Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-07-02

Mr.. Tilton publishes note from
Mr.. Bacon to himself in response, In
which the latter says he has for
warded the above letter to Mr..
Beecher. AS Mr.. Beecher has made
no reply, Mr.. Tilton goes back to
letter 81 years old to find an answer
to the question as to which OF the
twain has been the creature OF the
others magnanimity
BROOKLYN, Jan. /, 1871.
| ask Theodore Tllton's forgiveness,
and humble myself before him as | do my
God. He would have been a better man in
my circumstances than have been. ask
nothing except that he will remember all the
other breasts that wonld ache. | will not
plead for myself. | even wish that | were
dead. Fl. w. BEEcHER
Mr.. Tilton justifies the writing of
his own letter thus:
an conclusion: The common
impression that | have circulated
and promoted scandals against Mr..
Beecher is not true ! doubt If any
other man in Brooklyn, during the
whole extent of the last tour years,
has spoken to as few persons on this
subject as [ have done. A mere
handful of my intimate triends-who
had right to understand the case
are the only persons to whom | have
ever communicated the facts. To
all other persons | have been DUMB,
resisting all questions, and retus~
ing all explanations. If the public
have heretofore considered my 81
lence as inexplicable, let my sufficient
motive be now seen in the just for
bearance which [ felt morally bound
to show to man who had sent me
a written and absolute apology bnt
the duty to continue this forbearance
ceased when the spirit of that apol-
ogy was violated TO my injury by
its authority or bis agents. These
violations have been multitudinous,
and they threaten to multiply in the
future, forcing me to protect myself
in advance, particularly against the
cunning devices of the clerk of the
church, who is acting as an attorney
and appears to be conducting this
business against me as if it were a
case in law Had the fair spirit
which | had a right to expect from
Plymouth church, at least for it's
pastors sake, been shown towards
me, / would have continued to rest
in silence on Mr.. Beecher's apology,
| and never during the remainder of
| my life would | have permitted any
public word of mine to allude TO the
offence or offender but injurious
measures which the author Of this
apology has since permitted his
church to take against me, without
protest on his part, involving gross
injuries to me, which have been
greatly aggravated by your writing,
have put me before my countrymen
in the character of a base and bad
man, a character which l trust is
fol eign to my nature and life. I'm
der the accommodating weight of its
odium so unjustly bestowed upon
me, neither patience nor charity can
demand that | keep silent"
The above is a fair and full resume
of all that portion Of Mr.. TiIton's
letter bearing upon the relations be-
tween Mr.. Beecher and Mr.. TiIton,
or Mr.. Tilton's wife. The rest re-
fers to side issues-the relations of
the Plymouth church to other
churches, the question of the validity
of Mr.. Tilton's severance from Ply
mouth, &c., &c. 1t will be seen that
nowhere does Mr.. Tilton deny the
essential truthfulnoss of the story
whose publication be sacrificed so
much to secure the suppression of,
but throughout let's it pass as sub
stantiaIly correct aud true.
New YORK, June 26. "A dispatch
from Peekskill states that Henry
Ward Beecher, in answer to query
as to what course he will pursue in
view of the recent statement of Theo-
dore Tllton, says he will not break
the silence he has hitherto observed.
Mr.. Beecher was present at the
weekly prayer meeting of Plymouth
Church this evening. The proceed
ings were Of Ia usual devotional char
acter, and no reference whatever was
made to the Tilton letter. After the
meeting, Mr.. Beecher, in CONVERSE
ton with q reporter, said he had at
present no intention CT saying any
thing in reply to the recent state-
ments. He had a large pastorate un-
der his charge, and had no time for
personal controversies. If, however,
the examiners Of Plymouth Church
should decide that it would be well
for him to speak out in regard to the
recent letters be would do so with
out hesitation,