Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-08-26

| possession; partly because | felt that the
injury thereby done to Mr.. Tilton was far
less calamitous than the destruction which
must come on all the interests had for
years tried to conserve, and especially on
Mr.. Beecher himself, if l should comply
with this request. But l stated clearly
that in one emergency | should speak
namely, in defense of my own integrity of
action, if it should be wantonly assaied.
I left Mr.. Beecher untrammelled by the
facts in my hands to defend himself, with
out the necessity of attacking me. By the
published accusations of Mr.. Beecher
affectin9 my character, my own self-re-
spect, the advice of friends, and public
Justice. make it imperative that "the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth" should now be fully declared. l
give the public, therefore. the statement
had prepared to bring before the commit
tee without the alteration or addition of Il
sentence and scarcely word-certanly
without The change of single syllable
since read Mr.. Beecher's statement and
evidence, or because of it. This paper |
withheld from the committee, when before
it. in Il last despairing effort for peace, at
the earnest solicitation OF some OF Mr..
| Beecher's friends, and with the approval,
also, of some of the most valued OF my
own. I do not now give 1t to the commit
tee, but to the public, because It's produc-
ton concerns myself rather than the prlncl-
pals in the strife. 1t is made for my own
protection against public accusations, and
| not to aid either party to the controversy
| For the needless and cruel necessity that
now 50 imperatively compels It's production
| have the most profound grief-for which
| there is but single alienation, namely ::
| that the disclosure of the facts, at this time,
can scarcely work more harm 10 HIM
whom | at first tried to betrlend by with
! holding them from the public than they
would have caused him in January, 1871.
when, but for my interference. tho p1biic
most assuredlv would have been put IN
possession of the whole truth. 1hlS publl-
cation, to which Mr. Btecher forces me,
renders frutless four years of constant and
sincere efforts to save him. 1t leaves him
and Mrs. Tilton in almost the same posi-
ton in which found them, excepting in
so far as their own late disingenuous un-
trnthfulness in their solemn statements
NAV lower them in the estimation of the
world. [ reserve to myself the right
hereafter to review the statements of Mr..
Beecher in contrast with the facts as shown
bv the documents herewith suhjoined, and
others which | have at my hand-the pro
duction of which did not seem to b.
necessary until some portion of the pub
lished evidence of Mr.. Beecher demanded
contradiction.
(SirneO FRANCIS ID. MOULON.
In his statement to the committee he, to
| show what chirges Tilton brought against
| Beecher, gives the famous letter of Iilton
/ to Bowen:
BROOKLYN, Jan. l, 1871.
! Mr.. HENRY c. BRwEN-Str: | received
last evening your sudden notices breaking
NV two contracts-one with The H1depend-
ent, the other with The Brooklyn Unlon.
With reference to this act of yours will
make plain statement of facts.
1t was during the early part of the
rebellion Cf | recollect arightl when you
first intimated to me that the Rev. Henry
! Ward Beecher had committed acts of
adultery for which, if you should expose
him. he would be driven from his pulpit
From that time onward your references -
this subject were frequent. and always ac-
companied with the exhibition of deep
seated injury to your heart.
In letter which you addressed to me
| from Woodstock, June 16, 1868, referring
to this subject, you said: sometimes
| feel that must break silence, that | must
! no longer suffer as Il dumb man, and be
made to bear Il load of grief most unjustiy.
One word from me would make ret0tu-
ton throughout ChristendOm, | had
almost said9and you knolc 1t. You
have lust little of the evidence from the
great volume in my possession. |
am not pursuing phantom, but sOlemnly
| NJ
| The underscorings in this extract are
your own Subsequently to the date of
! this letter, and at frequent intervals from
| then till now, you have repeated the state
ment that YOU could at any moment eXpal
Henry Ward Beecher from Brooklyn.
! You have reiterated the same thing not
! only to me but to others.
| Moreover, during the year just closed
your allusions to the subject were uttered
with more feeling than heretofore, and
were not unfrcquently coupled with your
emphatic declaration that Mr. Beecher
ought not to be allowed to occupy a public
position as Il Christian preacher and
| teacher.
On the Goth of December, 1870, at an in
| terview in your house, at which Mr.. Oliver
johnson and | were present, you spoke
| freely and Indignantly against Mr.. Beecher
us an unsafe visitor among the families of
his CONGREGATION. You alluded by name
to a woman now widow, whose hus-
bands death YOU had no doubt was hasten
ed bv his knowledge that Mr.. Beecher had
| maintained with her an improper init
macy. You avowed your knowledge of
several other cases of Mr. Beecher's
adulteries. Moreover, as if to leave no
doubt on the mind OF either Mr.. johnson
or myself, you informed Us that Mr.
Beecher had made to you Il confession Of
his Guilt, and had with tears implored
vour forgiveness. After Mr.. johnson re-
| tired from this interview, you related to
me the case of Il woman whom you said
| las nearly rs | can recall your Words
| that Il
| During your recital of the tale you were
| full of anger toward Mr.. Beecher You
said, with terrible emphasis that he ought
not to remain week longer in his pulpit
You Immediately suggested that demand
should BE- made upon him to quit his sacred
Office. You volunteered to bear to him
such a demand in the form of an open
letter, which YOU would present to him
with your own hand; and you pledged
Yourself to sustain the demand which this
! letter should make-namely, that he
| should. for reasons which he explicitly
knew. Immediately cease from his ministry
of Plymouth Church and retire from
Brooklyn.
The first draft of the letter did not con-
tain the phrase, - for reasons which he ex-
plicitly knew" and these words Cor words
| to this effect were incorporated in Il sec
ond, at YOUR motion. You urged further
more tand very emphaticallv) that the
letter should demand not only Mr.. Beech
er's abdcation of his pulpit, but cessation
of his writing for The Christian Union, a
point on which you were overruled. This
| letter YOU presented to Mr.. Beecher at
Mr.. Freeland's house. Shortly after its
presentation you sought an interview with
me in the editorial office of The Brooklus
Union, during which, with unaccountable