1 Was not so tender toward the | scaudal that 1 should reirain irom deiending my- | sell if 1t would revive it even. | Q. That is evident, Mrs. Jilton'’s letter to you quoted February 9, 1868, and commencing, “An! dia angei ever love so grandly as my beloved.” In | that letter, on page 164, (his sentence occurs, “And the dear iricnds who love us.” You origin. ally Wrote it, and you have erased 7 and putin | Do you know which is correct ¥ What is (eXamining the first draft of the communication.) Q. How came Mrs, Litton to write that letter to Moulton, denying that she had ever tiougut of separatiug irom you? A. Frank, as soon as he uadertook to make the compromise between us, undertook to straighienu out Whatever Was wrong; Unere was a story that Mrs, Morse set afloat about my being divorced, and Frank wrote a note to her or went to see her, and she wrote this note, Q. Did not she write it at your suggestion? A, 1do not think she did; I think she wrote it at Franh’s suggestion; I had iorgotten that letter unui | jound it among the papers, Mr. Hill—Did not you make any suggestion to her about wt that letter? A. I do not recol- lect distinctly; it may be that I did; 1 donot know; I co-operated with Frank, General Tracy—Has she not during this contro- Versy signed letters that you have written for ter ? A. No; she wrote @ letter to-Dr. Storrs, a part of which I suggested the phraseology, of a delicate statement Of her reiations to Mr. Beecher, whicn, while it was not talse, did not convey more than halt of the truth; tae remainder she wrote herselt ; she Was going to state too much in it, Q. Is there any other letter that she has ever written at your dictation, and signed aster you had written it, in this controversy? A. Well, I do not know; I do not recoilect any at present, Q. Do you remember a letter that she wrote Mr, Moulton, commencing “Dear Francis, I toid you a falsehood jast nigut?? A. lL never saw tt Q. Do you remember that Mr. Moulton reported to you, On any occasion, that she had made a stavement that what you claimed was her conies- sion she had made at your solicitation ana tn- } | i | ing to her, or anytoing of that description, and | that you were angry about it, and took Moulton | to your bouse to have him see whether she would make such @ statement or not, and that Mr. Moulton coming in and repeating the states ment in you presence, you asked her whether she had ever said 80, and she said she had not, and you turned to Moulton and said, “Then you see who is the ilar??? A, Ido not remember any such phrase a8 tuat; Frank Moulion said to me, as nearly a8 Ican recollect (lus memory is better than mine), that Elizapeth, in @ mood ot criticism on me (which she did not very often have), had said that Lad made to her coniessions against mysell coriesponding with the confession which not true; and Frank asked her squarely if it Was Sv. Q. Did he ask herordid you? A. I do not re- ember, Q. What did she say? A. She sa‘d “No,” and then Frank atterwards toid me she said the opposite. Q. Now did you not Know that the very next morning she wrote to Mr. Mouiton a letter begin- ning, “Dear Francis, I told you two falsenvods,” | and proceeded to say in substance, ‘Tae fact is that when Tam in the presence oi Mr. Tilton he has such @ control over me tnat [ am not responsi- bie for what I say,” or ‘1am obliged to say What- ever he wills that 1 should say; but the truth is that I had reported the story just as you had heard it {do not; | know that she had some con- versations with him, which she reported to me a8 being greatly like a see-saw—saying one thing and unsayinig it. ne Have you ever had doubts of her sanity? A, Q. Never? A, No, sir. Q. Have you ever threatened to put her in an asylum? A, No, sir, Q. Have you ever circnlated the story among her acquaintances or friends that she was pecoming insane? A. No, but that her mother was; there was one time about then when she Wasa lilile de- lirtous, When? 4.1 do not remember; her mind wandered 4 little in sickness; she has never had a taint of insa! you know we have a customar; ah extravagant thing, my iriend, that is the only possible way in phrase, “Yo! You are insane of | names; I took pains to introduce no names; there | Q. You went to the meeting yourself, and delib- | erately Intended to go? A. No, 1did not; Frank came to tie Goldea Age ottice; it rained and it was late, hali-past seven o'clock, and L went to see who was to preside; there was no expectation that [ would preside at ail; we got there at ten minutes to eight o’clock, aud the crowd was so great that we could not get in at the front way, and we weut to the rear and went into a large anteroom, and | there was Mrs. Woodhull, Mushed and excited because there Was not a brave man in the circle of the two cities