The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-07-23
TlLTON DENOUNCES BEECHER
AS A LIBERTTNE

| 4ii'idlltN ana llDCrtln1S1n. iu!On Clldi go
his wife with criminal intimacy with her
pastor and of being 50 much under his
influence a, to side with her 5cduccr
against her husband We give below Il
synopsis Of the testimony OF Tilton, re-
serving for our next issue a fuller state
mont
4 Tllton> sworn statement opens with pre-
alnblc in Justification of its exposures and sets
| forth ..undcr solemn oath the facts and tcsti-
monY:"
FIRST That on the I'd of October, 1873, at
Plymouth Church. Brooklyn. a marriage be-
tween Theodore Tllton and Elizabeth K. Rich
ards was performed by Rev. Henry Ward
! Reerher. which marriage thirteen wears after
wards was dishonored and violated by this
| clergyman through the seduction of this wife
! and mother. as hereinafter set forth.
second, That for period OF about fifteen
/ years extending both before and after the mar
| raige. an intimate friendship existed between
Theodore Tilton and Rev. Henry Ward Beech
er. which friendship was cemented 10 such a
| degree that i'll consequence thereof the Subsc-
q,lent dishonoring of his friends wife was
crime OF uncommon wrongtulness and pcrtidy.
| Third. That about years ago the Rev Hen
| rv Ward Beeeher began, and thereafter con-
nued friendship with Mrs. Elizabeth Il.
| Iilton, for whose native delcacv and extreme
| religious sensibiiity he often expressed to her
/ husband 4 high admiration. visiting her from
! time 10 lime for years till the year 1870, when,
~ -; ne ,:n -" Nv Cerou i ~,
1 u'.i ny "ilcl l..lou ~ my l'i
Nv Nv nc moH wy ="
I hy her and after repeated assaults by him upon
/ her mind with overma>terin@ arguments. ac-
~; ~ ~ We ~ ,;, ,la,nd
~ , ~ II, 'oi,, lI ssim;noi
! ;ntnrrnnr>c :" MI. rel,ti ion bn;n@ reaarlcd by
her ~ moi criminal or morally WRONG: sucb
nl l,,, no ,,nyyor of hi; orn,,,rnnt ~ !, cl.r
lyman ~ eatjsfv her rnii,;n,,- 9.r,nln, lo.,i,,.t
/ crnle ana honor
l Fourth. That. on the evening of Oct TO-
/ 1865, oil Whereabouts. Mrs. lltnn held an inter
/ VIM with Hecchor at his residence. She being
/ lhrn in q fender SINE of mind, owing Ia NE
rarrnI dnat|i and burial Of a ,oung child. and
I .i,.;n, ~ ;n,,.r,in,y an or. az criminal inti
! macy look nIacc between this pastor and his
\ pgri. hinnrr: the motive on her part a> herein
I before ,I3Ird nor being regarded bv her At The
4 linn, criminal or wrong: which acl was follow
\ rd ~ 4 similar net of criminalitv between The
| >anlc parties at Mr.. Tilton's residence during
| Il pastoral visit paid by Mr.. Beechcr 10 her on
| the subsequent Saturday evening: followed hy
/ other similar scts IN Iariou. occasions from
the autumn Of The wear 1sts 10 the spring of
lS-0. the places being the Two residences aIore-
| said and occasionally other places to which
| her pastor wonld in, ito and accompany her. or
| m " hirh he N-onl,I meet her hN prrS inll, AN
} n0lnImpHI
These acl~ of wrong doing on her parr from
! FIRST 10 last were NOT wanton or consciously
/ wicked hnt arising through a binding of her
/ moral PERCEPTION occasionrd bv the powerful
! influence eyprted on hey mind At thai time 10
/ his end hy Roy Henry " ard Reecher a, her
/ trusted RELIGIONS nrecentor and cuide. Thi,
4 rh9rUa eonI on ia Sav that Rpcphar'S frenneut
/ r1lls unou Mrs Titnn ,IIrino her busbanc'~
! absence n Tho West excited remark and thar
/ La,. 1.nalon tn,, ,,o,aiving lii a,tnntions wv
!
Il, MI ,,,,roI 1,ri,I- md wished 10 convince him
hat H., n,,I rn,o,' hi. lindnass and vef IN
-" l,t ~ e. ..ti,, ha1,o J;onit,- Of v:onlu
pre- IeSlHct Tor me 1aSie aign'N VI mon'rl
i''oo aa S VII" ,lna' nftcn r' rnnaaird nm 10
itis ~ l,;n ~ ha,i III, h.n i,
-, - :, h's,t'iilt -, ~ ~ ~ tE1loy..
