, 1874-07-22

overthrow tbs orcdibi1lty and good rsputo OF hor
lato husband aa man and oitizon; therefore,,
Theodore Tilton, being thus authorized and
required. and BY published demand ,natlo upon
him by tho Rov Horny Ward Dooohor+ ana being
now and hereafter retoasod by tho act Of Mrs,
Tflton from further responsibility for tho con-
eoalrnent Of the truth touching her relations with
Boechor, therefore Theodore Titon horoby sota
forth, undor solemn oath, tho following facts
md Testimony:
TrLToN's MARRIAGE.
Ffrss-~That on tho I'd OF Ootober 1855, 1t
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, marriage botrocn
Theodore Tilton and Elizabeth NJ. Richards was
performed by tho ROY. Henry Ward Deccler,
which marriage, thirteen yoars afterwards, was
dishonorod and violated by this Clergyman,
through tho criminal seduction Of thia vito aud
mother, Rs hereinafter Bat forth.
rEnF1pIoua CONDUCT.
Sccond-Thnt for period of about fiftoon
yoaEo, extending botl, bofore aud aftor this mar
riago, MI intimate friendship oxistod betueon
Theodore Ti'ton and the Rev. Horny Ward
Bccchor, whfcl, friendship was comented to such
doHreo that i'll consequence thereof the subso-
quent aiBllonoriny by Deeoher Of hiB friond's
wifo "aa crime Of uncommon wrongfuluoas
mud poridy.
TIE CRIME.
Thlrd-Tflat about nine years ago tho Rov.
Henry Ward Deechor began, and thereafter con-
t'nuod. friendship with Mrs. Elizabeth II. Til
ton, for whose native dolicaoy and e3tromo
religious sensbty ha often Expressed to her
husband . high admiration, visiting l,cr from
time to time for yearo, until the year 1870, when
for REASONS hereinafter Atntod 10 coaeed such
vista. during wllicl, period, BY many tokona md
Itlton Whereby aftor long moral resistance by
her, md aftor repeated assaults by him upon hor
mind with oyornastoring arguments, accom-
!'ilse;d tho possession OF her person. maintain,
Hereinafter stated tho rolltion called criminal
intercourse, this relation being rocarded by llor
during that period AZ not criminal or morally
wrong such Ind boon tho power OF his argu-
ecruplos against such Yiolation Of virtue and
hOuor.
Fourth-Thit OH tho evening Of Oct. 10, 1868,
or tiereabouts, Mira. Elizabeth r, Tilton held an
Interview with tho Roy. Henry Ward Doochcr ut
dor STATIC OF mind, owing to tho ro-
cont death and burial of = young child !;
and during this interview m oct Of
criminal commerce took place between this pas-
tor mud this parishouer, tho motive on her part
being, as l,croinboforo stated, not regarded by
her at tho time III criminal OF wrong which net
was followed by similar acts Of otiminnlity be-
tween tho same pnrtiea ut Tiltons residence dur
uABtoTal Flalt pau nv 1GCCEoT 10 QGT on tuQ
subsequent Saturday evening, followed also by
other similar meta on yaroua occasions from tho
autumn Of 1868 to tho spring Of 1870; the places
being tho two residences aforesaid, aud occa-
sionnlly other places to which her pastor would
invite and accompany her, or At which ho would
meet her by previous appointment thoaa acts
Of wrong boing oil hor part from frat to laHt not
wanton or consciously wicked, but arising
through u blindlng Of hor moral porcep-
tlous occaaioned M BY tho powerful influence
by tho Rev. Henry Ward Decchar, as hor trusted
religious precoptor and guido.
FifIh-Tlat tho pastoral visits made by tho
ney. Henry Ward Doechor during tho year 1865
in marked contrast with Ills known habit OF
making few pastoral calls on his pariahionerB
which frequency in Mrs. Titon's case is shown
III 1otters written to her husband during hia alb
sonco III the West; these lottoFs giving evidence
that during poriod Of five or six UookH, twelve
different pastoral Gala On Mrs. Tilton wore
made by tlo Rev. Horny Ward Boocher, which
cnIlB became noticeab1y iufroqucnt On Ti1ton'a
return TO his homo.
MRS. T1LToH's MOTIVES.
t9irh-That previous to tho aforesaid criminal
intimacy one Of tue reasoua Which Mrs. Tlton
alleged for hor encouragement of such o1cep-
tional attentions from the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher was. in fact, that she had boon much
distressed with rumors against hiB moral purity,
and wished to convince him sto could reoove hia
kindnosa and yet rosist his solicitations aud
thnt she could inspire in him, by her purity and
fidelity, an increased respect for tho chaHto dig
nifty Of womnnhood. Previous to tho autumn Of
1868 Bho maintained, with Christian tlr,nness,
ways refusing his amorouB pleas, which woro
strong and oft-1opeatod md, in letter to her
husband, dated Fob. 3, 1868, sho wrote as fol-
lows:
TO love ia pp,sevorhy, hut to abuso tho gft is ai
Here an, strong No demonstrations or fascIuations
could cause mo to yield my womauhood.
T1LroS's FInsT eUsrICtoNs.
Herenth-That tho first suspicion which crossed
Horny Ward Dcochor was abusing. or might
abuse, tho affection and reverence which h1ra.
Titon boro towards her PASTOR was an improper
caress given ly boccher to Mrs. Tlton, by the
seated by her sids on tho floor Of his library
hours afterwards, asked Of his wlfc IN explana-
tion Of hor permission Of sucll liberty; wiseraat
shc at first denied tho faot, but thon confessed
Deochor con- concornine W It. I5 On Smother S ocsi'on H.
Tlton, aftor leaving lls house in tho carly morI-
ing, returned to 1t in the forenoon, aud on going
to hiB bod chamber found tho door lockod, and
whom, on knocking, the door wae opened by Mrs
much confused, and exhibiting u flushed faco.
Mrs. Tilton afterwards made plausible explana-
ton, which, from the confidence ropnBod in l,or
by her husband MAS by him deemed sAtlBfac-
tory.
CONFESSION.
Ii9hM-rhat in the spring Of 1870. on Tilton's
return from a willter's abHencc, ho noticed in
his wife such evidences Of tho absorption OF her
mind i'll 1}oecher that III short timo A cstrapge-
mnnt took place botweep ller husband and her.
self, in consequence Of which she went into
tho country earlior than usual for q
summer Hojourn. After an absence Of
several weeks, she voluntarily returned to
hor home In Brooklyn. On tbs evening Of July
3, 1870, when. and thon, and there, within few
hours. after her arrival and after exActing from
hor husband q solemn promise that he would
do tho Rev. Henry Ward BoecLer no hNrln, nor
communicate to him what Bao was about to say,
aho mado ciroumstantia confession to l1or hlB.
band OF tho criminal facts leroinbofore stated,
accompanied with citations from Beochor's argyll
monts and roasoninSa with Aer to overcome her
loug-mantained scruples aganht yielding to hia
desires, and declaring that ai.e Ind committed
no wrong to her husband, or her marriage VOW,
quoting in support of tlls opinion that Ao1 pastor
Lad repeatedly assured hor t!iat she was spotless
mud claBte, which sho boliovnd holBolf to bo.
Bho further statod that hor aoxuai commerce
with him Ind noyor proceeded from low
Or vulgar thoughts. oitlor on hor part or
his, but always from pure affection and high re-
/