Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-23

I o ma
/ Tilton will be the stronger and Beecher the
/ weaker for IL. You said that you meant 10 ef-
/ feet Il. can't Ii be done promptly? II "A let
| ter is written II had better be very short and
| sim DIV announcing the withdrawal. or per-
haps with an expression OF kind wishes, etc.
| You well know 1 shall be in town Monday
ard part Of tuesday. shall I hear from you?
| December3l, ls7l.
But when the meeting of the church
was held for the purpose it Wss charged
| then that Tilton had slandered the pas
tor. Tilton took the stand and said in
substance that If he had uttered any
ISLANDERS against Beecher ne was ready to
answer them, as God was his witness.
Beecher thereupOn stated that he had
no charges to make, aud the matter
was dropped; but wheA the resolution
was passed, instead Of~Deing put so as
to exOnerate Tilton, it was declared in
substance that "whereas certain charges
had been made against him, and as he
pleaded to those charges nOn-member-
ship, his name be dropped from the
roll.n This action of the church very
much exasperated Tilton, who thought
Beecher should have prevented such a
result, and that he might have
done so if he had stood by him fully and
| firmly as agreed 10. In that, however,
| believe TiltOn was mistaken, because
Mr.. VIM. F. West, who preferred the
/ charges against TiltOn, did against the
wish Of Beecher, and without any con-
sultation with him. Meanwhile, through
the Intervention OF DIR. Storrs and 9TH
ers, as understood, an ecclesiastical
council had been called. The fact that
this council attempted to disfellOwship
the Plymouth church was very displeas-
| ing to Beecher, and caused him much
trouble, especially the action of Dr.
| StOrrs, which he expressed TO me in the
following letter, dated March 18th, 1874.
BEECHER TO MOULTON.
LConddential.l
MY DEAR FRANK am indignant beyond
expression. StOrrsis course has been an IN
speakable outrage. Alter his pretended SYM
pathy and friendship for Theodore, he has
turned agatnst him in The most venOmOus
manner, and IT is not sincere. His professions
of faith and affection for me are hollow and
faithless; they are merely tactical. His OBJ
ject is plain. He is determined to iOree a con-
fict, and to use one OF US to destroy the other,
II possible. That Is his highest game. By
stringing Theodore he believes that he will
be driven into couIse which he hopes will
ruin me. II ever a man betrayed another he
has 1 am in hopes that Theodore, who has
borne 50 much, will be unwilling TO be a fail
in Storrs's hand TO strike friend. There are
one or two reasons emphatic for waiting un-
I'll the end Of the council before taking any
action.
First-That the attack on Plymouth church,
and the threats against cOngregatiOnaliSm,
were 50 violent that the public mind is likely
TO be aDsOi bed in the ecclesiastical elements.
and not in the personal.
SecOnd-That II Plymouth church 8 dlsfel-
lowshipped, it will constitute blow at me
and the church far severer than at him.
Third-ThRt II the council does not disfel
low Plymouth church, then undoubtedly
StOrrs VIII go on into PTesbyterianism, as he
almost, without disguise, threatened in his
speech and IN that case the emphasis viii be
there
Fourfl,- At anv rafa x.-bfIa tho f,-,- rsres ",
the council, il is not wise 70 make any move
that would be one among SO many rs 70 lose
eject in degree. After the battle is over one
can more exactly see what ought 70 be done.
Meantime l am as patient as l know how TO
be, but pretty nearly used up with inward ex-
element, and must run away for a day or two,
and hide, ana sleep, or there will be a funeral.
Cordially and trustingly yours, II. W. b.
MARCH p, ISL
No one can tell, under first impress
sions, what the effect OF such q speech
will be. 1t ought to damn StOrrs. While
these proceedings were pending, Rev.
Mr.. Halliday, the assistant of Beecher,
called on him and upon me to endeavOr
to learn the facts about the difficulty be-
tween Beeeher and TiltOn. 1 stated to
Halliday that 1 did not thin, that he or
the church were well employed n en-
desvoring to reopen trouble which had
been adjusted and settled by the parties
to it, and that it was better, in my judg-
ment, for everybody that the whole mat
ter should be allowed to repOse in quiet.
The result of an interview between Hal
liday and Beecher was communicated to
me in the following letter, undated and
unsigned, so that l cannot fix the date,
but it is in Beecher's handwriting:
BEECHER TO MOULTON.
SUNDAY MORNING.
DEAR FRIEHD-Haliiday called last night.
