The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-15

| ing the business, and Mr.. Tilton may have fel
that his position was being undermined by op
pohents OF his views, with whom he subse
quentiy pretended to believe | was in league
Vague intimations of his feeling toward me
ascrlbe to this misconception. | had taken NJ
step to harm him.
TILToN's CRUEL AND IMMORAL CONDUCT.
After Mr.. Tilton's return from the West il
December, 1870, young girl whom Mrs. Til
ton had taken into the family, educated ant
treated like an own child cher testimony un
derstand is before the Committee } was sent tc
me with anAsrgent request that would vis
Mrs. Tilton at her mothers. She said thai
Mrs. Tilton had left her home and gone to hel
mothers in consequence of the i'll treatment o
her husband She then gave an account Of
what she had seen of the cruelty and abuse OF
the part Of the husband that shocked me; anG
yet more, when with downoast look she said
that Mr.. Tilton had visited her chamber in the
night and sought her to consent to his wishes
l Immediately visited Mrs. Tilton at her moth
er's, and received an account of her home life
and OF the despotism of her husband, and oi
the management OF a woman whom he had
made housekeeper, which seems like night
mare dream. The question was whether shf
should go back or separate forever from hel
husband.
MRS BEEcHER INDIGNANT AT TILToN's CRUEL
TIES.
asked permission to bring my wife to see
them, whose Judgment in all domestic relations
l thought better than my own, and accordingly
a second visit was made. The result of the in
terview was that my wife was extremely indig-
nant toward Mr.. Tilton, and declared that no
cons Iteration on earth wonld induce her to re-
main an four with man who had treated her
with an hundredth part of such insult aud cruel
ty. ] felt as strongly as she did, but hesitated,
as always do, at giving advice in favor of a
separation. 1t was agreed that my wife should
DIV n a
The next day when ready to go she wished a
final word, but there was company and tt Q
children were present, so wrote on piece of
paper 81 incline to think that your view is
right and that separation and settlement of
support will be wise, and that in his present
desperate state her presence near him is far
more likely to produce hatred than her alb
sence" Mrs. Tilton did not tell me that my
presence had anything to do with this trouble,
nor did she let me know that Oh the July pre-
vious he had extorted from her confession of
excessive affection for me.
TILToN COMMANDS BEECHER TO LEAVE
BROOKLYN.
On the evening of Dec. 81 1870 Mr.. Bowen
on his way home called at my house and hand
ed me a letter from Mr.. Tlton. 1t was, as
nearly as L can remember, in the following
terms:
Henry Ward Beecher: For reasons which you ex-
plicitly know, and which 1 forbear to state, de-
j
Brooklyn as residence.
CSigneD THEODORE TILTON.
read it over twice and tur:ed to Bowen and
said: This man is crazy" This is sheer
insanity, and other words.
BowEN's EXPERIENCE WITH TILToN.
Mr.. Bowen professed to be ignorant of the
contents and | handed him the letter to read.
We at once fell into conversation about Tilton
He gave me some account of the reason why
1,,L cd. &c ~,
Independent to the subordinate position of con-
tributor, viz: "That Mr.. TiIton's religious
and social views were running the paper; but
he said that as soon as it was known that he
had so far broken with Tlton, there came pour
ing in upon him so many stories ot Mr.. Tilton's
private life and habits that he was overwhelm-
ed, and that he was now considering whether
he could consistently retain him on the Brook
lyn Union, or as chief contributor to the hide
pendent. He narrated the story of the affair at
Winsted, Ct, some like stories from the North
west, and charges were brought against Titon
in his own cffice. Without doubt be believed
these allegations, and did l. The other facts
previously stated to me seemed a full corrob-
Grafton. We conversed for some time, Mr.
