Wilmington journal., 1874-07-03
THE BEEcHER SCANDAL.
GRAVE CHARGES AGAINST THE
PASTOR OE THE PLYMOUTH
CHURCH..


PASTOR OE THE PLYMOUTH
CHURCH.
TiItOn,S Eecasons for Withdrawing
From the SOciety-TElc woodruff
Expose-The TriparItc Agreement
Why the Church Sslrunk From
an Envesti CATION of the Scandal
An Attempt to Buy Forgiveness
From TiltOn-Thc lBribe Refused
-Beecher,s Plea for Pardon, &c.
The Beecher-Tilton scandal is one
of those things that will not die, and
apparently every movement made to
hush it up leads to some demonstra-
ton, bringing it freshly forward to
public attention. AS already briefly
reported by telegraph, Mr.. Theodore
Tilton has written long letter to Rev.
DR.. Leonard Bacon, moderator Of the
Congregational Council recently held
in Brooklyn, in reply to certain mis-
representations which he says were
unintentionally made by that gentle
man.7
Tilton says he had been for fifteen
years a member of Plymouth Church,
and had become an intimate friend of
the pastor. The knowledge came to
me in 1870 that he had committed
against me an offence which l forbear
to name or characterize. Prompted
by my self respect, Immediately and
forever ceased my attendance on his
ministry. I informed him of this de-
termination as early as January, 1871,
in the presence of mutual friend, Mr..
Francis D. Moulton.
TON S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE
CHURCH,
The rules of Plyn outh Church of
fered me a choice between the two
methods of retirement-one, to ask a
formal method of dismissal; the other,
to dismiss myself less formally by pro-
longed absence I chose the latter.
Several powerful reasons prompted
me 70 this alternative. The pastor
communicated TO nae, in writing, an
apology, signed by his name. He also
appealed to me to protect him from
bringing reproach to the cause of re-
! ligion. he alleged that an exposure
would forbid him to reascend the pull
pit. These and other similar reasons,
had no right or disposition to disre-
| gard At length nv absence from the
church, an absence, the cause of which
not three members Of the congrega-
ton beside the pastor knew, began to
excite comment in private circles.
THE WOODHULI EXPOSE.
After many calumnious whispcrings,
near and far, weekly paper in New
York, in November, 1872, published !:
| wicked and horrid scandal, publica-
! ton which some persons in the church
ignorantiy attributed in it's origin and
| animus to me, whereas | had previous
| " spent many months of constant and
unremitting endeayor to suppress it,
an endeavor in which, with an earnest
motive but foolish Judgment, / made
many ill-directed sacrifices in my repu-
! tation, position, money and fair pros
poets in life. In May, 1873, occurred
the surreptitious publication OF trip
artite agreement signed by ii. g.
| Bowen, III. W. BeecheG and myself, an
agreement which had, SO far as l was
concerned, for its object TO pledge me
| to silence against using or circulating
| charges which Mr.. Bowen had made
| against Mr.. Beechcr.
! THE WEST INDICTMENT.
| Tilton then relates, at some length,
the steps taken by Mr.. West to cite
him before the Plymouth Church on n
| charge of circulating scandal against
| the pastor. The charges formally
| brought few weeks after, though
nominally against himself, were really
! against the pastor. He cheerfuily CO.
operated in defeating West, ana wrote
letter declining to accept Il copy of
the charges addressed to him as 4
member. on the ground that he had,
four years previously, ceased cOnnec-
| ton with the church. For this letter
! he received the pastors prompt and
| hearty thanks. An understanding was
then had between Mr.. Beecher and
! himself that Vests indictment was to
| be disposed of by simple resolution
that he (Tilton) had, four years previ-
ously, terminated his membership.
This was to PIT Vests case quietly
| out of court without scandal. To Til
tons surprise and indignation he sub
seouently learned that the report
would declare that, "whereas he had
been charged with slandering the pas
| tor and been cited to meet the charge
and had pleaded non-membership,
therefore, resolved, etc." and upon
appearing in person at the meeting he
was told by the report that he had
been served with the charges and re-
quested to answer them. He conse-
! quently arose in the meeting and said
| in Mr.. Beecher's presence that if he
had slandered him he would answer
for it to his face, and Mr., Beecher re-
piled in an equally public manner that
he had no charge to make.
THE CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL.
Next follows the history of the Con-
gregational Council, accompanied by
! Loft n
criticism upon the acts and language
of that body. Tilton continues: Il
solemnly aver, and no man shall gain
say me, that the reason why Plymouth
Chuch avoided an investigation into
the scandal with which [ was charged,
was not because I, but another man,
had brought dishonor on the Christian
name, and yet the other person, a
clergyman, permitted his church to
brand me before the council with an
accusation which, had 1 been in his
place and he ir mine, L would volun-
tarily have borne myself instead of
causing another to do SO"
AN ATTEMPTED BRIBE.
l will add quotation from letter
which [ had occasion to address to Mr..
Beecher, dated
MAY L, 1874.
HCn1y Ward Becchcr: SIR-Mr. T.
Il. Carpenter mentions to me your
saying to him that, under certain con-
ditions, involving certain disavowals
by me, sum Of money would or
could be raised to send me, with my
family, to Europe for term of years.
The statement compels me to state ex-
phcitly that SO long as life and self
respect continue to exist together in
my breast, [ shall be debarred from
receiving, either directly or Indirectly,
any pecuniary or other favor ut your
hands. The reason for this feeling on
my part you know so well that l will
spare you the statement of it.
Yours truly,
THEODORE TILTON.
Mr.. Tilton then goes on to produce
a mass Of letters and correspondence,
in which we discover no new facts
until VIC come to the following, ad-
dressed by Mr.. Tilton to DIR. Bacon:
Please forward to Mr.. Beecher the