to preside at her meeting; Mr. Beecher did not come, and one or two otners | that had been invited were not there; she felt that | tuere was no courage in men, and she was going | ou alone, and I said, “I will preside at your meet- | ing; it was not more than ten minutes; L | do not beheve five minutes, forethought; | wert | on the platiorm and made a few remarks and in- troduced her; that was the way it came about. Q. You quote letters from your wife in 1868 to | show the affection she bore you ut that time, aud | then you say that in 1870 you thought you discov- ered that her mind was absorbed in Mr. Beecher | to too great an extent, Between the beginning of | 1868 and the spring 0: 1870 had there been any act | on your part caiculated to disturb the happiness | of your home or alienate the affections of your wiie?_ A. Not that I remember. Q Had there been no affection of a marked | character existing between you and another lady | which was calculated to disturb the happiness of a wiie? A, No, | think not. (Here jollowed a series of circumstantial inqul- Ties concerning Mr. Tilton’s relations with ditter- ent women, and equally circumstantial denials on his part of anything improper, or o1 any connec- tion between these stories and his wife’s estrange- ment from him.) Q. Do you know that made charges against SMe and that that was one of the reasons why Mr. jowen discharged you? A. 1 cannot say what operated on Mr. Bowen. Q. That was one of the things discussed, was it not? A. Yes, the only thing discussed; but, Mr. Tracy, Idecline this examunatio: you have in- troduced names here, and you must take the con- sequences; there are charges against one of the | are written charges mage and Mied concerning a | lady whom you lave named; now, I do not take the responsibility of reviving It. General Tracy—We have to mention names here, but I think they won't be mentioned in the record, Q. What was the character of the charges that made against you? A. | never knew that made any until afterwards; Mr, Bowen said there had been a story told prejudicial tome; be would not teil me by whom, and he would not tell me the story; [ said, “If there 18 any story preju- dictal to me, bring the person who tells the story | face to Jace with me;’’ Mr, Bowen said, “that is | fair” aiter that | heara that she wrote a letter. Q. Was there any other lady that was in the | havit of seelug you at your house? A. if there was, do you snppose I would be ttle enough, as @ gentleman, to name it? Lam nota minister. General Tracy—Then perhaps you might men- tion it? A, I should not; there are ladies that I know and honor and I should scorn to auswer such a question, Q. 1 asked you whether there were any other la+ dies who were in the habit of visiting your house, and Whose Visits disturbed the quiet and happiness of your wife? A. You may ask her and take her answer; 1 scorn to answer; Elizabeth shall have the benefit of any statement she pleases to make concerning any Names; this examination [ under- stand the point of perfectly well; there 18 no wo- jan that I have respected or honored whom { ve not brought to my house, which is not the practice always of men in their relations with la- dies; if Klizabeth has been troubled concerning | my attentions to any lady take her testimony upon that subject. General Tracy—I will do that, and f£ shall do it, because you have brought into thé controversy the character of your home; you bave said that | her affections were alienated, and it is proper and essential that we should show that that was not the cause to bf FG attrivated it. Mr. Ti!ton—I say if Elizabeth's change of mind was due in her opinion to the fact that | had loves and affections for other ladies, take her testimony for that fact; I will not her. Q@ You are confident she will state the truth of that? A. She wiilstate what she wants to have appear, ana that she 18 welcome to. vy Mr, Hill—Won't you @ay generally whether | 5 1 | thing; io making A. Ido | pe had affections for other ladies which your wif new of? No answer. By General Tracy—Do you refuse to be examin on that point? A. No; 1 don’t refuse to be exa! ined on that point. Q. Then state whether there are not other ladie@ who have been intimate with you, and in your so« ciety at your house, olfen and repeatediy, and in a manner calculated to disturo the quiet and peace Q. Did you ever hear tt stated or intimated that room or appearing In their roum before they wer Mrs. Woodhull always annoyed her when shi of mind of your wile. A. I think I brought Mrs, rt you haa ‘undue famillarities with those hidies at Gressedy A. No, 1 didn't; J cannot imagine an; came; Elizabeth always took fire at every perso! Stanton and Miss Anthony there; she hatea them, but it was because she thought they were