The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-20
THE TELTON SCANDAL.
Statement Of lIr. Wilkinson

Statement of Mr. Wilkinson.
Strange Conduct of Two Bad
Nfen, Triton and Bowen.
NEW YORK, July 19-The Herald prints a
statement of Samuel Wilkeuson before the
Beecher investigating commi tee. The SUBJ
stluce is that ~ the last week of March 1872
Tilton came to his office aud took from his
pocket the worn proof press of letter he pur-
posed to published in the next issue of the
Golden Age. unless Henry Ward Beecher did
him justice. The letter, which was dated Jan.
l, 1871, was addressed to Henry q. Bowen, ac-
knowledges the receipt of a sudden not ce
breaking his two contracts with tho Iudepen-
dent and the Brooklyn Union, and goes on to
state that 1t was in the early part of the rebel
| lion that Bowen first intimated to him that
Beecner had committed acts of adultery, for
| which If he (Bowen) should expose him, he
| would be driven from the pulpit from that time
| forward. Bowers references to the subject
| saws Tilton, We're frequent. Goa the 18th of
| Deem Der, 1870, at an int rvew in Bowen's
| house. at " hch Oliver johnson was present.
you tBo@en) spoke freely and indignantly of
| Beecher as an unsafe visitor in the FAM les of
l
| woman, now widow, whose husbands death,
I you did not doubt, was fastened by his know-
| edge that Mr.. Beecher had maintained with
| her improper intimacy. You informei US that
| Mr.. Beecher had made to you confession of
| his guilt and with tears implored your forgive
ness. After Mr.. johnson retired you related
| TO me the case OF another whom Beecher took
| in his arms by force and threw down upon the
| sofa You suggested demand upon him to
to quit bis sacred Office volunteered to bear
| such demand and to sus tam it, This letter
you presented to Mr. Beecher and shortly after
| wards you sought an interview with me- and,
| with face livid with rage, threatened with a
| loud voice that if L ever should inform Mr.
| Beecher of the statements you made concern
| ing his adultery. or should compel YOU to adj
| duce the evidence on which you agreed to sus-
tain the demand for bis withdrawal from Brook
| Ign, you would deprive me of my engagements
| with the Independent and Union, and if ever
| attempted to enter those offices, would have
| me forcbiy elected told you | should in
| form Mr.. Beecher or anybody else according to
the dictates of my judgment. Hardly had
your violent words ceased ringing in my ears,
when received your summary notices break
| ing my contracts"
Mr. Wilkinson says that shocked with the
mis- nervousness of the matter Mr. TiIton
threatened to publish, he insisted against it, A
J discussion ensued which, on Mr. Tiltop's part
was passionate and noisy He tTilton) com
| planned that Bowen had dismissed him without
| cause and ruined him 10 fame, prospect and
estate, and had crowned tbs wrong by refusing
to pay large debt for editorial services, of
| which he was in pressing need compelling him
| to bring suit to collect it.
| His next complaint was that Mr. Beecher had
not helDed him in hi tronbles; that be was
| lying crushed on Inc sidewalk in Brooklyn, and
| Mr.. Beechrr, who had such power that with
| his little finger he could have lifted him up aud
reinstated him, saw him in his agony aud ruin
| and passed by in silence and indiffer nee.
Rising into dramatic rage, tramping the room
| from corner TO corner, and speaking with in
tense passion he declared, Il Will have revenge
on him. | will pursue him to his grave
| 1T was clear to me-" says Mr. Wilkinson
that what Ny Hilton wanted was money aud
! that his purpose in coming to me was to raise
money. He left my Office calm and happy in
the prospect of an arrangement L GU lined to
| him which should Immediately give him in
| baud the money Mr.. Bowen ow, d him, restore
his old relations with Mr. Beecher and Mr.
