Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-07-30
THE GREAT SCANDAL
MIR. lilton's Sworn Statement
lHg EVIDENCE OF CONFIDENTIAL LETTERS |!

mlttee, we extract the IOitOW1ng, as
the gist of the evidence:
l. That OF The 2d of October, 1855, at
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, a mar
riage between Theodore TiltOn and
Elizab beth NJ. Richards was performed
by Rev. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
which marriage, thirteen years after
ward, was disflonored and violated by
this clergyman, through criminal Sc
duction of this wife and mother, as
hereinafter set forth.
IL. That for period of about fifteen
years, extending both before and after
this marriage, an intimate friendship
existed between Theodore Tilton and
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, which
friendship was cemented to such de-
gree that in consequence thereof the
subsequent dishonoring by Beecher of
his friends wife was a crime of un-
common wroDgfulness and peridy.
III. That, about nine years ago, Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher began, and
thereafter continued friendship with
Mrs. Elizabeth r. Tilton, sor whose ma
tive delicacy and extreme religious
sensibility he often expressed to her
husband high admiration, visiting
her from time to time for years, until
the year 1870, when, for reasons here
matter stated, he ceased such visits,
during which period, by many tokens
love of Mrs. 1ilton, whereby, after a
long and moral resistance by her, and
after repeated assaults by him upon
her mind with OvermaStering argu-
ments, accomplished the possession of
her peeson, maintaining with her
thenceforward, during the period here
matter stated, the relation called crim-
inal intercourse; this relation being re-
garded by her during that period as
not criminal or morally wrong, such
had been the power of his arguments
as clergyman to satisfy her religious
scruples against such violation of
virtue and honor.
IMPROPER INTIMACY BETWEEN
BEECHER AND MRS. TILTON.
". That on the evening of Oct. 10,
1868, or thereabouts, Mrs. Elizabeth r.
TiltOn held an interview with Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher at his residence,
she being then in tender state of
mind, owing to the recent death and
burial of young child, and during this
interview an act of criminal commerce
took place between this pastor and this
parishioner, the motive ON her part be-
ing, as heretofore stated, not regarded
by her at the time as criminal or
wrong, which act was followed by a
similar act of crimnality between these
parties at Tilten's residence during a
pastoral visit paid by Beecher 10 her
on the subsequent Saturday evening,
followed also by other similar acts on
various occasions from the autumn of
1868 to the spring CT 1870, the places
being the two residences aforesaid, and
occasionally other places to which her
pastor would invite and accompany
her, or at which he would meet her by
previous appointment. These acts of
wrong being on her part from the first
to the last not wanton or consciously
wicked, but arising through binding
of her moral perceptions Occasioned by
the powerful influence exerted on her
mind at that time to this end by Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher, as her trusted
religious perceptor and guide.
V. That pastoral visits made by
Henry Ward Beecher to Mrs. TiltOn,
during the year 1868, became SO fire.
quent as to excite comment, being a
marked contrast with his known habit
of making pastoral calls on his parish
toners, which frequency in Mrs. Til
toms case is shown in letters written to
her husband during his absence in the
West; these letters giving evidence
that during period of five or six
weeks. twelve different pastoral calls
on Mrs. .Tilton were made by Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher, which calls be-
came nOticeably infrequent on TiltOn's
return to his home.
vi. That previous to the aforesaid
criminal intimacy, one of the reasons
which Mrs. Tilton alleged for her en-
cOuragement of such exceptional atten-
tions from Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
was the fact that she had been much
distressed with rumOrs against his
moral purity, and wished to convince
him she could receive his kindness and
yet resist his solicitations; and that she
could inspire in him by her purity and
fidelity an increased respect for the
chaste dignity of Womanhood. Previ-
Gus to the autumn of 1868, she MAIN
tained, with Christian firmness toward
her pastor, this position Of resistance,
always refusing his amorOus pleas,
which were strong and oft-repeated,
and in letter to her husband, dated
Feb. 3, 1868, she wrote as follows:
To love is praiseworthy, but to abuse
the gift is sin. Here am strong. No
demonstration or destinations could
cause me to yield my wOmanhOOd.'
VII. The first suspicion which cross
ed the mind of Theodore Tilton that
the Rev. Henry Ward 'Beecher was
abusing, or might abuse, the affection
and reverence which Mrs. Tilton bore
toward her pastor, was an improper
caress given by Beecher to Mrs. TiltOn,
while seated at her side on the floor of
his library, overlooking engravings.
Mr.. hilton, few hours afterward, ask
ed of his wife an explanation of her
permission of such liberty, whereat she
at first denied the fact, but then con-
fessed it, and said she had spoken Chi
On another occasion Mr.. Tilton, after
leaving his house early in the morning,
returned to it in the forenoon, and on
going to his bedchamber found the
door locked, and when, on knocking,
the door was opened by Mrs. Tilton,
Mr.. Beecher was seen within, apparent
ly much confused and exhibiting a
flushed face. Mrs. Tilton afterward
made plausible explanation, which,
from the confidence reposed in her by
her husband, was by him deemed sat
MRS. TILToN's CONFESSION.
VIII. That in the spring of 1870, on
Mr.. TiltOn's return from q winters
absence, lie noticed in his wife such
evidences of the absorption of her
mind in Mr.. Beecher that in short
time an estrangement took place be-. :,
tween her husband and herself, in con-
sequence of which she went to the /
country earlier than usual for her sum-
mer sojourn. After an absence of sew
eral weeks she voluntarily returned to