Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-07-24

II IieUTN ". DOWSu. In early ttIe ne
was dry-goods merchant in which
calling he amassed wealth but ultimate
~ lost it, or at least so much of it as to
compel him to stop payment. lie Is
suspected of having rcsorted to sundrv
devices much more ingenious than hon
orable 10 accomplish profitable settle
ments with his creditors. But with
that branch of his career | do not pro-
pose To interfere. lie shall have the
benefit of the statute of limitations. AT
ter he had closed up his mercantile af-
iairs. he became the proprietor of the
Independent, religious weekly. I'm
der his adroit management, by skilliul
advertising, an extensive system of pre-
miums, and a lavish exercise OF the arts
ofpufiery, the paper acquired an i'm
mense circulation.
AT this juncturc, Mr.. Beechcr, who
had been an occasional contri butor as
sumed the editorial sceptre, and under
his literary supervision, the Indepsa-
dent thrived wonderfully and become
great source OF profit to its proprietor.
Wealth flowed in upon him with mar
veluus rap dity. Whether prosperity
made him arrogant. or whether arro-
gance was SO ineradically planted in
|
display of il is not entirely clear. But
for some reason or other, Mr.. Beecher
abruptly terminated his connection with
the paper. This naturally occasioned
wide spread astonishment, as the post
was a lucrative one, and for a man of
| Mr.. Beccher's versatility not intolera-
bly, onerous. Fortunately for Brown,
he found in Theodore Tilton an able
! fnsA H..
was then on the sunny side OF thirty, "A
nervous, graceful aud ready writer. in
| Identified with all the great reforms of
| his generation, alert 10 champion what
| ever he deemed the right, in spite OF OBJ
loquv or misconccption, endowed with
rare personal magnetism, and giving the
strongest promise of a brilliant and
prosperous future. So well did he full
ill the new role assigned to him that the
now firmly established hebdomadal in
creased IN circulation, patronage and
influence. under his auspices.
Nevertheless, the abdication OF Mr..
Beecher seems 10 have inspired Bowen
with implacablc resentment, and he
commenced series OF insinuations and
inuendoes in derogaiion of his moral
character. The immeasurable distance
IN point OF reputation between the ac-
cuser and the accused, caused these
malignant whispers to pass as tho mere
fgment OF vindictive aud disordercd
brain. But after time, Bowen ven.
turcd 10 repeat his slandcrs TO Mr.. Til
ton, and TO couch them in such specific
and minu terms that the latter instant
ly and Indignantly declared he would
communicate 10 the avcrments and the
name Of their author to Mr.. Beechcr
himself Bowen grew hvid with rage
at this intimation, and threatened to
cancel Tilton's contracts with the Iade-
pendent and the Brooklyn Catoa (the
former yielding salary of eJUOu per
annum and the latter $500 with con
aisGA' seeres wss sas'1 peira s ss ed Toa BraveIv
deiied the threats Of his chief. aud going |
Immediately to Mr.. B ,echer, revealed TO |
him the whole story OF Bowen's hypoc- |
risy and villainy. And sure enough, |
Bowen at once revoked his engagements
with Mr.. Tilton. and even repudiated !
the obligation he had entered into to |
pay the salaries up to specified date, /
in the event OF cancellation. This Just |
debt was only eXtorted from him by the /
certainty that if he did not pay it he |
would be dragged into court and the |
terrible story OF his baseness laid bare /
Now in order TO comprehend the |
meanness, the trcachery aud the utter 1
depravitv OF this man Bowen, one has /
but 10 remember that all the time he !
WAS making the atmosphere he polluted, /
pestilcntisl with his vile iabrications,
he was snufHing psalm tunes in one OF .
costliest pcws in Plymouth church, and ,
listening with dismal affcctation OF 4
devotion TO the prayers and preaching vi /
the gifted minister of that excellent
society. Even within six weeks hc has |
had the eifrontery to face the scorn of |
the throng who worship there, by APP
pearing in his accustomed place. Ii is /
no small proof OF the patient forbear-
ance and Christian seii-control of the |
congregation, thai they endure his /
presence, for if they were not coustrain-
ed by Gospel teachings and a sense of |
decorum they would seize upon him and |
drive him out of the temple he disgraces,
whenever he appears in it.
Within short time, a sense of the
pitiable position lie occupies seems to |
have penetrated the cuticle of this |
noisome defamer. He has made a fran
tic effort to palliate his offences by HIT |
ing that he holds evidences OF the truth |
of his allegations, which he is restrained
from promulgating by the terms of the
tripartite agreement to which his name |
is appended, and which was recently |
given to the public. 1t was ON hearing |
of this fresh outrage that Mr.. Beecher |
for the first time broke silence, by brief |
card, wherein, after branding every i'm. |
putation upon him as false in gross and |
detail, he accords permission TO anv and |
everybody to publish any and every let |
ter Of his which he or she may have in |
possession.
This card summoned Bowen post |
haste from his country seat to the CITY. |
He called upon his feminine auxiliaries,
Woodruff aud Clafiin in the hope Of |
procuring from them some data which |
might help to substsntiate or give color |
to his calumnies. This proceeding is |
peculiarly significant, in that it demon
strates that up to that time, Bowen had |
no proofs whatever Of the charges he |
had been SO profuse in making. His |
errand however, was iruitless. The |
woman knew nothing Of the matter save
what they had heard al second hand |
from Bowen. The scene between this |
Hopeful trio Of bsfiled conspirators must |
have been rich. For once these unfortu-
nate women must have realized with a
gloomy sort Of satisfaction, that they
had found . person more reckless, un-
scrupulous and wicked than themselves.
And SO tho slander dies, and its
originator and disscninator, "goes to
his own place" with q brand upon his
brow, which time can never effsce.
Wherever he goes, in city or suburb, At
home mr. ahrnah in tho straof the car or