The Grange advance., 1874-07-29
The Beecher.Tilton Affair.

Taking up tue thread Of this story we
commence with Mr.. Tilton's sworn state
ment submitted to the committee oil Ply
mouth Church and published throughout
the country that day.
The substance of Tilton's statements is as
follows: From about 1865 to 1870 Mr..
Beecher and Mrs. Tilton were on terms Of
intimate friendship. Beginning about Oct.
10, 1868, and continuing to the spring Of
1870, their intimacy was criminal. The se-
duction of Mrs. Tilton was deliberately ac-
complished, her seducer being aided by
her extraordinary reverence for his person
and character and she from first to last
being blinded by his influence so that she
saw no guilt in their commerce. Mr.. TIL
toms first suspicion was aroused by seeing
Beecher caress tis wife. Afterwards he
found them locked together in his wife S
bedroom. The final result was a" tempo
rary separation of husband and wife, end
ing with her confession and his forgiveness.
Some six months after this Beecher
was made aware Of her confession and
through the intercession of Frank B. Moul-
ton, agreement was patched up between
Tilton and Beecher to forget if not forgive.
But at this very time Beecher obtained
from Mrs. Tilton note recanting her con-
fession and charging her husband with
overpersuading her to make the confession.
On exposure of this maneuvre, Beecher
was compelled to return the recantation to
Tilton. At that time and frequently in
the course of the negotiations conducted
by Mr.. Moulton for the purpose of saving
all parties from exposure, Mr.. Beecher
threatened to commit suicide. The letter
from which Tilton recently quoted part
in reply to DR.. Bacon was dictated to
Moulton at this time and reads as follows:
MY DEAR FRIEND MoULrox.-I ask
through you Theodore Tilton's forgiveness,
and humble myself before him as I do
before my God. He would have been q
better man in my circumstances than have
been. l can ask nothing except that he
will remember all the other breasts that
would ache. l will not plead for myself.
even wish that were dead, but others
must live to suffer. will die before any
one but myself shall be inculpsted. ALI
my thoughts are running out towards my
friends and towards the poor child lying
here and praying with her folded hands
she is guiltless, sinned against, bearing the
tranfgression OF another. Her forgiveness
l have and humbly pray to God to put
into the heart of her husband to forgive
me. l have trusted this to Moulton in
confidence.
In Tilton's statement is included large
number of letters from Mrs. Tilton, confirm
atory Of his story.
Thursday morning Beecher's response
was published. It is mainly defense and
eulogy of Mrs. Tilton, but denies every.
statement of Tilton's which implies that
there was ever dishonorable intercourse
between himself and Mrs. Tilton. His
correspondence, he declares; agrees with
his version of the difficulty ON account Of
which he uttered his grief and remorse.
This version is that his presence and ceun-
sci, he thought, had brought grief upon
happy home. and his every thought and
utterapce therefore was to shield an unhap-
Ply but innocent woman. A fuller state.
ment OF all the circumstances is promised
to be made before the committee.
Friday morning Mrs. Tilton's response
was published. The charges of adultery
she declares are fearfully false in each and
every particular. The only confession she
had to make Or did make to Tilton was Of