radicaisg your house No, no. General Tracy—I don’t mea criminal famiiiar! reason why anybody should. Q. Was there any other lady besides the two that{ and so on. 1 tes, but undue tamiliarities, such as visiting the: you bave mentioned who annoyed Elizabeth? Aw Who did not come within the limtt of the orthodo: ordinances; she always loved all che women wh Were connected with the church; my life Was oul Side, and it geueratiy happened that neariy all my public iriends were radical in one way or anothers. and she could not | it and it annoyed her. of tens, You knos of sjhe visits and attention pier” Iv wat disturbe i muon? A. Ne Mi ‘turbed your wie ver! another jady, which Mr. ‘tilton answered at firs frankly, and aiterward with anger, claiming tha’ the lady was an intimate and vaiued iriend of bi [A Series of questions then followed EE | wile as well as hunselt.} General Tracy—Do you know that about ther ume of your quitting the Union, im 1869, yours nae and ——'s Were associated together by pud-< lic rumor? A. By £ ny, y Ward Beecher; and het | wrote an apology to Mr. Bowen, which I posses: 1 8, recalling it; 14 Was lis slander ‘and iean produc it; the first thing Mi. Beecher did, within & wee! atter nis apology on the 4th of January, was tol write to Mr, Bowen # retraction of what he had said in regard to ——, Q. When was it that he said tt? A, L never heard of it until he had unsaid it; it wa3 a voluntary, retraction he confessed th veard that he bad spoken un- fact; I had never ; handsomely until he apologized to me and wrote, the retraction; that retraction was put into myi hanas, Q. You mean to say that pubic rumor did not connect your name and ——’s at the time youd were on tne Union, or about that time? [Mr. Tilton admitted that there was a paragraph) in one of the New York papers that they were go= ing to elope together. He was then on the Union. Other questions follow concerning his visits to the lady, &., which he explained a8 natural ands proper.) Q. Did tt come to the knowledge of your wife ®% A. I carried it to the Knowledge of my wie ; it was curing the summer of 1870, when I edited th Union ; TL only edited it eight montns; tt never was a good paper belore or since—begging pardon for improprieties. Q. Afterwards you made the acquaintance of Mrs. Woodhull, did you not? A, The next yearg 1871. Q. Did you ever express your atachment | — in the presence o! your wife? A, Ask m, wile; take her answer; you may depend that never said to —, or any osher jady, in the ai sence of my wife, what I would not have said im her presence; I have no secrets irom Mrs, Tiltong I never had any, and never should have bad any’ but for this break up; J never had any secrets from Mrs, Ti'ton until within this last year or two,; during which we have not harmonized as former years, Q. Have you ever admitted to her that you ha committed adultery? A. 1 oever admitted to he anything of the kind. Q. But you don’t nean to say that you have not, do you? “A. Mr. Tracy, talk to meas one gentle: man to another. General Tracy—You charge your wile wit having committed adultery; I mean to ask yo whether you bave or not? A. 1 say, let my wii make the charge, if she wishes to. Q. [ask you the question, A. You may ask it till doomsday, Q. You decline to answer? A. I do not; Isay! Iwill take my wife's answer, Q. How could she know that you had, if you ry mn not coniessed itto her? Iask you whether yo have not been guilty of the crime? A. I aecli: to hold a conversation with you on such a subject. Q. Have you not admitted to others your commis< sion of adultery? A. Mr. Tracy, have you com« mitted adultery? feneral Tracy—I have not charged my wife with that crime. Mr. Tilton—If I am to be charged with the crim: of adultery in this business | wish to know It. wish my Wife, in whose interest you speak, make the charge tf she chooses. Now let her choose. If you, gentlemen, suppose that you ara to fight this battle in reference to my character will make it fen umes harder than you see, Yes~ terday we were en the edge oi peace; »atif you mean to draw the sword the sword snail be drawn Mr. Hitl—Don’t you think it ts pretty well out? Mr, Tiiton—There is one thing that Iwas borm for and that is war. . Did you make the acquaintance of Mrs, Wood- null in the absence of ——? A. 1 don’t remember whether she was absent or present. Q. Don’t you remember whether it was while she was at home or not that you were associating wit | Mrs. Woodhull? A. lL knew Mrs. Woodhu!l @ whol ear, ¥ Q. [After soveral questions interjected, tnvol- ving reterence to another woman.) Do you know whether or not information was communicated to your wile that you were living with Mrs, Woodhul & A. I never lived with her, Q. Do you remember whether your wife was told that you were living with her? A. I