Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-09-04
THE GREA r SCANDAL.

Trained thus far from expressing any opin-
ion on the merits Of the case, and have con-
fined ourselves, in such references as we
have made To it, to warning him against
possible mistakes in his mode :of meeting
his accusers. We will add that the impress
sion we received from tho "apology" con-
tanned in the Tilton letter to DR.. Bacon was
that MIR. Beechcr had possibly fallen into
some indiscietion in his relations with Mrs
Tilton, which, in his morbid religious SEN
timentaity, he had fcariuly magniiied and
described to himself in unmeasurcd terms.
The phrase: "IIe would have been bet
ter man in my circumstances than have
been" was hardly oxplicable on amy other
hypothesis. But we felt, as every one felt
on the publication of his letters by TltOn,
that in them lay the gravamen ofthe whole
charge; that the explanation of them
would no doubt he an exceedingly difficult
task, but tina it ought, If IL was attempted
at all, to be attempted ut once, and that
there was positive blindness it, surprising
that il could he safely laid over for even
day. We have accordingly road over Mir.
licechers defense, not only without prciu-
Ice in his favor, but with good deal OF
not INV arrautable disposition to judge him
severely and we are bound to say that we
think he docs furnish an explanation o.
his conduct which people outside Plym-
outh church can comprehend, aud that it
does wholly relieve him of the grdver i'm
putations so pcrsistcntly thrown on him.
The true story of the affair, when Olsen
| tangled from the curious web Of rhetoric
in which he has envelopcd it-and of which
his comparing Mrs. Titon on her bed,
when he went to see her 10 get her to sign
| the retraction, "to snme forms carved in
marble that he had seen upon monuments
in Europe" is striking and suggestive il
lustralion-we take to he substantially this:
| Tlton's ill-lrcatment of his wife, combined
with her own relgioSitv and Mr.. Beechcr's
strong sympathy, led her gradually to con-
tract an affection for the latter. which after
awhile presented itself to her own con-
science as unlawful and as she was fire.
quently quarrelling with Tilton aud then
making up, she used u confession of this
overfondncss for Mr.. BeCchcr as the means
| of cementing one of her numerous recon-
citations with her worthy husband, aud at
the same time OF giving little spice to the
| pietistic gush with which she appears to
| have been in the habit of deuging him,
| and of which he was doubtless, aS hc was
a hayward gentleman, settinga little tired.
| This confession appears to nave found Til
ton in bad way. lie was losing his pro-
fessional position, losing his credit with
his friends, and his not very strong head
was completely bomuddled by the multi
tude Of new and strange doctrine, which
had risen on his path after his anti-slavery
occupation was gone. In these great
straits, being desperate and apparently
shameless, the idea of turning his wiic's
relations with BeCcher to worldly account
seems to have taken possession oi hirn and
for four years he treated it as a vein TO he
worked the more assiduouSly the more hi.
fortunes were failing. To enable him 10 dc
this effectively, go-between was of cours,
necessary, and this was found in the per
son of Mr.. Francis MOuton, an old class
mate of Tilton's, Of about the same amoun
of mental and moral culture. but shrowd
smart business man Of the Butler scho d.
fond of intrigue-loving, like Butler, To d,
plain things in crooked, underhaud ways
mlNeu up more OF Tess IN uouo'iu' 'r"nS"'
tons, not at all scrupulous, making no pre-
tence to he Christian, and no more of
gentleman than the great Ben himself
sort of person, in short, whom men Of hon
vi anu rehueu'tut oi le'''"s "'"u ""'
iear' rinu,'s i"'oi !" ''"u"'e' an" "'
ing i'"u Vi num- '"'S r''s'' "PPe'S u
nave u"ue' '"Ne' " 'A''''",' ''"i ~ ~!
means "''i nav 9"sS ,'9''' ~ -
,,ao ,,,o Slam, -, p,,,ior;,o oir,Io. ,,.,rii.
iu,,,, poo,Iar T, poo,ho,. tim, ,.on
oos,od ,hoy t,und an eos, nro,, M. .,o
-, Of NJ,,,I,or,s onorotinns an hin, ho,,
,Io uru,is,o,,,iIo i,,rros, NJ ,r,,t, aud ;
i,,,, ,,,,, ,,a,,,, ,,. =, ,,,l ,,,',.,l,i,,
,,,oro ,,i,ierL rho ,,,ocor ,iera,os anne,
~ have bon, ,bo ,neorturoto man ~, th
rooL for Grnr Iou,, war. h,rr,,,ed l.,
tho mos, bn,ril,lo terro,s and anxieties Tii
Ton standiro in tho Lackorourd ~ a, IN
i,,rod and ,,7roo,o,;rc, b,sl,ord and Nil
,,,,, ,,,a,,,I re-, ..,,,,.'li,,,,,,. .,.
naci6cator extrarting confessions and l.t
To- - oar,.i,i,,, ron, I,oo,,,,r 10, H.,
bardr,l maxim, him l,oliovo ,,,o, bis ,o,,,
municaiions were all strictIv "cou6den
, ,iol and ,hon sh,wip,, ,ho,, mr. ro,o,,ir
, ,ho;r cortop,s mr. ,iyip9, comic. ,o hoIc ~,
| ,oyrr nro,ord;ra 10 hin, Tho, ,I,is ,r ,I,o
- ,oar ,,,,, 80, 80. ,,., ..,,,,,
,o1 In o,liyio,, ), and ,hon So,,in, II a.
, 80, ,,,o r.;o,ds ,,,d oorc,.loro.os oc a,
, nais as rmnnor in .uoh ,hono an1 ,,;,
/ snoh an air Of anihontici,y as ,o rInno.
, pooohor int, rro,h oIarro and hrin, hir
! onoo moro 10 his Iroos
D ,n,,, -,
, iii'oti al" nis it'e"" many eo""'''e
= themselves Win " oounu''' Nou''on 'hN''
ing tnls woman 10 ms mousse as guest