Bowen; procure for him hatterng mention u
| the independent and handsome notice III the
| Christian Union of his newspaper enterprise
The well known trpartlle agreement came
from the negotiation initiated After this in
terview between them Mr.. Bowen agreed to
pay forthwith MI Tillon's unpaid salary, to
| publisb preparatory card in the INDEPENDENT
On the night of April ID, 1872, W hen the agree
ment was ready for signature, Mr.. Tilton was
| 10 happy frame of mind and overlooked with
words of love and admiration of MIR. B echeI.
| Wilkinson gives the terms of the agreement
| as originally drafted
THIS paper was read at meeting of four
| gentlemen of whom Tton one. He was
| charmed with 1t and said he could conscen-
| tlously and heartily subscribe his name to every
word OF it-wonld sign it twelve times over if
! that would induce Bowen to sign it once, and
in his eagerDess took pen to sign. but was re-
| strained by the suggestion that Bowen might
be less willing to sign if Tilron shoul sign
first. 1t was carried away without Tilton's sig
nature.
WilkinSon'S tatemant continuac 10 Follows
| In full and kind conversation bet peen me
and Mr. Tilton after the meeting on the night
| OF April 22d, broke up. he replied to clear cut
question l put to HIM, that the only wrong
| Beecner had ever done him had been to address
improper lang age 10 his wife, and that for
that he held in his hands apology. / re-
peated to him the mention of graver injury
than that made to me by person whose in
formation was alleged TO be derived in part
| directly from himself, and in part at second
uand from a confession of his wife. With
great spirit he desired the truth If both these
statements. He called the informant at sec
ond hand sexually marbid monomaniac, who
| had imagined every word she uttered. He
scornfully SAID that there was not shadow Of
| truth in her story. He expressed amazement
that the other person shonld state that he had
| ever SAID there was anything criminal in Beech
er's conduct, and denied in fullest and most
eGegetic manner that he had ever sal anything
that could be SO construed by a truthful ana
| healthy mind. and he returned to his previous
declarations that BeeLhers sole offence was inn
proper language TO his wife and repeated it
| anew apd again, that written confession and
apology he had in keeping was ample atone
| ment for that wrong
The next morning, the Sd of April, Tilton
came to my office in the Equi able Insurance
Company's building. He was flushed ami sui
| len. There was bitch in money payme nt.-
He said abruptly that he would not sign the
| agreement: that it would have to be altered be-
fore he would sign it. Kintlling in anger as he
talked he said that in the negotiation Bowen
| had been well taken care of by Mr.. Claflin and
| Beecher well taken care of by me. but he had
been left out in the cold with the money due
from Bowen unpaid.
l combated this fancy kindly and tried to
soothe him and hold him to the agreement he
had made, but he flew out wild add declared
with The utmost passion that he would never
while he lived sign a paper that SHOULD disable
him from pursuing Henry Ward Beecher, and
demanded paragraph in the tripartite agree
ment that he might alter it. l made copy for
him and he sat down to the table and began to
scratch anu interline, but he rose up and car
red bis work away pncompleted. Before he
left gathered from what he said tat Bow
h ID refused to pay the full amount of his CLAIM,
and that his law suit won d have to go on. But
the full amount was paid within day or two
thereafter and the tripartite agreement was ex-
ecuted, not the one drafted aud which was ac-
cepted by all parties. but modification of
that. The efficacy of the covenant ] aimed at
was lost and the compact was defeated. Tilton
IN modifying bis paragraph, backed sut of his
disavowal of his imputations on Beecher aud
his admissions, that they were untrue and care
fully secured to bimsel the largest liberty to
pursue the great preacher forever with inu-
endos
My testimony before the committee shows
the changes ia the trpartlte agreement as
originally drawn and which all the parties to it
had heartily approved and had promised to
sign. 1t also shows my earnest remoustrance
against permitting these changes to be made
and my warnings of mischievous consequences
that would inevitably follow.
The following is the omitted portion OF the
original agreement:
j. Henry C. Bowen knows nothing deroga-
tory to Mr.. Beecher's reputation as a clergy
ma as a man, and | expressly disavow the
charges, imputations and innendoes imputed to
have been made by me aat set 10th in a let
ter written to me by The assx @rilton on the LIST
| do r 10 ,al,ln