Bowen wishing my opinion. 1t was frankly
givei. did not see how he could maintain
relations with Iilton. The substance of the
full conversation was that Titon's inordnate
vanity, his fatal facility for laundering, "for
which he had a genius. aad ostentatious inde
pendence in his own opinion, and general un-
practicableness, would keep the Union at dis
agreement with the political party for whose
service it was published; and now, added to all
the revelations of the promiscuOus immorali-
ties, would make his connection with either
paper fatal to its interests. | spoke strong y
and emphatically under the great provocaton
OF his threatening me, and the revelation had
just heard concerning his domestic affairs
Mr.. Bowen derided the letter of Tilton's which
he had Brought to me, and said earnestly that
if trouble came of it [ might rely on his friend
ship. | learned afterward that in the further
quarrels, ending in Tilton's peremtory expul-
sion from Bowen's service, this conversation
was told to Mr.. Tilton.
BEECHER REGRETS FOR HAVING DROPPED TIL
TON.
believe that Bowen had an interview and
received some further information about Mr.
Tilton from my wife, to whom Fhad referred
him, although have no doubt that Mr.. Tilton
would have lost his place at any rate. / have,
also, no doubt that my influence was decisive
and precipitated his final overthrow. When |
came to think it all over / felt very unhappy at
the contemplation of Mr.. TIlton's pending dis
aster l had loved him much and at one time
he seemed like son to me. My influence had
come just at the time of his first unfolding,
and had much to do with his early develop
ment. / had aided him externally to bring him
before the public We had been together in
the war, and our social intercourse had been in
innate 1t is true that his nature always ex-
aggerated his own excellences. When he was
but a boy he looked up to me with affectionate
admiration. After some years he felt himself
my equal, was very companlonable, and when
he had outgrown me ard reached the position
Of the first man of the age he still was kind and
patroniziug. / had always smiled at these
weaknesses of vanity, and had believed that
larger experience, with some knocks with strong
men, and by sorrows that temper the soul, he
would vet fulfil useful and brilliant career
But now all looked dark. He was to be cast
forth from his eminent position, and his affairs
did not promise that sympathy and strength
which makes ones house, as mine has been in
times.of adversely, refuge from the storm and
tower of defence.
Besides generous suffering should have
had selfish reason for such if I had dreamed
that was about to become the instrument by
which Mr.. Tilton meant to fight his way back
to the prosperity which he had forfeited. 1t
now appears that on the Gath OF December,
1970 Mr. Titon having learned that | had re-
piled to his threatening by expressing such an
opinion of him as to SCI Mr. Bowen finally
against him and bring him face to face with
immediate rum, extorted flom his wife, then
suffering from severe illness, a document
eliminating me, and prepared an elaborate at
tack upon me.
A DRAMATIC INTERVIEW WITH TILToN.
On Thursday evening, December 80, 1870,
about clock, Mr. Francis D. Moulton called
at my house with Intense earnestness and said,
81 wish you to go with me and see Mr. Tlton."
I replied that could not then, as l was Just
going to my prayer meeting With the most
positive manner he said, 'You must go; some
body else will take care of the meeting" :" I
went with him, not knowing what trouble agi-
tated him, but vaguely thinking that / might
now learn the solution of the recent threaten
ing letter. On the way, asked what was the
reason of this visit, to which he replied that
Mr.. Tilton would inform me, or words to that
effect.
On entering bis house Mr.. Moulton locked
the door, saying something about not being in
terrupted. He requested me to go into the
front chamber over the parlor L was under
the impression that Mr.. Tlton wis going to
pour out upon me his anger for colleaguing
with Bowen and for the advice OF separation
given to his wife. L wished Mr.. Moulton to be
with me as witness, but he insisted that
should go by myself. Mr. Tilton received me
coldly but calmly. After a word or two, stand
ing IN front of me with a memorandum book
in his hand, he began set Grafton. He
charged me, in substance, with acting for
long time in an unfriendly spirit; that had
sought his downfall; had spread injurious ru-
mors about him; was using my place and in
f1uence to undermine him; had advised Mr..
Bowen to dismiss bin, and much more that
cannot remember; that | had injured him in
his family relations; had joined with his moth
er-in-law in producing dscord in his home
had advised separation; had alienated his