Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-30
THE PLYMOUTH CHURCH "DIFFI-
GUILTY.
TILTONS STATEMENT.

Mr.. Theodore Tilton appeared before
the investigating Committee of Plymouth
Church on the evening of July 20, and
presented a sworn statement of his rela-
tions with Henry Ward Beecher and the
relations of that gentleman with his Til
tons wife, an imperfect knowledge of
which has formed the basis of what is
known as the TiltOn-Beecher scandal.
This statement lifts the curtain and ex-
poses to the public gaze a hideous pic
ture OF moral depravity. 1t is a sicken-
ing and horrible revelation.
The statement contains twenty-five
specifications, giving time and place of
the commission of the offenses therein
mentioned, and on its face appears I'M
answerable. The Introductory and con-
Guiding portions of the statement are
here given, the former because it con-
tains recital of the motives that inf1u-
enced HIM to appear before the commit
tee, and the latter because it is recapit-
ulatlOn OF his grounds of offense:
" GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE-In
communicating to you the detailed state
ment of facts of evidence which you have
been for several days expecting at my
hands, let me remind you of the circum-
stances which cal this statement forth.
In my recent letter to Dr. Bacon [ allud-
ed to an Offense and an apology by the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. To whomso-
ever else this allusion seemed indefinite,
to Mr.. Beecher it was plain. The offense
was committed by him; the apology was
made by him. Both acts were his own,
and were among the most momentous
occurrences of his life Of all men
in Plymouth Church CT in the
world, the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher was the one man who was
best informed concerning this offense
and apology, and the one man who least
needed to inquire into either Neverthe-
less, while possessing perfect knowledge
of both these acts done by himself, he
has chosen to put on public affectation of
ignorance and innocence concerning
them, and has cOnspicuously appointed
a committee of six of the ablest men of
his church, together with two ATTORNEYS,
to inquire into what he leaves you to re,
gard as the unaccOuntable mystery of
this Otfense and apology, as if he had
neither committed the one nor offered the
other; but as if both were mere Pigments
of another mans imagination, thus
adroitly prompting the public to draw
the deduction that | am person under
some hallucination or delusion, living
in a dream and forging fraud Fur,
thermOre, in order to cast over this ex-
PLANTATION the delicate glamour which al
ways lends charm to the defense of a
WOman's honor, Mrs. Elizabeth r. TiltOn,
lately my wife, has been prompted away
from her home to reside among Mr.
Beecher's friends, and to cooperate with
him in his ostensibly honest and lauda-
bic inquiry into facts concerning which
she too (as well as he) has for years past
had perfect and equal knowledge with
himself
"This investigation, therefore, has
been publicly pressed upon me by
Beecher, seconded by Mrs. Tilton, both
of whom, in so doing, have united in as
suming before the public the non-eXist-
ence of grave and solemn facts, into
which they have cOnspired to investigate
for the purpose not of eliciting, but of
denying, the truth. This joint as
sumption by them, which has
seemed to your committee to be
in good faith, has naturally led you
into an examination, in which you ex-
pect to find on their part nothing but in
nocence and on my part nothing but
SANDER. 1t is now my unhappy duty,
from which | have in vain hitherto
sought earnestly to be delivered, to give
you the facts and evidence for reversing
| your opinion on this subject. In doing
this painful may say heart-rending-
duty, the responsibility for making the
grave disclosures which / am about to lay
| before you belongs not to me, but first to
Beecher, who has prompted you to the
| examination, and next to Mrs. Tilton
who has joined him in a conspiracy
which cannot fail to be full Of peril and
Wretchedness to many hearts. | call
you to witness that in my first
| brief examination by your com
mittee [ begged and implored you not
to inquire into the facts of this case,
but rather seek to bury them beyond all
possible revelation. Happy for all con
cerned had this entreaty been heededl
1t is now too late. The last opportunity
! for reconciliation and settlement has
| passed. This investigation, undertaken
| by you in ignorance of the dangers
! against which Beecher should have
warned you in advance, will shortly
prove itself, to your surprise, to have
| been an act of wanton and wicked folly,
! for which the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
as its originator and public sponsor, will
! hereafter find no space for repentance
though he seek it carefully and with
tears This desperate man must
hold himself only and not me ac.
! cOuntable for the Wretchedness which
| these disclosures will carry to
! his own home and hearth, as thew have
| already brought to mine I will add
that the original documents referred to
in the ensuing sworn statement are for
the most part in my possession, but
that the apology and few other papers
are in the hands of Francis D. Moulton.
Truly yours, THEoDoRE TLToN."
REHABILITATION.
Finally, that in addition to the fore
going facts and evidences other contir-
nations could be adduced if needed to
prove the following recapitulated state
ment, namely: That the Rev Henry
Ward Beecher, as pastor and friend of
Mr. Tilton and his family, trespassed
upon the sanctity of friendship
and hospitality in long endeavor
to seduce Mrs. Elizabeth R. Tilton
! that by the artful use of his priestly au-
! thorlty with her, she being his pupil in
religion, he accomplished this seduction;
that for period of year and half, or
thereabout, he maintained criminal in
! tercOurse with her, overcoming her pre-
ylous modest scruples against such con-
| duct by investing it with false iustifica-
ton as sanctioned by love and religion;
! that he then participated in a conspiracy
| to degrade Theodore Tilton before the
! public by the loss of place, business and
! repute; that he abused Mr. Tilton's for
! giveness and the pledge of protection bv
thereafter authorizing a series of meas