TiltOn's interview with him did not satisfy
but disturbed him. II was the same with
Bell, who was present. II tended directly 70
unsettiing your interview. Last night was
very beneficial, and gave confidence that this
must be looked after. Il Is vain 70 build II the
foundation sinks under every effort. shall
see you at half-past ten O'Clock tomorrow II
you return by way II ~ hemsen.
The anxiety which Beecher felt about
these stories, and the steps he took to
quiet them, together with the trust he
repOsed in noe, and my endeavOTs to aid
him in that behalf, may he seen from
the letter headed 25-73, which believe
to be June 25, 1873, and directed, "My
Dear VonMoltke." 1t is here produced.
BEECHER TO MoULToN.
My DEAR Won MOLTKE - 1 have seen How
ard again. He says that Il was not from
Theodore that GilkisOn got the statement,
view? / have told Clafiin that you would
come with Carpenter If he could be found, at
any rate by nine O'Clock tonight to sse Storrs,
but did net say anything about StOrrs. I
sent Cleveland with my buggy and horse over
to hunt Carpenter. VIII you put Carpenter
on his guard about making ueh statements?
From these Oear the force Of coming from
headquarters. Yours, truly and ever,
H. W. BEECHER.
Meanwhile Halliday had had an in
teryiew with TiltOn, the result OF which,
as unsettiing the matter between Tilton
and Beecher, was very anxiOusly
awaited by Beecher, who Communicated
it to me and who was also quite as anx-
iOus that TiltOn should take no steps by
which the matter between them should
get into the newspapers or be made in
any manner a matter OF controversy.
With this view he stated the situation
on the same night of the interview with
Halliday and TiltOn, in the following
letter, without date, and when was
written with pencil and in great hsste'
BEECHER TO MoULToN.
SUNDAY NIGHT.
MY DEAR FRIEND-The Eagle ought 70 nave
nothing tonight Il ,ba7 Is t@t y6n nor Theodore
oueht 10 be troubled by the SIDE Whicn yOG5 y5
served so faithfully in paoilcSr Nc say ReIIe
meeting think, is adjourned. say, belLS,,
a. @ s}SrisndIy movement. The only near
= =, - ds1yer is the women MOrrtu brausnaM
ana the poor dear child. II the papers VII VII
si5 sLr ~ q month we can ride out the gale ana
make safe anchorage, and then, When onSg N
we are in deep tranquil waters We VII s,sa1 oi
NJ fo~ through such a wilderness ohIy ~ Is u |
Vino Providence could have led Us 9 lnue-
to1red bv the open- -mouthed beasts that isy "a |
,,sit for Sur lives L GO on the twelve CLOCK |
train after a seepless night an aHA Xytii
about those interviews with haliuE, ia m ,,r,a, az
Won send me line Monday nlsnt or 4usNlay I
Sor,7jIs 5i1, care NJ. p Kennard. Boston, Mass. |
snail get meals there till Friday
7 have nrodueed to the committee all |
letters and documents besring upon the |
s,'bisct .UI,S matter OF this inquiry, which / |
heve in my possession, either from /
Paacher. Tiitcn, or Mrs. Tilton, previ- |
o,,s 10 the Bacon letter, and there is but |
one collateral matter, OF which l desire |
fo sneak. Beecher never intimated to /
me that he thought that there was any |
desire on TiltOn's part to blackmail /
him, and as / had the sole management |
of the money controversy between Til |
ton and Bowen, / knew there was no /
attempt on Tilton's part to blackmail. |
or to get anything more than what l |
believed was due from Bowen. The |
question whether Wilkerson knew OF /
Behaved that any Offense had been COM |
pitted, will depend on the fact whether |
he knew of anything that had been |
done by Beeeher or Tilton's wife, which !
called for an apology at the time be
wrote the tripartite covenant. That tri- |
partite covenant was made solely in |
reference to the disclosures which /
Bowen had made to Tilton, and Tilton /
had made to Bowen, and 1ilton's let |
tars set forth that the only disclosures /
he had made to Bowen CT Beeeher's |
acts toward himself, were of the inn
proper advances made to his wife, and |
that he SO limited his charge in order to
save the honor Of his wife. These ques- |
tions will be answered by the production |
of letter Of April ?, 1871, written by
Samuel Wilkerson:
wILKERsoN TO MeULToN.
NEW YORK, April ?. 1S7e.
Ny DEta MoULroE-Sew fer the closing
act of iusffce aud duty. Let Theodore pass
into y0ur hands the W1ittcn. 1p9lcEY 49, =
,--s 80 - 49,. 49,. - r.