The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-08-20


/ mony which had bccn laid before me, but said
| there is undoubtedly some misunderstanding,
ana II / knew the whole should find Theodore,
/ thoUgh With ohsiCus faults at heart, sound and
| good These views often expressed TO intimate
friends in spite Of tiieit mpfest incredulity, and
what in the light of facts must call their we'll
j deserved ridicule.
Moulton lost no occasion of presenting TO me
| the kindest view Of Tilton's character. and. on
| the other hand, he complained that Mrs. Tilton
| did not trust her husband or him, and did not
| assist him IN bis effort to help Theodore. know
that She distrrstsd Mruton. and felt bitterly hurt
| by the treatment OF her husband ! was urged to
| use my influence with her to inspire toriacpce
| in Mouton and TO lead her to take kinder view
| Of Theodore Accordingly. at the instance of Mr..
Moulfon. three letters We're written on the same
| day, Feb. & 1871, ON one common purpose, to be
shown to Mrs. Tilton and to reconcile her to her
husband and my letter to her Of that date de
signed to effect the further or collateral purpose
viii be obVious fro,.a readinc Of the ,atters ms
The following Is the full text of my letters of tha
date, from copy verified by one of your Com
mittCe for have not to this hour been permitted
to see the originals either Of them or Of any other
papers which had deposited With Mention for
safe keeping:
''FEBRuARY Z, 1871.
MY DEAR FRIEND MouLToN-I am glad to
send you book, etc. Many, many
friends has God raised up to me, but To no Of
Wisdom % m 10 serve s. me- a. yon have Yon have also
proved Theotlord's friend and Elizabcth's. Does
God look down FROM Heaven on three nnhappier
il not an ntimatlon of Gods intent of mercy to
all that each one of these has in YOU a tried and
proven friend: But only in you are We thus unit
ed Would to God who orders all hearts that bv
His mediation Theodore, Elizabeth, and | could
he made friends again. Theodore will have the
hardest task in sncb case, but has he not proved
himself capable of the mobiles; tbipgsf | won
der if Elizabeth knows how generously he has
carried himself toward me. OF course | can
never speak with her again without her pcrmis-
sion, and do not know that even then it would be
"BRooKLyN, Feb. Z, 1871
MY DEAR Mrs. TILToN: When I saw you
last did not expect ever to see you again, or to
be alive many days. God was Kinder 10 me than
were my own thoughts. The friend whom God
sent to me (Moulton> has proved above ail friends
that ever had able and willing to help me in
this terrible emergency of my life His hand 1t
was that tied up the storm that was ready to burst
on our heads. You have no friend, Theodore ex
cepted, who has it in his power TO help you so
vitality, and who will do ii with sucb dclcacy and
honor. 1t does my sore heart good 10 i'll
Mouton an unfeigned respect and honor for you.
II would kill me il thought otherwise. He will
be rs true a friend TO your honor and happiness
rs n btotlcr could be to Il sister. In him we have
common grouMf. You and may meet in him.
The past is ended but Is there no futures no
wiser, higher, hoer future May not
this friend stand as priest In the new
sanctuary of reconciliation and mediate,
and bless Theodore and my most unhappy self:
DO not let my carncstness fail of its end. lou
believe in my judgment. | have put myself
wholly and gladly in Mouton's hands, and there
l must meet You. This is sent with Theodore's
consent, but he has not read il. Will you return
ii To me by his own hand: am very earnest in
this wish for all our sakes, such letter ought
not to be subject to even the chance of miscar-
riage. Your unhappy friend
H W. BEEcmER.'
have no recollection Of seeing or hearing read
the letter of Mr.. Tilton of the same date. In my
letter To Mrs. Tilton alluded to the fact that |
did not expect when saw her last to be alive
many days That statement stands connected
with a series of symptoms which / first expc-
rienced in 1856. went through the Fremont
campaign speaking in the open air tbres hours
at a time three days in the week LII re-
newing my literary work felt that must have
given way. very seriously thought that was
going TO have apoplexy or paralysis, or something
of the kind. On two or three occasions, while
preaching, l should have fallen in the pulpit if
had not held on to the table Very often came
falling in the streets. During the last fifteen
years have gone into the pulpit | suppose 100
times with very strong impression that should
never come out of 1t alive. Have preached more
sermons than any human being would believe
when felt all the while that whatever had got
to say to my people must say it then or ! never
would have another chance to it. If had
consulted a physician, his first advice would have
been. " You must stop work. but was i'll such
situation that could not stop work. read the
best medical books on symptoms of nervous
prostration, and overwork. and paralysis,
and formed my own Judgment of my
case. The three points marked We're: must
have good digestion, good sleep. and | must go
ON working. These three things were to he rec
onciled, and in regard to my dict and -tlmulants,
and medicines | made the most thorough and
searching trial. and, result. managed my
body so that could get the most work of II
without essentially impairlng it. II had said II
word about this to my family 1t would have
brought such distress and anxiety on the part of
my wife a. could not bear. | have for many
years SO steadily taxed my mind to the utmost
that there have been periods when ! could not
afford to have people express even sympathy
with me TO have my wife friends anxious
ubptIt II and showing if tD woulu he lust the
drop too MUCH
In 1868 | came again into the same condition
just before going TO England, and il was one of
those reasons why WAS wishing to 20 The war
was at its height. | carried my country in my
heart. had the f0dePeBdeht i'll charge and was
working, preaching and lecturing continually.
