The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-10-06
REVIEW OF TILTON'S LAST
STATEMENT.

W Z copy from Tue MOntpeller " 0tCH.
mrn the following review of Titon's last,
which we can hardly be mistaken in at.
tributing to the pen Of Rev. Or. Lord
We wish to point out one or two things
that render the constructions and argu.
ments of Tilton very impropable.
The first is, that the original confession
OF Mrs Tllton, on which the whole case
against Bcechcr rests, was destroyed by
Tilton and Moulton. It is the staple on
which the whole chain Of their arguments
hangs, and however perfect and finished
the chain may be, it lacks good, original
holding ground. They have carefully
preserved all subsequent, subsidiary doc.
umcnts, which are capable Of two con.
structions, but the ESSENTIAL document they
have themselves destroyed. Its destruc.
ton was their work, and not that of Mr..
Beechcr or Mrs. Tilton. They have pre-.
served the rctraction of the original con.
iession, but the rctraction does not state
the substance Of the original document,
and is therefore susceptible OF such con.
Struction as interested parties may be dis
posed TO give it. The destruction of this
essential paper by the plaintiffs themselves
would seem to initiate severely against
their subsequent construction Of the Of.
fence.
Second During the four years since
the confession, Mr.. Tilton and MIR. Moul-
ton seem to have been even moro anxious
than Mr.. Beecher to conceal the alleged
offence against the honor Of Mr.. Tilton's
family. When Mrs Woodruff hinted at
the allegations of wrong which were a.
float in the community, in her paper. Mr..
Tilton says that "he was shocked, stunned
by the intelligence, and felt that the gull.
ty secret was in danger of coming to the
surface He instantly" sought Moulton
to devise with him means to suppress" the
public disgrace of the adulterer who had
ruined his home. He sent for the adultere-
and couspired with him to cover the foul
dishonor. He "made Mrs. Woodhulls
acquaintance :" "wrote an elaborate pam.
phlet on woman suffrage. which cost him
a weeks labor )" prepared Geographic
al sketch of her :" all to keep back the
scandal from publication presided at
her Steinway Hall meeting, SO that by
unwearicd and laborious kindness he
might save the man who had so cruelty
and fatally Injured his honor and home,
from the just exposure Of his crimes.
Now, history gives US many an instance
Of men seeking to overthrow the charac.
ters Of their distinguished fellows, by con.
spiracy, fraud, misrepresentation, trickery
SANDER and ialsehood ; so far as we are
aware, this is the first instance in history
where a man has conspired with the sedu.
Ger Of his wife to hush his crimes by an
elaborate system of self-denying vigil nee
and laborions service. The ways OF the
human heart are past finding out, we ad.
nit, but this is one Of its mysterious pass
ages that has never before been opened
and exposed. 1t is amazing, too, when
all the parties in interest were so bent on
keeping the guilty secret, they were yet
not able to do so. Perhaps this professed
sheltering that Tilton was giving Beechei
was only the cover to those base designs
of conspiracy that were not yet ripe. and
which needed time to ripen before they
could be successfully developed. BY MI
Tilton's statement, he has conspired with
the paramour of his own wife to hide tht
betrayer of his honor and to give hin
currency in the pulpit which his presence
polluted. He more than conspired. HI
compromised his own reputation eternally
with the Woodruff, in order to rescue th,
man whom every instinct Of manhood g
well as every sentiment Of Justice, shoulC
have bidden him expose. The thought
full man will ask himself, Did not Mr.
Tilton know in his own heart that his wifi
was not guilty and was not his cours
dictated by the desire to crush Beecher
if possible, without duplicating the homo
Of his family?
Third Mr.. Tilton's statement show
that he would gladly have continued t
shield both parties" to the alleged dishon
or done him, "it Mr.. Beecher and Mrs
Tilton had not compelled him to max
the exposure" When Mr.. Beeche
called for an investigation, he determine,
to crush him. This fact will have its jus
: weight in all unprejudiced minds.
was not Mr.. Tilton but Mr. Beecher VIII
courted the investigation. 1t was nc
H. the offended, but the alleged offender wh
t appealed to the judgment Of his fellow
! men upon the charges made against him
t Fourth Mr., r,'Titon shows In the col