The New York herald., 1874-08-22
Mr.. moulton.s 81. ts,rent.

scandal, ana winch was suppressed at the last
moment, is published this morning. II bears
no internal indications of being anything
else than it pretends to be, and we think it
may be accepted as the evidence upon knowl-
edge of the most important witness in the
case. That the testimony was prepared pre-
vious to Mr.. Beecher's statement is an i'm
portant point in determining the credibiity
of the witness and the weight of
the evidence, for it is thus free from
all imputation of passion. Had the state
ment been prepared under the heat
and excitement occasioned by Mr.. Beecher' s
charges of backmail-charges which it was
impossible for Mr. Moulton to overlook-it
would thereby have been materially weak
ened. AS nothing but the truth is to be
/ sought for in this case, and as Moultons 8
credibihty is the test by which Tiltons
charges are to be tried, it will be seen how
very important is the fact that the statement
was prepared before a new element OF hatred
and i'll will had been introduced into the con-
troversy. With these premises clearly under
stood We can enter into an examination OF the
statement in order TO ascertain If MIR. Moulton
has settled the point at issue.
Every reader who undertakes the study of
Mr.. Moulton's statement this morning will ex-
anime it with single question in his mind
Does it establish the guilt of Mr.. Bsecher? If
Moulton is to be believed the truth OF the
charges is unquestionsble. The new element
in the case, then, is Moulton's credibihty, and
upon this the whole issue turns. But before
We seek more fully to satisfy ourselves on this
point it is necessary to ascertain exactly what
Mr.. Moulton's testimony, assuming it to be
worthy of credit, proves. 1t will be remem-
bered that in the earlier stages of the case it
was apparent that the testimony of both Mr..
and Mrs. Tilton would have to be ruled out
altogether. This lett only Mr.. Beecher's letters
TO be explained These letters were slngu-
larly extravagant in tone and seemed to point
to some very grave offence. Mr.. Beecher's
words were full of wild despair, and the
rugged edges of life were to him SO rough
that he gave frequent forebodings of sudden
death. He often kissed the hand that struck
him, and to Moulton, whom he acknowledged
as the man by whose endeavors the most ter
rible blow of all had been averted, he wrote
epistles of the most passionate gratitude.
Macaulay's picture OF John Bunyan writhing
under the conviction Of sin in the extreme
agonies Of vivid imagination was not more
terrible than Mr.. Beecher's condition as he
paints it himself. When Mr.. Beecher
undertook to explain the causes of
the wretchedness he had so often
acknowledged in such extravagant phrase
ology the circumstances to which these
trivial that the expressions of contrition bor-
dered on burlesque. 1t required an effort of
! the will to believe that it was nothing more
than some bad advice that had occasioned all
this misery, contrition and apology. The
letters seemed to require different explana-
ton before it could be accepted as satisfactory.
Their true meaning remained as much in
doubt as before. and there was only one man
who was ID position to unravel the mystery.
That man was Frank Moulton. This man is
the only real witness in the case, and he has
now told us exactly what was the offence with
which Mr.. Beecher was charged and to which
he referred in his letters-it was adultery
On this point Mr.. Moulton's testimony is
proof unless it is shown that he is unworthy
of belief. ''At that interview" says Moulton,
speaking of the occasion when he demanded
and obtained Mrs Tilton's retraction from
Mr.. Beecher, she admitted, with grief and
sorrow, the fact of his sexual relations with
Mrs. Tilton, expressed some indignation that
she had not told him that she had told her
husband, and that in consequence of being in
| ignorance of that fact he had been walking
upon volcano-referring to what he had
done in connection with Bowen and with
reference to Tiltons family" Moulton
| is equally explicit with regard to the famous
letter of contrition. 'sThis," he says, ''was
intrusted to me in confidence to be shown
only to Titon, which did 1t had reference
to no other fact or act than the confession of
sexual intercourse between Beecher and Mrs
Tilton, which he at that interview confessed,
and denied not, but confessed" Mr.. Beecher
has given us one version of the way in which
that letter was prepared; Mr.. Moulton gives
US another. According to Beecher, it was
memoranda of no very grave import; accord
ing to Moulton, it was dictation referring
solely to Mr.. Beecher's acts of adul-
terry with Mrs. Tilton. There is discrepancy
here, but the words admitted to be in Mr.
Beecher's handwriting, II have trusted this to
Moulton in confidence" seem to sustain Moul-
tons declarations on this point. Strangely
enough letter is printed from Samuel Will
keson corroborating Moulton on the more
material point-the nature of the offence
Wilkeson appears to have been sort of
unfrocked Jesse Rural in the case. He it was
who made Mr.. Beecher ridiculous by saying
if the truth came out cit would knock the
Life Of Christ higher than a kite" He
it was also who published the 'tripartite