knew was likely To be prostrated again. In De-
cembcr, 1870, the sudden shock of these troubles
brought on again these symptoms i'll a more tio
lent form. was very much depressed in mind,
add all the more because it was one of those
things that could not say anything about. was
silent with everybody. During the last four
years these symptoms have been repeatedly
brought on by my intense work. carried forward
on an underlying basis OF so much sorrow and
trouble. My friends will bear witness that In the
pulpit | have very frequently alluded to my cx-
pcctaton of sudden DEATH
feel that | have more than once already been
near stroke that would have killed or paralyzcd
me. and carry with me now, IA ! have so often
carried in years before this trouble began, the
daily thought of death as a door which might
open for me at any moment, out of all cares and
Iabors into welcome rest.
During the whole of the year 1871 was kept in
a state OF suspense and doubt, not only as to the
future of the family for the reunion and happi-
ness of which had striven earnestly, but as
to the degree to which might personally be sub
ject to attack and misconstruction, and the
trouble be brought into the church and magnified
by publicity. The officers of the church sought
to Investigate into Mr. Titun's religious views
and moral conduct and on the latter point had
been deceived into the belief that he not In
fault. As to the religious views, / still hoped
for Il change for the better, as 1t was pro-
posed to drop him from the list OF
asserted to me after his withdrawal,
this might have been done; but his wife still at
rccollcct having with him conversation in which
he dimly intimated to me that he thought it not
unlikely that he might go back into his old
position. He seemed to be in mood to regret
the past, and so, when was urged by the Exam
lining Committee to take some steps, said | was
not without hopes. Meanwhile, one wing of the
fcmalcsufirage party had got hold Of the story IN
distorted and exaggerated form: such as had
never been intimated to me by Mr.. Tilton or his
friends. did not then suspect what now know
that these atrociously false rumors originated
with Mr. Tilton himself. ! only the evil
growing instead Of diminishing. and perceived
that while was pledged to silence. and therefore
could not speak in my own defense, some one
was forever persevering in fasehOOd. growing
continually in dimensions. and these difficulties
were immensely increased by the afliliation of
Mr. Tilton with the Woodruff clique.
III MAY. 1911, MTs. w OOuUuiI aQNeTtlscu IUfIil-
coming article shadowing account OF dis
turbance in Mr.. Tilton's family, but without
using names. 1t was delayed ostensibly by Mr..
Tilton's influence with Mrs. Woodruff until
November 1872 During this suspension of her
publication she became the heroine of Mr.. Moul-
ton and Mr.. Tilton. She was made welcome to
both houses, with the liberation but not the cor
dial consent of their wives. / heard the most
extravagant eulOgies upon her. She was repre-
scntcd genius born and reared among rude
influences. but only needed to be surrounded by
refined society to show noble and commanding
nature. I did not know mnch about her, and,
though my impressions were unfavorable, her
real character was not then really known to the
world met her three times At the first interview
she was gracious. At the second she was cold
and hanghty, bnt at the third she was angry and
threatening for had peremptorily refused to pre-
side at lecture she was about to give at Stein
way Hall. The most strenuous efforts had been
made by both TiltOn and Moulton to induce me
to preside at this lecture and to identify myself
publicly with Mrs. Woodruff. 1t was represent
ed to me that l need not, in so doing, expressly
give assent to her doctrines. especially with re-
gard to the marriage relation, upon which point
she was beginning to be more explicit in oppos1-
tion to the views which !, in common with all
Christian men, entertained but ii was plausibly
urged that could preside at the lecture and intro
ducc her upon the simple ground of advocating
free speech and liberty of debate; but, as un-
derstood that she was about to avow doctrines
which abhor, l would not be induced by this
plausible argument to give her public counte-
nance; and after continuing to nrge me up 70 the
very day of the meeting without any distinct
threats, but with obvious intimation that my
personal safety would be better secured BY
taking this advice, Mr. Tilton htmself
at the meeting where Mrs: Woodruff
gave vent, rs l understand, for the first time
In public to the full exposition Of her free love
doctrines. The very thought that l should
have been asked under any circumstances
and upon any excuse to preside or be present at
such meeting was inexpressibly Calling 70 me.
ootiy ofM Mr TiltOn and Mr. MOuttOn 7 AakiUQ