Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-08-20
BEEcHER's STATEMENT.
CONTINUED ERoM E1Rsr p,sE1


me, undertook, aud promised to serve
his friend, without doing wrong to me. |
He said he saw clearly how this was to |
be done, so as to restore peace and har-
mony to Mr.. Tiiton's home, and bring
8 happy end of all my misunderstood |
ings. Many things which he ceunseled |
/ absolutely refused, but never doubt
ed his professed friendship for me. Af-
ter friendship had grown up between
US, and whatever he wished me to do
did, unless it seemed to me wrong, my
confidence in him was the only ele
ment that seemed secnre in this con-
fusion of the tormenting perpleXities.
To him / wrote freely i'm this troublous
time, while / felt that secret machina-
tiOns were going on around me, and
echoes of the vilest ISLANDERS concerning
me were heard in unexpected quarters.
When some of my near relations were
set against me, and the title ofa crowd
OF malicious women, hostile to me on
other grounds, was borne to my ears,
when-I had lost the last remnant of
faith in Theodore, or hope for him,
when l learned with unspeakable re-
morse that everything 1 had done to
stay his destruction had made matters
worse and worse, and that my attempt
to keep him from a public trial, in
volving such a flow of scandal as has
now been let loose, he had been used
by him to bring up new troubles, that
his unhappy wife was, under his dicta-
ton, signing papers and recantations,
and know not what-that, in short,
everything was breaking up, and the
destruction from which had sought to
save the family was likely to be enact
ed on other families, the Church, the
community, with infinite horrors of
woe for me; that my own innocence
was buried under heaps and heaps of
rubbish, and nobody but my professed
friend, (if even he) could save US. To
his assurances that he could still do so,
gave at least so much faith as to
maintain under these terrible trials the
silence which he enjoined. Not till
Mr.. Tilton, having attempted through
Frank Carpenter to raise money from
my friends, openly assailed me, in a
letter to DIR. Bacon, diI break the 81
lence, save my simple denial of slam
ferrous rumOrs against me the year be-
fore.
When, on the appearance Of the first
open attack from Mr.. Tilton, imme-
diately, without consulting Moulton,
called for q thorough investigation
with committee of my own church.
1 am not responsible for the delay, the
publicity or the details of that investi.
cation. All the hirm which | have 81
long dreadad, and hBve so earnestly
striven to avoid has come to pass.
could not further prevent it without 8
full surrender of honor and truth. The
time has arrived when l can freely
speak in vindlcation of myself. labol
under
GREAT DISADVANTAGES
in making a statement. My memory
ofstates of mind of mind is clear anC
tenacious, better than my memory o
dates or details, during the four troub
led years, in all of which / have beel
siugularly burdened with public labor
3 having established and conducted tn,
Christian Union, delivering courses O
lectures, preaching before the Theolog
ical Seminary of Yale College, writer
q the "Life of Christ" delivered eacl
' winter lyceum lectures in all the Nortl
s. West, all these duties, with the care o
= great Church and its outlying school
i and chapels, and miscellaneous busi
ness which falls upon clergyman
y y more than upon any other public man
1 have kept in regard; and now, wit
Z the necessity of explaining actions an,
letters resulting from complex inf1u
90 ences apparent at the time, / find my
ST self in position where know my in
nocence without being able to prove
Y with detailed explanations. | am on
upon whom trouble works inwardly
n. making me outwardly silent, but re
No verberating in the chambers of m
soul, and when at length l do speak
as it is pent-np flood, and flows withou
ST measure or moderation. / inherit
tendency to sadness, the remains in m
'e of positive hypOchondria in my fathe
l. and grandfather, and in certain MOOD
~ of reaction the world becomes blacl
u and see very desparingly. III wer'
in such mood, to speak as [ feel,
he should give false coIors and eXagge
be ated proportions to everything. Th
70 manifestation is in such contrast to tf
" cheerfulness and courage which e.
he perience in ordinary times, that nor
tv but those intimate with me would su
ty pect me so full of overflowing spir
and eager gladsomeness to have with
., me care of gloom.
ID. THE LETTERS TO MoULToN.
,r. s Some of my letters to Moulton rehe
this morbid feeling. He understot
n; M it, and at times earnestly reprOved n
for indulging it.
M FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH TILTO
no With this preliminary view pr
ceed to my narrative.
we Mr.. Tilton was first gnown to me
iiS a reporter Of my sermons. He was tht
a youth, just from school and wOrkir
then on the New York Observer, al
OIL from this paper he passed to the Ind
ks pendent and became great favOri
ri. with Mr.. Bowen.
When, about 1861, Drs. Bacon, Stor
and Thompson resigned their places,
became editor of the Independent,
CT, which had been from its start co
Dr.. tributor. One of the inducements he
ty. out to me was that Tilton should
my assistant and relieve me Who'll
from the routine office work. In tn
ho relation became very much attach
.- to him. We used to stroll to the g
lor leries and paint shops and dine oft
he together. His mind was opening fres
IN. Iy and with enthusiasm upon all que
tions. / used TO pour out my ideas
ne civil affairs, public policy, religion al
in philanthropy. OF this he has oft
- spoken with grateful appreciation, al
IL mourned at later day over its cess
res ton.
: URGED TO VISIT TILToN's HOME.
ar August was my vacation month, b
,as my family repaired to my farm
limo nr I,Iv aud romaiuod fhara du
o' ing September and October: My labo
lce confning me to the city, | took n
he meals in the families Of friends, al
". from year to year became SO famili
gs Vent @ ina in and G ont daiiv H aimost ] a. 1, in n
er- own house. Mr.. Tiiton often alIud,
Ia in Ill IN. a 4