never heara of it till now; I saw something the day before yeae | terday in as Q. The Chicag A. Yes, | Q. Have you read it? A, Yes. | Q@. Don’t you know that information of precisely: | the character then published was communicated to your wife by the mother of Mrs, Woodhull dure ing your intimacy with Mrs. Wooahull? A. | never: heard of such a thing: lL rememper tnat Mrs. Morse Was with Mrs. Clafin; the old, crazy woman came at the foot of her stairs one night and made a | hideous racket of some sort of trash; Mrs, Morse: quoted that, and got quite frignteaed about it. General Tracy—Il hope all the mothers of your friends are not insane. Don’t you know that Mrs. Claflin at the same time communicated that to your wife? A. Idid not know that she w my wife; Lunderstood that that woman made a visit at Mrs. Morse’s; it may be, pernaps, that Mrs. Til~ ton was there at the time. Q. Don’t you know that your wife’s mind has been disturbed in regard to your own infidelity to her by your associations with public women? A. No, sir; if that pretence is made, Mr. Tracy, on Rare part, itis unmanly; ifitis made on her pars. t ig false; [ have never associated with publig women, General Tracy—I don’t mean prostitutes; I mean reiormers. A. Oh, yes; 1 said beiore that Eliza- beth had been annoyed, over and over agam, by My associations with all persons out of the reaim of religious orthodox ideas, Q. In that class of people whom among your lady’ acquatntances do you include? A. | incinde Mrs. Stanton and Miss Anthony, though I nave not seen those people since Elizabeth ordered them out of the house; beyond those persons I aon’s know; Lucy Stone was one; she iived in Boston; she did not come very often; Llizaveth was a re-, former at one time, and had the getting up of women’s rights meetings, and had the children. take the tickets; she arranged the campaign, bat’ now she can’t endure them, SESSION OF JULY 23, 1874, At the session all the members were present and. examined, with Mr. Tilton, who was also presen wich the letter from his wife which be had quoted) in his statement, The other letters which he had juoted trom he said were in the hands of Mr, Frank ouiton, After some Conversation the committee | adjourned, FEELING IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH. Very little was ascertainable of the feeling of Plymouth church congregation, as to the scandal, atthe service yesterday, for whe simple reason that the congregation proper was not present. There was rather more than a usual vacation at- tendance, but it was principally made up of strangers. The few prominent members presenc expressed their full and unbounded confidence im Mr. Beecher—a confidence that the revelations of the week had not in anywise shaken, It is understood that the committee have no doubt of, this, and would be periectly willing to rést their: case on the testimony already taken, and sabmity it toa jury with a futl confluence that Mr. Beecher would be found guiltless of any criminal wrong. Mr. Beecher’s tuller statement, It !s not unlikely, will be given to the committee this evening. The committee say that they are somewhat surprised: that so loud a demand should be made for this., The unreasonableness of this cry will be iuily shown when the testimony already taken is given to the world, In the meantime Mr. Beecher posesses his | soul in perfect patience, and in all outward a pearance has the manuer of aman conscious ol | the Jalsity of the charges that have been ous against him, DR. MARTIN ON THE SCANDAL. The preacher thought that the discipline an@ rule of the Congregational Church, to which denomination Plymouth belonged, was in« fringed upon im the nomination by its pastor of @ committee to investigate the Tiltom charges. That authority wi vested only im the congregation, which alone and not the pasto! had the right—the means of trial, A number of private individuals, no matter bow nigh their standing might be, was not @ proper court in & case like this, No man had labored more faith< fully and earnestly with the pen and in the Rulpig in the cause ot Christianity than Henry Wat Beecher, and we should be caretal lest we con4 demn unjustly. Theodore Tilton had also done eminent ‘service in Christ's vineyard, and while his doctrines perhaps were more erroneous thag those of the former, yet, We should not ascribe ta him the guilt of perjury at this stage of tne in« vestigation, Our duty was simply to suspend our’ judgment, My leprecated = ¢ too prevalent habit of malicious gossiping. We be actuated by charity towarda the accused and feei for the suffering hearts stabbed by this terrible scandal, and while he prayed God that the charges ht prove an« jonnded, we should bear in mind that to best of us there stil! lark traces of the old Adam,