Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-01-23
CHURCH SCANDAL.
The.Skeieton in:Plymouth Church
Further Chapters in the Beech
er-TiIton-WoOdhu Scandal-A
Letter frorn.Mr. Tilton.

er-TiItOn-WOOdhu Scandal-A
Letter froln.Mr. Tilton.
Especial Correspondence of the Pittsburgh
CommerciaLl
NEW YORK, January 4, 1872.
Those redoubtable..and irrepressible
sisters, Victoria and Tennessee, have
at last reached the very acme of their
hopes, a coterie of the ''goodly" people
ot the City of Churches having opened
their arms to them.
! CHAMPIONS OF LAXITY. r.
They are now domiciled under the
shadow of Plymouth Church. But for
the stupididity of modern Dogberry,
and the oficiousness Of the agent OF
the Society for the Prevention OF the
Circulation of Obscene Literature, these
women would probably never again
have come to the surface. Their paper
had been discontinued, and they were
absolutely penniless. The prominent
hotels were denied them, and even
the young daughter of Victoria Wood
hull was excluded from the principal
private schools. They realized the fact
that they were looked upon as social
lepers, and, becoming desperate thereat,
they fired their last fuse. 1850
THE EXPLOSION THAT FOLLOWED
was a scandalous article which appear
ed in Woodruff and CgGtasa's lteekty,
rejecting on the morality of an emf
nent clergyman. charging him with
having maintained illicit relations with
the wife of distinguished journalist.
The temperance of this pestilent sheet
containing such startling allegations
was the absorbing topic ofconversation
in ali churches Observation-Disclosures persons
| most do congregate, and the paper was
.. eagerly sought at every news stand
Society. WAS shocked az the seeming
aadacity of these wdJnen, and they
were denounced in unneasured terms
on every hand, and finally the outrags
to religion and morals being SO mani.
fest, the United States officials pounced
upon the social insurgents, and the As
sistant United States District Attorney
: had them consigned to a dungeon, de-
: claring sit was the business of the Uni
ted States to protect the reputation oi
! reverend citizens" This ill-conaidered
: and over-zealuus action on the part ol
= the Government attorney was So17
AN UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. ''' q
! Unfortunate because it provoked all
! the mischief which, from present indi
!, cations, seems destined to work per
:, manent injury to the characters o.
J; some persons hitherto spOtless.
Confinement to these women was the
e very ecstasy of happiness, for they
i were now in their element. With
o them it was their goal, not gaoi. Fo'
: years they had canvassed forsympathy
+ while disseminating their peculial
d views and opinions, with little or nc
. success; no y that they were in duranct
y vile, they were surfeited with 1t. Mum
d bers of morbidly curious sympathetic
(. people visited the sisters in their cell
g Women, married but not mated, pale
: their homage, and even some of tht
male gender, who are willing convert
: to their faith, came also. VictOris
e told and retold her story over and owe
IS again to eager listeners, among whom
d it is pitiable to state, were several cler
o. gymen, anxious to tear down wba
: they could not build up.
Oficious people called on the paatie
compromising by or involved in th'
% scandal, entirely distancing the profes
T. sional interviewers in their effrontr!
Z. and importantly. On every occasioI
= they were firmly but respectfully re
pulsed by all who were concerned ii
). the scandal. In the meantime the AT
torney General reassured the sanctit!
/ of the mails, deciding that the seizing
opening and retaining of mail matte
in tJ,asita, were alike Illegal and dan
gerous, no matter if it was known tt
~ contain obscene articles. The who'll
proceedings against these women, a
!. regards the postal phase, falls to th'
Y. ground, the indictment being based on
e. the charge that the papers opened ant
detained at the postoffiee contained OBJ
} scene matter. Since the discharge 0
Woodruff and Clatiin, they have issuet
s another edition of their vile sheet, IN,
on Thursday next, will '.'''-f-
'H" } FIRE ANOTHER BRoADsIDE,
with some contributions from mem
: bers of Plymouth church. To cap tn
u climax Victoria Is to deliver lectur
at ON the NAKED Truth" ut Cooper In
rs stitute, the same evening", the ticket
le having all been sold. ... .,s.
1t is not unknown to some promi
nent persons in Brooklyn, that were
:, not for the fact, that one. man wfo
l. more than any other, should speak il
tones OF thunder, if only for the sake G
those dear to him, stands on .mer
punctilio, religion and morals in a Gel
tain circle in that city would receive
sad blow.
C. A LETTER FROM TILTON.
tx A New York journalist, who wa
.e- er Theodore Tilton's playmate in child
Isl hood, speaking il. behalf of fe'
2, members Of the profession with whor
or he had been cOnveIsing On the Beech
OF er scandal, dropped "a note to Mr.. III
- ton, suggesting the propriety of forn
a al denial of the calumny, and receive
n the following reply:
ed I74 IIvINGSToN STIR EETs