Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-07-30

Beecher to Mrs. Tilton commenting
Moulton for his efforts to heal the differ
ences between them
49, That about year after Mrs. Til
| toms confession her mind remained in
the fixed opinion that her criminal re1a-
tons with Beecher had not been morally
wrong, so strongly had he impressed her
to the contrary, but at length change
took place in her conviction upon this
subject, and she wrote TO he- husband
saving that a new light had dawned upon
her mind, and she had become thoroughly
| convinced of her sinfulness.
IA. That about this time Mrs. Woodruff
| detailed the wicked and injurious story
which she published year after. Mean
while Tilton, desiring to guard against
any temptation to Mrs. Woodruff TO pub
| lish the grossly distorted version which
| she gave to Tilton, and which she after
ward attributed to him, sought by many
personal services and kindly attentions
| 10 influence her to such good toward
| himself and family as would remove all
| disposition or desire in her to affiict him
| with such publication. Tilton,s efforts
and association with Mrs. Woodruff
ceased in April, 1872, and six months
afterward, namely, Nov. 2, 1872, she
| published the scandal which he had
! labored to suppress.
Is. That after its publication Rev.
| Thomas K Beecher wrote of the affair:
Mrs Woodruff only carries out Henry's
philosophy, against which recorded my
protest twenty years ago"
rs. That in NAV, 1873, the famous tri-
partite agreement between Bowen,
| Beecher and TiIton, surreptitiously
| 1nI In IF
charge that Tilton had committed some
heinous wrong against Beecher, whereas
| directly the contrary was the case. To
remove this impression Mr.. Moulton
asked Mr.. Beecher to write letter to
reassure Mr.. Tilton Mr.. Beecher com
piled, and ended his letter thus: There
| Is no use in trying further. i have q
strong feeling upon me, and 1t brings me
peace, that am spending my last Sun
| day and preaching my last sermon"
| Other letters were written to Mr. Tiiton
similar in tenor, and he concluded TO
rest awhile longer under public odium
rather than further bring trouble upon
| Mr.. Beecher.
| II. Recounts the love of Mrs. Tilton
| for her husband until he was supplanted
in her affections by Mr.. Beecher, and
/ gives several of her letters written at this
time to show that love.
IS. That the story purporting to ex-
plain Beecher's apology as having been
written because he had offended Mr.. Til
ton by engaging his wife in the project
of separation from her husband was false,
as appeared by letter written by Mrs.
Tilton only three days after the date of
the apology and published with the state
ment
10. That Beecher offered in substance
| to send Tilton and family to Europe, and
share with him his fame, fortune and
everything he possessed. That the
charge that Tilton ever attempted to
levy blackmail on Beecher was false; on
the contrary, Tilton had always resented
every attempt by Beecher to put him
under pecuniary obligations.
20. That not long after the scandal be-
came public, Mrs. Tilton wrote on slip
of paper and left on her husbands writ
g-desk the following words: Now that
exposure has come, my whole nature re-
volts to join with you or standing with
! you" Through the influence Of Beech
er's friends the opinion had long been
diligently propagated that the scandal
was due to Tilton, and that
| Mrs. Tilton and Mr.. Beecher had
| falsely endeavored to make him appear
TO the world as slanderer, and
that Tilton would not have communicated
| to the committee the facts contained in
this statement except for the perverse
| course of the Rev Henry Ward Beecher
and Mrs. Elizabeth r. Tilton to degrade
and destroy him in public estimation.
81 That Mrs. Tlton had appeared be-
fore the Investigating Committee and
given untrue testimony, and that on the
next day she spent many hours of ex-
IRENE suffering from pangs OF conscience
at having testified falsely She expressed
to her husband the hope that God would
| forgive her perjury, but that the motive
was to save Beecher and her husband,
and also to remove all reproach from the
cause of religion. She had also ex-
pressed similar contrition to one of her
intimate friends.
%. The last specification is in the ma
ture of recapitulation, and is given in
full: Finally, that in addition to the fore
| going facts and evidences other confirma-
| tions could be adduced, il needed, to
prove the following recapitulated state
ment. namely: That the Rev. Henry
| Ward Beecher, as pastor and friend OF
Mr.. Titon and his family, trespassed
upon the sanctity of friendship and hos
pitality in long endeavor 10 seduce
Mrs Elizabeth r. Tilton; that by the
artful use of his priestly authority with
her. she being his pupil in religion, he
accomplished this seduction; that for a
period of year and half, or therea-
bouts, he maintained criminal intercourse
with her, overcoming her previous mod
est scruples against such conduct by in
vesting IL with false justification as sane
toned by love and religion; that he par
ticipated in conspiracy to{egrade The
odore Tilton before the public by loss of
place, business and repute; that he
abused Mr. Tilton's forgiveness and
pledge of protection by thereafter author
izing series of measures by Plymouth
Church having for their object the put
ting of stigma upon Tilton before
the church, and also before an Eccle-
siastical Council, insomuch that the
Moderator of that council, interpret
ing these acts by Beecher and his church,
declared publicly that they showed
Beecher to be the most magnanimous of
men, and Tilton to be a knave and dog;
that when Tilton thereafter, not in NAL
ice, but for self-protection, wrote letter
10 DR.. Bacon, abiding therein to an of