.rn ia,o IN a''' I,;saworthv hut o abuse The
~ :, y; ~ H. 10 ~, an, s,raGn ~ f.srna,in.
,,Ii ,,, w., 10 ,-iold nv, %,-on1onhooI
,an1hI, 'r;iron la,l bis ansnion. v,,
,,.o,,lI ~ on in,,ronar noro.S ri>nn liz VIII.
noooI 'i ,iiiap sopta3 an tho annr Of hi.
ht,ra1 limo Of ,ic,nrn. 1i;S VIA ti,st denied
,h I +I1,' ~ IA 10 io,i ,.o,,,l,,ol paonbar
f " " IL ~ ~, ,,(iho,. oinans;on ~, ,o
i,,.,; hao,o IN M t,1rnnoo,, H., fo,,n1 hi
-" lynn nho,'I i ln",.n nI H,,ban
.,t,,,ol ~, NJ Tiltnn M pnachnr wa. seen
!!;th; noa.d,,,l, nonf,,ead al Nm a au.hcd
tril,a, ,ta,u3 , " 1I,sihln
i,,t;, .h;a} w., h,,Sh.I,,j .,,in,ta1 -.
,,f;sfirInrl.
H;irh,bl,: ~, .a,.. ,b., IN rho -n,;oo If ,h,.
~. iI-n IN ~ r.ti,,,n fron, . u.in1er's ahsrncr
,,a not;cei m,,,.h .hsnrntion nj his wiG,' mind
H., ~, l3ao.hn,, tt,nt an aorranganoent with nor
,Ii,,,i ,,I No. 40 rI 1haf aftnr snxnra
t,oaI, il, tho aointrv ohn Voluntarily returned
9 ~ ~ o,,ilo ,,a1 M b3rm shnnJ
o ~ A. I,i po.nfnr Sho ON 1bn avanino o
I,,l . 1l-n ,,,n1,a :. iroi1mo tantial confession
',"E - = ~: ii''r, II ',i IN,
. ,''' oi, 1,t ~ 'on, no.,
'l"aiI ~ 81 Nv -, ~ 1ho, $40 IA omm;ttaj
~ - 'ii' hn, bshn,a ~. n,a,riooa VOC,
'o,;nfr H., pn.tor." asInrancr that 2ha was
Im0tia~. in1 i,-I.. uh,.1t H. i,~l;rvcd i,r-elf
~ hn
She also affirmed that Mr.. Eeechcr had as
eured her repetcdly that he loved her better
th.n he had ever loved any other woman and
.he iii justified before God in her intimacy
;+t hi'n,.a Mo ,,nncssa,.,. ,laco;, which a..
",'a ati;l IL b;l ohc tran,,en,lv suffered
'"lnl'ahic" ~ ~ Nii'ii ~ = n'H - -
IN Ief lhlilu' anu wa 'i''' ''i NV Hv,''' III '
Tossing 10 her husband when very Ill anu Tear
mo she might die.
The statement then proceeds at great length
t fr,h no ,..a.,,,,. which induced him ia
=" III ~ ~ ~, NJ; III ma
'"''i' tie ioiiz ~, f,;t 81 i ~ i
!" restore neI "ounotu SpiIlt. ihH3 III Dtscih
Der, lS.V, differences tToSt between HllietI dHu
Bowen. augmented by Mr.. and Mrs. Beerhcr,
and that n The request OF his wife he held the
first inlpry lew with Rcechcr at his residence.
The fir~l since his discovery, accompanied by
+. ID. Moult0n. who brought 4 written state
ment Of Mrs. Iiiton, containing her confession
and urging 4 reconciliation. Th, paper was
read to Beecher, who desired to consult WIN
Mrs. Triton. which he did, and ON returning
expressed his remor>c and shame. declaring
thai nj liie ana WORK seemed Drought 10 " sud-
den close.
ON returning home the same evening llion
found his wife in tears. saving her efforts ior
uesr. had only Given anguish and that Mr.
t.nnrbni }crl1fnd thaf ,hc had slain him. and
~. ~ ,,.n,,I1 no tr;nd lnfnrn p Co,,nrij miles
'l ne Hpt : -; . 4 - ~ 4 \
| lection; when he dictated and She wrote n