The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-09-18

true inwardness (sic), the outcome Of your
inner life, it would be safe, for am now at
home here with my sister, and IL is permitted
to you (sfc) and will be an exceeding refresh
ment TO me, for your heart experiences are
often like bread from heaven to the hungry.
God has enriched your moral nature-may not
others partake 2"
twas there ever, says Moulton, ga palmer
case of renewal Of intimacy, TO say the least,
than this 2 Mark also. amid the prayers TO
God contained in the longer note, Beechers
suggestion that Elizabeth can write him now
with safety, because he is living at home with
his sister. I. e., his wife IL away. -,
Moulton next proceeds to give In detail
Beecher's alleged confessions TO him or MS
adultery with Mrs. Tilton. He says nave
before stated that the first confession was
made on the night / went for the ''retrac-
ton" of Mrs Tilton; that l there told INN
" Mr.. Beecher, you have had criminal inter
course with Mrs. Tiion, and you have done
great injury TO Tilton otherwise, ana say
further IN my published statement thst ne
confessed and denied not but confessed, as
he did not deny this charge 80 explicitly made
by me. Whatever differences L have mauo
from his words at other times, he cerIainy
could not have mistaken mine at this time,
! when speaking of the relations OF man anu
| woman, criminal intercourse has Dut one
| leSal or literary meaning even TO cleISy
men. 1t, however, seems necessary thaS
should go still further, which l do, ana
say that on That evening he confessed to me ms
relations with Mrs. Tilton in language 80 vivid
that could not possibly mistake or forget It,
lie said my acts OF intercourse with that
woman were as natural and sincere IN the I'M
preston OF my love for her as the words of
endearment which addressed to her. There
seemed TO be nothing in what we did together
that could not justify to myself on the
| ground of our love for each other. and L
think God will not blame me for my acts with
| | hat nj aanfi Il
tery impossible for me to justify myself be-
fore man."
This is impressed upon my mind because it
was the first enunciation or justification OF
the doctrine of free love that l had ever
heard. Not only on the occasion OF handing
back Mrs. Tilton's retraction, and when
giving me the letter Of contrition of
Jan. l, 1871, did he particularize with
regard to the feelings that influenced
him to do as he did with Mrs Tilton, but in
many of the conversations held with him he
strongly adverted to the absorbing love which
he felt for the woman and to the joys of his
intercourse with her. which he always justi-
fled because of that love.
If my testimony is to avail anything in this
matter, l here connect it now fully to the
statement heretofore made by me, which
then softened by omiting details of language
which thought it best for public morality
/ should be suppressed. and call attention to
the fact made in my previous statement. that
in the presence of myself and another 11lnesS,
whom still feel reluctant to bring forward
(of course not Mr.. Tilton), both Mrs. Iilton
and Beecher admitted, in language not TO be
mistaken, that continued sexual intimacy had
existed between them, and asked advice as to
the course TO be taken because Of it.
Moulton next devotes himself at great
length to the exposure OF alleged disreputable
transactions with other women. This is the
most important part of the statement and re-
lates particularly TO the long-suppressed
charges of Henry G. Bowen against Mr..
Beecher, which Moulton AYERS were charges
of adultery with five different women, in
Guiding one charge of rape. In regard to the
latter charge, Moulton says that Beecher con-
fessed to him the act Of criminal intercourse,
but denied having used violence, and alleged
that the woman, though unmarried, had
! had previous experiences of the same sort.
This revelation, Moulton says, was
made to him twelve days after the
confession of adultery with Mrs. Tilton, and
while he was engaged with III. Clailin and
others in settling up Tilton's difficulties with
Bowen. He told Beecher that unless he
wished to remain in Bowens power he must
! get from the woman in question a retTaction
| of the charge. This he (Beecher) undertook
to do, and he brought Moulton paper from
the woman which was not a retraction but
statement that she had made a certain charge
against Beecher to Bowen which she regretted,
and that she was now on friendly terms with
]
out the signature. The language imputed
to Beecher ia this narrative is perfectly dis
gushing.
In regard to Beecher's alleged contempla-
ton of suicide, Moulton says:
Having made an allusion to Beecher's pro-
posed suicide it may be we'll for me to state
here the full circumstances Of his confession
concerning his proposed design. He told me,
and showed to another in my presence, that
he had within reach in his own study poison
which he would take if the story Of his crime
with Elizabeth should ever come to the
public. He told me of visit which he had
made to photographers gallery where he
learned that one of the employees had mistaken
glass of poison for glass Of water, and, hav
ing taken and drank it, had fallen dead with
scarcely time to drop the glass. Beecher said
| that was what he wanted for himself, and under
the plea Of making some Photographic exper-
| iments, he procured some OF this same poison
from the photographer, which he told me he
| intended to use if an intimation of his crime
shonld be made, and then he said sit would
! be simply reported that Beecher died of
| apoplexy, but God, and you, and l will know
what caused my DEATH" IL those who blame
me could have looked into his grief-stricken
face, and listened to the tones of his voice in
great emergencies, in which he said there was
| no refuge for him but death, they would have
! felt impelled to do az generous and OPEN
hearted a service az practiced toward him.
1t would have taken a harder heart than mine,
being witness of his sorrows, not to forget his
sins.