The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-24

81 had rests and id M tils he Chairman, Nd
q AFTER some crosse xamfnat ion had retired.
: tpas understood Between himself md tt
h commit tee that there shotlld be no iInmed
j die publication OF bis statement. BE furthe
n informed the reporter that there was no strtt
! understanding or Obligation which WOiil
!. prevent either the committee or the ttestatO
n from publishing the worn statement. Th
Il committee, OF course, had the right to put
lish the statement il they saw fit. He ais
. had the same right, but he could not bu
feel aggrieved TO see the facts contained II
his statement spread broadcast before ]
curious world. For his own part, he pro
y posed to leave his statement with th
committee, to be considered By them, by Mir
Beecher, and By the other parties in ID,
case. and to be,,.-apswered IL an answe
could be made, and then that the committee
on the basis OF all the facts presented by vart
Gus witnesses, should render verdict. I" II, :
continued Mr.. Tilton, /" their report shall dc
4 me full justice it Is all I ask, and shall MOI
publish my statement. 1t, however, the yef
dict Of the committee, a committee composed
exclusively Of Mr.. Beecher's friends. should
not be in accordance with the facts, but have
a partisan bias and partially, / shall then
feel at liberty TO c0unteract the committees
report by publishing my sworn statement
at this point the Herald reporter looked
at Dir. Tilton with great surprise, and in.
| formed him that his sworn statement had
been already published in the evening papers
Of Brooklyn.
MI. Tilton replied, with great emphasis,
"No; that is not possible" eyes," said
the reporter, 81 have seen the papers con.
tanning the statement, and here Is one"
handing copy to Mr.. Tilton, who opened
it neryously, and glanciug through its col
umns, saw that bis statement, or at least q
portion of it, had been printed. Apparent
! ly he was astonishcd. The reporter asked
Mr.. Titon if he was surprised that the state
| ment bad at last come to light?
"Most unquestionably So" was the re-
Spouse, and he looked at it long and ear
ncstly.
"Is that correct version, sir-is ityour
sworn statement"
apparently it is,' said Mr.. Triton, with
great feeling, ''but 1t has not been authorized
| by me. 1t must have come from the COM
| mittee. and they will rue the day when they
saw fit to give these facts to the public.
| There were only two copies of my statement
| III existence. One I gave to the committee !;
| the other kept myself. I went before the
committee this afternoon, and in free and
kindly interchange with them had no sus.
picion that the publication Of my statement
was TO be made either in whole or in part.
1t was cruelty in Mr.. Beecher-it was a
crime against human nature--to have SUM.
| moned me by public proclamation, signed
by his name, in his authorization of com-
mittee Of six, to divulge the secrets contained
| in that statement. No committee in Christ.
endom, not though it were OF Congress or of
| all the churches in the world, or all Of the
ecclesiastical councils of the land could have
eXtorted from me the facts which I laid be-
fore Mr.. Beecher's committee on Monday
night. Mr.. Beecher himself, by his public
demand upon me to do So-a demand which
[ bad no right to refuse except ut q sacrifice
Of all self-respect-I say Mr.. Beecher alone,
and not his committee, could have brought
me to make this statement. Mr.. Beecher and
Mrs. Tilton togelher-for they are both act
ing in unison-have combined to force me
to do " hat no other earthly power could have
done, and that is, to divulge the facts which
[ gave to the committee; but l. did
not give them so much to the committee as
to Mr.. Beecher himself. He threw down the
challenge, and Mrs. Titon aided and abetted
him in his defiance. Mr.. Beecher struck a
last blow at my good name, and Mrs. Tilton
deserted my house and home in order to take
part in this final attack. Nothing remained
for me but TO stand right on my manly right
of self-defence. But can only express my
grief at the publication. The facts should
never have gone beyond the committee. For
four years past have sought for nothing
but peace, but now the struggle is come l
can say with as much pride as sorrow, and
| with as much determination as prophecy,
| that the victory is mine. because the right is
with me-"
Reporter--The statement is made that you
have left your home and its contents as a
| free gift to your wife. Is this true?
Mr.. IIlton-It is true. The house cannot
| be occupied by both. A man can live in any
abode, but d woman needs home, and that
| home shall not be changed one whit from
| the familiar aspect which the children were
| accustomed to gee. They will reside with
| their mother. This is natures right.
Reporter-But where are you going to
live?
Mr.. 7ilton-Nowhere. Henceforth I have
no life. This is the end Of all tragedies.
They culminate in death. My duty has been
done.
MIR. Tilton's Recent Defence Of His Wife.
Mr.. Beecher's friends promptly point out
certain inconsistencies in Mr. Tilton's writ.
| ten statements at various times concerning
| his wife, which the general public will be
sure to note. At the close of 1872, two
years after the receipt of the document called
MIR. Beecher's apology, Mr.. Tilton wrote the
following:
emo. TIA LIVINGSTONE STREET,
BaooKLYN, December 81, 1872.
"IMy Complaining Friend: Thanks for
your good letter of bad advice. You say,
How easy to give the lie to the wicked
story, and thus end it forever But stop
and consider. The story is a whole library
of statements-a hundred or more-and ii
would be strange if some Of them were not
correct, though doubt if any are. To give
q general denial to such an encyclopaedia of
assertions would be as vague and irrelevant
as to take up the Police Gazette, with its
twenty.four pages of illustrations, and say,
sThis is all lie.' So extensive libel re.
ouires, If answered at all, a special de-
| nial of its several parts; and, further
more, it requires, in this particular
case, not only denial of things misstated,
| but truthful explanation of the things that
remain unstated and in mystery. In otheI
words. the false story, if met ut all, should
be confronted and COMPOUNDED by the true
one. Now, my friend, you urge me to speak
| but when the truth is a sword Gods mercy
sometimes commands it sheathed. II you
think I do not burn 10 defend my p.fe ana
little ones you kraou not the fiery spirat aoith'
in me. But my ,oife's heart as more a Joun
tain of charity, and quenches all resent
naents. She says: Let there be no suffer
ina SAGE to ourselves alone,' and Jor6lds