Great Brooklyn Romance, The.
Theodore Tilton’s Annotated Copy
[Woodhull]. The Great Brooklyn Romance. All the documents in the Famous Beecher-Tilton Case, Unabridged. Portraits and Fac-Similes. Paxon’s Complete and Illustrated Edition. New York: J.H. Paxon, 1874.
8vo.; illustrated; printed wrappers; trimmed; lower panel absent; bound into new cloth backed contemporary boards. In a specially made quarter-morocco slipcase.
First edition of Paxton’s Complete and Illustrated Edition of documents pertaining to the Tilton-Beecher trial; among the seventeen facsimile portraits and illustrations are “part of Tilton’s famous letter to Bowen,” “Tilton’s demand on Beecher to leave Plymouth Pulpit,” portraits of both Tilton’s, and a depiction of “Mr. Tilton’s Cottage in Livingston Street, Brooklyn,” “Mrs. Tilton’s Retraction, and her Recantation of that Retraction,” “Mrs. Tilton to Mouton—‘I did tell you two falsehoods’,” and portraits of Stanton, Anthony, and others.
Theodore Tilton’s annotated copy, signed by him in full, in ink, on the upper wrapper, and paginated by him throughout. With his copious ink annotations to the table of contents, his occasional marginal lines throughout, vigorous pencil notes to pages 41-73 (presenting various documents of “Tilton and Beecher,” including Tilton’s own testimony) and red pencil notes to pages 143-170 (a supported summary of “Mr. Beecher’s Defense”). Though a number of Tilton’s notes are simple underlinings, x’s, and dates, others are more substantive. For example, on page 43, in part VIII of “The Sworn Statement” in which Tilton’s observation of his wife’s affection for Beecher are discussed, he writes, “not that her affections were flared.” In section XXII, he underlines “that he then participated in a conspiracy to degrade Theodore Tilton before the public, by loss of place, business and repute,” and noted in the margin, “Henry said to T.T. ‘You have done a good thing…’” (p. 49). On the next page, under “Tilton’s Cross-Examination,” Beecher’s lawyer asks, “had not Mr. Bowen discovered immoralities on your part? To which Tilton replied ‘No, he did not.’” Tilton writes, “not on account of mine—but only if I disclosed Beecher’s” (p. 50). In the “Tilton on Beecher” section of the narrative, someone—presumably Tilton—has physically cut out a portion of text (p. 355), apparently part of the summary of Susan B. Anthony’s letter to Mrs. Hooker as well as part of an introduction to a letter by Mrs. Tilton.
After Tilton gave this volume a thorough going-over, it was trimmed for binding, curtailing the occasional page number or annotation, but nearly all of his notes remain completely legible.
A remarkable and significant survival, one shedding light on one of the most infamous marital cases of nineteenth century America.
(#8477)
Print Inquire
