The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-08-01

III lllt uDONt TIE luSl StH-
tence and signature are in the hand
writing of the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher.
Mr. Moulton asked Tilton ifhe would
permit Beecher to address letter to
Mrs. Tilton, and Tilton replied in the
affirmative, whereupon Beecher wrote
as follows:
BRooRLYN, February |, 1871.
MY DRAR Mrs. TILToN: When l saw
you last, | did not expect ever to see
you again or be alive many days. God
was kinder to me than were my own
thoughts. The friend whom God sent
to me (Moulton) has proved above all
friends that ever had, able and will
ing to help in this terrible emergency
of my life. His'hand it was that tied
up the storm that was ready to burst
on our heads. You have no friend,
Theodore excepted, who has it In his
power to serve you so vitality, and who
will do 1t with such delicacy and honor.
1t does my sore heart good to see, in
Mr.. Moulton, an unfeigned respect and
honor for you. 1t would kill me il l
though otherwise. He will be as true
friend to your honor and happiness
as brother could be to a SISTER. In
him we have n common ground. You
and may meet in him. The past is
ended, but is there no future? no wiser,
higher, holier future? May not this
friend stand as a priest in the new
sanctuary of reconciliation, and medi-
ate and bless Theodore and my most
unhappy self? Do not let my earnest
ness fail of it, and do you believe in
ttl I l,n
wholly and gladly in Moulton's hands,
and there | must meet you. This is
sent with Theodore's consent, but he
has not read it. viii you return it to
me by his own hands? l am very
earnest in this wish, for all our sakes,
as such a letter ought not to be subject
to even q chance of miscarriage. Your
unhappy friend, II. W. BEECHER.
That about year after Mrs. Tilton's
confession, her mind remained in the
fixed opinion that her criminal rela-
tions with Beecher had not been NOR
ally wrong, so strongly had he impress
ed her to the contrary; but at length
change took place in her convictions
on this subject, as noted in the follow
ing letter, and addressed by her to her
husband:
SCUoHARIE, June ~, 1871.
Ny YDEARTHEoDoRE To-day, through
the ministry of Catherine Gaunt, Il
character of fiction, my eyes have been
opened for the first time in my eXpe-
rience, SO that see clearly my sin. 1t
was, when l knew l was loved, to suf-
fer it to grow to a passion. A virtuous
woman should check instantly an alb
sorbing love; but it appeared to me in
such false light. That the love / felt
and received could harm no one, not
even you, have believed unfalteringly
until four O'Clock this afternoon, when
the heavenly vision dawned upon n. g.
| saw now as never before the wrong j
have done you, and hasten immediate
ly to ask your pardon, with penitence
so sincere that henceforth, if reason re-
mains, you may trust me implicitly.
Oh, my dear Theodore, though your
opinions are not restful or congenial to
my soul, yet my own integrity and
purity arc sacred and holy things TO
me. Bless God with me for CaJharine
Gaunt, for all sure leadings of an ALI
wise and loving Providence. Yes, now
feel quiet; prepared to renew my
marriage vow with you, to keep it as
the Savior requireth, who looketh at
eye and heart. Never before could |
say this. When you yearn toward me
with true feeling, be assured of the
tried, petrified and restored love of
ELIZABETH.
That in May, 1873, the publication by
one of Beecher's partners ola tripartite
covenant between III. &. Bowen, III. w.
Beecber and Theodore Tilton, led the
press of the country to charge that Til
ton had committed against Beecher
some heinous wrong, which Beecher
had pardoned; whereupon the truth
was the reverse. TO remedy this false
public impression, Mr.. Moulton re-
quested Beecher to prepare suitable
card relieving Tilton of this injustice.
In answer to this request, Beecher
pleaded his embarrassments which pre-
vented his saying anything without
bringing himself under suspicion. Til
ton then proposed to prepare a card of
his own, containing few lines from
the recently quoted apology, for the
purpose of showing that Reecher, in-
stead of having had occasion to forgive
Tiltoi, had occasion to be forgiven by
him. Beecher then wrote letter to
Moulton, which, on being shown to
Tilton, was successful in appealing to
Tilton's feelings. Beecher said in it,
under date of Sunday morning, June ],
1878:
My DEAR FRANK-I am determined
to make no resistance. Theodore's
temperament is such that the future
even if temporarily earned would be
absolutely worthless, and rendering me
liable ut any hour of day to be obliged
to stultify all the devices by which we
saved ourselves. 1t is only fair that he
should know that the publication of
the card which he proposes would
leave him worse Oft than before the
agreement Cnamely, the tripartite
covenant) was made. After my letter
through you to him namely, the apollo
gy) was written, and he had had it u
year, he had condOned his wife's fault.
He had enj0ined upon me with the ut
most earnestness and solemnity not to
betray his wife, nor leave his children
to blight. With such a man as L.
T., there is no possible salvation for
any that depend upon him. With n
strong nature, he does not know how
to govern it. There is no use in trying
further. i have strong feeling upon
me, and it brings great peace, that | am
spending my last Sunday and preach
ing my last sermon.
The hopelessness of spirit which the
foregoing letter portrayed on the part
of its writer, led Tilton to reconsider
the question of defending himself at
the cost of producing misery to Beecher.
In n letter written by Beecher in OIL
der to be shown to Tiltor, Beecher
spoke as follows:
No man can see the difficulties that
environ me, unless he stands where L
do. To say that have church on my
hands is simple enough; but to have
the hundreds and thousands OF men
pressing me each one with his keen
suspicion or anxiety or zeal, to see the
tendencies which, if not stopped, would
break out into Il ruinOus defense OF me
TO stop them without seeming To do 1t,
to prevent any one questioning me, To
meet and allay prejudices against j.
which had their beginning years be-
fore, to keep serene as if was not
alarmed or disturbed, to be cheerful at
home and among friends when / was
suffering the torments of the damned,
to pass sleepless nights often, and yet
TO come I'D fresh and fair for Sunday,
All this may be talked about, but the
II thfu.r oann.t no understood from