Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-09-24
An Additional Statement by Mr..
MOultOn.


MI Monlton recounts in detail how strenuous
before the committee by Mr.. Tilton; and how he
and Mr. Tracy-Mr. Beecher's counsel-acted to-
cether to this end: but owing to their inability
10 prevent the meeting OF the committee on the
apnointed evening their effort was a tailnre-Mr.
Triton having promised that II the committee was
not prepared to receive his statement on that par
tcular evening he would defer making III Tor the
With regard TO Mr.. Beecher's statement that
the only copy OF Mrs. Tilton's confession was
torn in pieces in his own presence on The night
of the Both of December, 1870, Mr.. Moulton reit-
crates his assertion that the document was held
by him and returned TO Mr.. Tilton after the tn
partite agreement, TO be returned to Mrs. Iiton
that she might destroy IL. Mrs. Illtons letter
requesting this return is again published: With
regard 70 the interview a. NE nt e . ar
:. When demanded the, retraetion from MIN,
he asked me: What will you do with II II give
ii upr | answered; i will keep II as keep the
il with my life, as would protect the other with
my life may be allowed to say here that at
this remark / made reference TO the pistol In my
oyercoat pocket. which / always carried IN the
night as emphasizing the extremity OF my de-
Tense of the papers. Yet MIR. Beecher says: lie
made no verbal threats, but opened his overcoat,
and with some emphatic remark, he showed me
a pistol Why misrepresent? Is 1T possible
that he gave mis- confidence at once TO man
Who extorted the paper from him with pistolf
Yet Beecher's committee make point OF this
prevarication in their argument for the accused
With regard TO Mr. Beechers letter OF contri-
tion Mr. Moulton explains at length the circum-
stances under which 1t was written. lie says, as
before stated, that il was written out according
to the dictation Of Mr.. Beecher, and that the ex-
art language of Mr. Beecher was used in the let
ter He Moultonl was not in the habit OF using
such language, ana could hardly have composed
the letter in question. He says:
Humble myself before him as do before my
God was not used to that kind of expression;
nor the phrase Toward the poor child lying
there praying with folded hands. never called a
woman of nearly forty years old a poor child In
my life. / did not know that she was lying
anywhere with folded hands. Beecher did, be-
cause he says in his statement to the committee
that SheIey there, white as marble, like statue
of the Old World. palm to palm, like pray
ing thus reproducing four years afterward al
most the identical phrase and picture which he
conveyed to me, and which put in the letter Of
contrition' could not have used the phrase
Il have her forgiveness, because l did not know
whether he had II or not except as he told me,
and If / had acted upon my belief in the matter
should suppose that he had not. This letter,
after being prepared by me, was read by him be-
put by Beecher in his statement that this
paper was mere memorandum of points
to be used BY him m b n seSng io na my no th
sentences by him (me) expressed as he % under
stood them, not as my (his) words but as hints
@ figures wsh aTd 70 De o nim
string of hints hastily made by an Impractical
writer, as helps to his memory in representing to
Mr.. I1ltOn how i felt toward MS family. All
explanation is a mere afterthought made up for
the purpose of explanation merely. Beecher al
ways treated this letter his own in all the after
conversations upon the subject with Mr.. Samuel
Wilkeson, Mr.. Beecher's friend"
In subsequent conversation with Mr.. Moul-
ton Mr.. Beecher had alluded to the document
In question as his (Beechers) letter to Mr..
Tilton and asked Mr.. M: Cant we hit upon
some plan to break the force of my letter TO Mr..
Tilton?n etc.
Mr.. Moulton again brings forward his proofs
that Mr.. Beecher and Mrs. Tilton renewed their
intimacy after the confession made, and
after both had given assurance to Titon that they
would not meet except through him. After again
printing Mrs. Tilton's note to Mr.. Beecher, con.
Guiding with the expression :" OF course, should
like to share with you my JOY !" Mr.. Moulton pro
duces another letter from Mr. Beecher to Mrs.
Tilton, which is az follows
"The blessing of God rest upon you. Every
spark of light and warmth in your own house
will be star and sun in my dwelling Your
note broke like spring (sic) upon winter, and
gave me an inward rebound toward life. No one
can ever know, none but God, through what
dreary wilderness / have wandered. There was
Mount Sinai there the barren waste, and
there was the alienation of hope and despair
that marked the pilgrmage Of Old ole AL, II only It
shall die on the border? Your hope and cour-
age are alike amazing. Could God inspire you to
restore and rebuild at home, and, while doing II,
to cheer and sustain outside of 1t another who
sorely needs help in heart and spirit, IL will prove
life SO noble as few are able to live, and in an
other world the emancipated soul may utter
and then to send me a letter Of true inwardness
(sic), the outcome of your inner life, 1t would be
safe, for am now at home here with my sister
and IL is permitted to you (sic) and will be an ex-
ceeding rcfreshment to me, for your heart-ex-
periences are often like bread from heaven to the
hungry. God has enriched your moral nature
NAV not Others partake =
This" says Mr. Moulton, Z" is in Mr.. Beecher's
handwriting, but without direction or signature; ;
5 he T. S h es
spring upon winter tell also to what note II was
in reply, because that quotes the words of Mrs.
Tilton, Spring has come asking him to share
her Joy she being all right now, The Enclosure
is on slip Of paper marked %, but which do
not produce here, reserving IL for presentation be-
fore another tribunal. Was there ever palmer
case of renewal of intimacy to say the least, than
this? Mark also, amid the prayers to God con
tanned in the longer note, Beecher's suggestion
INA. Elizapetn Gun wtee hih i,, my ~ iat
his wife IL away"
Mr. Moulton then gives in detail Beecher's al
legged confessions to him Of his adultery with
being man of the world, drew differences from
his (Beechers) pure and unguarded expressions
which they did not authorize, and therefore as TO
these letters have left differences to be drawn by
those who read them In light which dates and
facts have now thrown upon them. But to answer
this criticism In another direction, and to show
the impossibility that / could be mistaken, not
seeking to shelter myself under any supposed
misunderstanding, but taking all the burden OF
yeracity between Beecher, Tilton and myself, l
now proceed to give such portions as are neces-
sary of some few Of the conversations in which
Beecher made confession of adultery. have be-
fore stated that the first confession was made on
the night went for the 'retraction of Mrs. Til
ton; that / there told him: Mr.. Beecher,
you have had criminal intercourse with
Mrs. Tilton, and you have done great
injury to Tilton otherwise and say
further in my published statement that he
confessed and denied not, but confessed as he
did not deny this charge so explicitly made by
me. Whatever differences have made from his
words ut other times he certainly could not have
mistaken mine at this time. When speaking OF
the relations OF man and woman, criminal inter
course has bat one legal or literal meaning, even
to clergymen. 1t, however, seems necessary that
shonld go still further, which do, and l say
that on that evening he confessed to me his
relations with Mrs Gilton In language so vivid
that could not possibly mistake or forget IL.
He said: Ny acts of intercourse with that
woman were natural and sincere in the i'm
preston of my love for her az the words OF en-.
dearment which addressed to her. There seemed
to be nothing in what we did together that
could not justify to myself on the ground OF ouf
love for each other, and / think God will not
blame me for my acts with her. know that Of
present 1t would be utterly impossible for me To
Justify myself before man."
Mr.. Moulton then calls attention to the asser
ton made in his former statement that in the
presence of himself and another witness, whom
he still feels reluctant to bring forward tol
course, not Mr.. Titonl. both Mrs. Triton and