Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-04-02

4. u. HAMILTON.a
L.. IL. WARDEN, Editors.
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THuRspAY MORNING., ArRiL 8, 1874,
The religious and non-religioss ord
Dust now awaiting with . pryiux ~ / n
and interest the result Of the CorSre.
gatioGal convocation in. scss;on ~
brooklyn. New York. The rreat
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES scandal, so-cali.
Cd, permeated the whole country
Eeecher was at one time the pastor,
and Tilton and Bowen laymen OF his
church. a business association exist.
O. between them in that very popular
journal, the New York Indspeadent.--
II ia needless to mention how, but In
tin.a the world. renowned preacher and
his laymen fell ont -Beecher first pass
ed ont Of the Indepesdeat, his sermons
no longer appearing in that paper
Next Tilton wrote leading editorial
published in the Independent in sub.
stance endorsing the free-love doctrlae.
sud whether he desired It or not.
Bowen. to save his paper, WA forced
to sever Mr.. Tilton's editorial couuec.
ton Herewith. Beccher's sermope %.
peared in the Christ;aa Unioa, new
journal, and Tilton busted himself on
tho Golden Age, also new paper star
ted by him. Then came In Vic. Wood.
hull. the cancer tioctress, the advocate
of breaking down MI legal restraint
between man and woman In the mar
risge relation, and what the great body
Of Spiritualists in the country call 1
base counterfeit. 4
She scised upon. The differences be-
tween these men, aided unquestionably
By Mr.. Tlton, to send broadcast upon
the world terrible tale Of scandal. =
We say, aided by Mr.. Tilton, % We
think, because 1t is an incontroyertible
fact that he wrote short biography Of
the woman Woodruff OF such sickly,
disgusting seutimcntalitY making Of
her an extravagant personiHcation Of
an angel from the portals shove, that
we are forced 70 the conclusion that
Thso. Tilson was fasciaated, eaamOred
taken in and done for, ~ this distisr
Ruiehed cancat. doctor. One lady, Il
least, the wife of Mr.. Ttlton, md 9th.
ers perhaps were Involved III this
scandal. Its investigaGion involved
the spreading before the public, the
private life of Ill these gentlemen and
sundry ladies. Of courye It Involved
the tracing Of the domestic hist6ty Il
Mr.. and Mrs. Tilton. The dsseaosurS
by the woman Woodhall had lssn
,nade after years had elapsed from tlae
happening Of the things charged. =.
At last, through the intervention u
mutual friends, Beecher, Triton end
Bowen agree to renounce IN ehargss,
tBeccher, however, be- 1t renlembered,
never made any0, and bid the whole t.
sleep in oblivion. This does NOS suit
the fancy Of the gaping multitude, but
for ourselves we say IL -sssAa course
be not in keeping With tn hiEh1st
type Of christianity, of Chsist-like for
bearance and brotheriy hove, then we
fail to discern the true course. The
more especially 10 this 20 whom 10. Iii
as we know or tho werld knows or can
know, tho accused now stands forthbe-
fore the world In his daily walk and
conversation an upright christian man.
Who. can tell the canses that led 10
this settlement between tho three men
concerned !! We may surmisss snd the
scandal lover win always azriye At tin
conclusion that . guilty fear ceused It.
In this the surmiser may but reflect
his own heart. We do not want u
know. It is enough for us thai the
parties have sealed the book contain
ing the painful story whether guilt
lurked therein or not. It does not ap-
pear, however, that the convocation
will touch directly upon the scandal.
1t is only to determine rs 10 church
polity whether . man who had practi.
cally for years not been I member o.
q Congregational Church, though hia
name appeared on tho roll, can be
dropped without Investigation iuso hid