The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-07-30

to do 20. Suffice it for my purpose now
that / reply to one or more Of the most
glaring charges.
1. Touching the feigned sorrow of my
husbands compulsory revelations ]
solemnly avow that long before the
Woodruff publication knew him by in
situation and direct statement to have
repeated to my very near relatives and
friends the substance of these accuse
tions which shock the moral sense of the
entire community this day. Many times
when hearing that certain persons had
spoken i'll of him he has sent me to chide
them for so doing, and then and there l
learned he had been before me with his
calumnies against myself, SO that l was
speechless.
2. The reiteration in his statement that
he had persistently striven to hide these
so-called facts is utterly false. as his
hatred to Mr.. Beecher has existed these
many years, and the determination to
ruin Mr.. Beecher has been the one aim of
his life. Again, the perfdy with
which the hottest love a wife ever
offered has been recklessly discov-
cred in this publication reaches well
nigh to sacrilege, and added to this the
endeavor, like the early scandal of Mrs.
Woodruff, to make my own words con-
denim me, has no parallel; most conspic-
uously my letter quoting the reading of
Griffith Gaunt." Had Mr.. Tilton read
the pure character of Catharine he would
have seen that l lifted myself beside it
as near as any human may affect an ideal
but it was her character and not the in.
cidents of fiction surrounding it to which
l referred. Here was no sin of criminal
act or thought. A like confession with
hers had made to Mr.. Tilton in telling
Of my love to my friend and pastor one
year before, and now add that, notwith
standing all misrepresentation and
anguish Of soul, owe to my acquaint.
ance and friendship with Mr.. Beecher, as
to no other instrumentality, that encour.
ment OF my mental life and that growth
toward the Divine nature which enable
me to walk daily in lively hope of the
life beyond the grave.
g. The shameless charges in articles
seven, eight and nine are fearfully false
in each and every particular. The letter
referred to in Mr. Tilton's tenth para
graph was obtained from me by impor
tunity, and by representations that il
was necessary for him to use it in his ther
pending difficulties with Mr.. Bowen.
was then 81 k nigh unto death, having
suffered miscarriage only four days be
fore. l signed whatever he required
without knowing or understanding it.
import The paper | have never seen
and do not know what statements it con
tanned. In charge eighteen is a letter Of
mine addressed to Mr.. F. Moulton, quotet
to prove that had never desired sepa
ration or was advised by Mr. or Mrs
Beecner to leave my husband. / reply
the letter was of Mr.. Tilton's own con
cocting, which he induced me to copy
and sign as my own, an act which, in my
weakness and mistaken thought to helI
him, l have done too often during thes.
unhappy years.
4. The implication that harmony o.
home was unbroken till Mr.. Beecher en-
tered it as frequent guest and friend il
lamentablc satire upon the household
where he himself, years before, laid thu
cornerstone Of free love and desecrate(
it's sacred affairs up to the time of my de
parture, SO that the atmosphere was no
only goddess, but impure for my chill
dren, and in this effort and throe of ago
ny would fain lift my daughters ant
all womanhood from the insidious ant
diabolical teaching of these latter days
His frequent efforts to prove me insane
weak-minded, insignificant and of NEAR
presence all rank in the category O
heartlessness, selfishness and falseheod
having it's climax in his present endeavo
to convince the world that am or eve
have been unable to distinguish between
an innocent or guilty love. In sum
ming up the whole matter, / affirm my
self before God to be innocent OF tn
crimes laid upon me; that never have
been guilty of adultery with Henry Ware
Bcecher in thought or deed, nor has h
ever offered to me an indecorous or i'm
proper proposal.
To the further charge that I was LEI
away from my home by Mr.. Beecher'
friends and by the advice of lawye
whom Mr.. Beecher had sent to me, VIII
in advance of my appearing before tn
committee arranged with me the ques
tions and answers which were to consti
tute my testimony in Mr.. Beecher's be
half, answer that this is again untrue
having never seen the lawyer until intro
duced to him few moments before tn
arrival of the committee, by my step
father, Judge Morse; and in further re
ply submit the following statement o
my action before the committee and nj,
separation from my husband:
5. The publication Of Mr.. Tilton's let
ter in answer to Dr. Bacon l had no
known nor suspected when on Wednes
day evening he brought home the Golde
Age, handing it to me to read Looking
down its columns saw well nigh witt
binding eyes that he had put into ex
ecution the almost daily threat Of hi
life-that che lived to crush out MI
Beecher; that the God of battles wa
with him; he had always been MI
Beecher's superior, and all that la.
in his path-wife, children or rep
utation, if need be-should fall befOr,
this purpose" l did not read it. saw
enougp without reading. My spirit ros
within me as never before. Theodore,
l said, "tell me what means this quota
ton from Mr.. Beecher? Two years ag'
you came to me at midnight saying
Elizabeth, all letters and papers con
corning my difficulties with Mr.. Beeche
and Mr.. Bowen are burned, destroyed
Now don't you betray me, for hav'
nothing to defend myself WITH" "Dit
you believe all that" said he. II, Ger
tainly did, implicitly" I said. "Well
let me tell you: they all live. Not one il
destroyed"
If this was said to intimidate me i
had quite the contrary effect; I hat
never been so fearless nor seen so clearly
before with whom was dealing. Com
ing to me little later: :" l want you te