Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-24
A Statement Written in Anguish
of Heart and SOul-The Wife
and Mother in her Own
Defense.
A Paper Something Like Beech
er's- General bHt not Specific
A Sad, Sad StOry-Is
it a True One!
What TiltOn has to Say about the
Publication Of his Statement
Why and by Whom
Ordered.


MIS- Laif0n7s statement
New YORK, July 23.-The following
is the statement of Mrs. Elizabeth r.
TiltOn: To pick up anew the sorroWs
OF The last ten years, the stings and
pain I had daily schOoled myself to bury
and forgive, makes this imperative duty,
as called forth by a malicious state
ment OF my husband, the saddest act Of
my life. Besides, my thoughts Of fol-
lowing the Master cOntradlcts this
act Of my pen and a sense OF per-
version Of my life and faith almost
cOmpels me new TO stand aside till God
himself delivers me. Yet see IN this
wanton act an urgent call and privilege,
from which l shrink not, to reply IN de-
tail TO TWENTY-FIVE articles Of arraign-
ment This l shall not attempt at present.
vet if called upon TO testify TO each and
aIl Of them, shall not hesitate to do so.
Suffice for my purpose now thaL reply
TO one or more of the most glaring
charges touching the feigned sorrow OF
my husband and MS
COMPULsARY REVELATIONS.
I solemuIy avow that long before the
Woodruff publication l knew him, by
iusiuuationjaBd direct statement to have
repeated to my very near relative and
friend the substance Of these accuss-
tious when shock the moral sense Of
the entire community this day. Many
times. when hearing that certain per-
sons had spoken i'll Of him, be has sent
me to chide them for SO doing, and then
and there 1 learned he had been before
me with his calumnies against myself,
so that [ wss speechless. The reitera-
ton in his statement that he had persist
emily suiven TO hide tlese so-called
facts is utterly false, as his hatred to
Mr.. BeecheT has existed these many
wears, and the determination to ruin Mr..
Beecher has been the one aim Of his
life. Again, the peridy with which the
holiest love wife ever offered has been
recklessIy discovered in this publication,
and reaches well nigh to sacrilege; and
added 10 this, the endeayOr like the
early scandsl Of Mrs. Woodruff, to make
nv own words condemn me, has no
parallel-mOst cOnspicuOusiy my letter
quoting the reading Of Griffith Gdlolt.
Had Mr. TiltOn read the pure charac -er
of catherine, - he would have seen that
I lifted myself beside 1t as near as any
human may affect an ideal; but it was
her character, and not the incidents oil
the fiction surrounding it, to which re-
ferred.
HERS WAS NO SIN
of criminal act or thought. A like con-
fessi0n with hers l had made to Mr..
Tlt0n in telling Of my love to my friend
and pastor one year before, and l now
add, notwithstanding all mlsrepresenta-
tiuu aud anguish OF soul, that owe TO
my acquaintance aud friendship with
Mr.. Beecher, as to no other human IN
strumentality, that encouragement IN
nv mental life and that growth toward
the divine nature which enables me to
walk daily in q lively hope OF the life
beyond. The shame. .ess charges IN arti-
cIes seven, eight and nine are fesrfully
false in each and every particular. The
letter referred to in Mr.. TiltOn's tenth
paragraph was obtained from me by
impOrtunity ald by representations that
il was necessary 70 him to use them in his
then uending difficulties with Mr.. Bow
en-. I was then sick, nigh unto death,
having suffered a miscarriage only four
DAYS before. 1 signed whatever he re-
upired, without knowing or understand
ing its import. The paper have never
seen. and DO not know what statements
it contained. In charge eighteen q let
ter of mine, addressed to Mr.. Francis
Moulton, is quoted to prove that
NEVER DESIRED A SEPARATION,
or was advised by Mr.. or Mrs. Beecher
to leave my husband. / reply, the letter
was of Mr.. TiltOu's own connecting,
which he induced me TO copy and sign
as my own; an act which, in my weak
ness and mistaken thought to hell him,
l have done too often during these un-
happy years. The Implication that the
harmony OF home was unbrOken until
Mr.. Beecher entered il as q frequent
guest aud friend, is 3 lamentable satire
Upon q household where he himself
wears before laid the cornerstone of free
love, aud desecrsted its affairs up to the
time OF nv departure. That atmosphere
was not only homeless but impure
for nv children, and in this effort and
tbroe of agony [ would fain lift my
I daughters and all wOm8nhOOd from the
insiduous aud diaboIical teachings o.
I these latter days. His frequent efforts
| to prove me insane, weakminded, lnslg'
| pifcant, Of mean presence, all rank IN
I the category Of his hesrtlessness, selfish
/ ness aud falsehOOd, having its climax IL
/ his endeavOr to convince the world that
Z | am, or ever have been, unable to dis
tinguish between an innocent or guilty
/ love. In summing up the matter,
affirm myself before God to be
INNOCENT OF THE CRIMES
laid upon me; that never have beer
guilty. Of adultery with Henry Ward
I Beecher in thought or deed, nor has hG
offered 70 me an indecOTOus or improper
proposal. To the further charge that
was led away from my home by Beech
81. a. aud k.rr ha rrffa nF a Ia
ver. whom Mr.. Beecher had sent to me,
and who in advance Of my appearing
before the committee arranged with me
the questions and answers which are to
constitute my testimony in BeecheT's
behalf, l answer that this is again un-
true. having never seen the lawyer until
introduced to him few moments be-
fore the arrival OF the committee by my
stepfather, Judge Morse. And IN fur
ther reply, l submit the following state
raent Of my action before the committee
and separation from my husband: The
public alton Of Mr.. TiltOn'5 letter 10 AL
swer to DIR. Bacon ] had not known OF
suspected, when on Wednesday evening
be brought home the Golden Age, hand
ing It to me 10 read. Looking down It's
columns saw, well nigh with binding
! eyes, that he had put into execution the
/ almost daily threat Of his life-that be
lived to
CRUSH OUT Mr.. BEECHER;
that the god OF battles was in him; b,
had always been Beecher's superior
and all that lay in his path, wife
children OF reputation, if need be
should fall before this purpose. l di
not read it; l saw enough without reaC
ing. Ny spirit rose within me as
never had before. Theodore saiC
"tell me what means this quotstio
nom Mr.. Beecher? Two years ago yo
came to me at midnight, saying: 'Eliz
beth, all letters aud papers cOncerDiI
nv difficulties with Mr.. Beecher al
Nj. Bowen are burned and destroye
Now, don't you betray me, for hs,
, nothing to defend myself with sd
: Won believe that?n said he. 81 certai
: " did, implicitly" said. "Weh,
; me tell you that all live; not one
. destroyed.U II this was said 70 int o
date, Il had quite contrary effect. b