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

| TILTON A BLACKNIAILER
5eats~sas aE The Gonnittee :--In the state.
ment addressed to the public on the 22d of July
last, gave an explicit, comprehensive and
solemn denial of the charges made by Theodore
Tilton against me- That denialI now repeat
and reaffirm. l also stated in that communi
cation that l should appear before your com.
mittee with more detailed statement and ex-
PLANTATION of the facts in the case. For this
the time has now come.
TILToN's FALL.
Four years ago Theodore Tilton fell from one
of the proudest editorial chairs in America
where he represented the cause of religion, hui
manity ard patriotism, and in few months
thereafter became the associate and representa-
tive Of Victoria Woodhuil and her strange
cause. by his follies he was bankrupt, in rep
utatiop, in occupation and in resources. The
interior history of which / am now to give a
brief outline is a history of his attempts to so
employ, as to restore his reputation, reinstate
him in business and place him again upon the
eminence from which he had fallen. 1t is a
sad history to the full meaning of which l have
but recently awakened, entangled in a wildness
of complications. / have followed until lately
false theory and delusive hope believing that
the friend who assured me of his determination
and ability to control the passionate vagries of
Mr. TIlton to restore his household, to rebuild
his fortunes and to vindicate me would be equal
to that promise. His self-confessed failure has
made clear to me what for a long time did
not suspect, the real motive of Mr. Tlton.
TILToN's REAL MOTIVE.
NY narrative does not represent a single
stand point only as regards my opinion of
Theodore Tilton. 1t begins at my cardinal
intimacy with him in his earlier career, shows
my lamentation and sorrowful but hopeful af-
fection for him during tie period Of his initial
wanderings from truth and virtue. 1t describes
nv repentance over evils Detailing him, of
My perseve1ing and friendly despairing efforts
to save him and his family by any sacrifice of
myself not absolutely dishonored and my grow
ing conviction that his perpetual folies aud
blunders rendered his recovery impossible.
can now see that he is, and has been from the
beginning of this difficulty, selfish and reck-
less schemer, pursuing plan OF mingled good
and hatred, and weaving about me a network
of suspicious, misunderstanding, plots and
lies, to which my own innocence, words and
acts. nay, even my thoughts of kindness to-
warts him have been made to contribute.
Thes successive views of him must be kept
in view TO explain my course through the last
four wears. That L was blind so long to the
real nature Of the intrigue going on around me
is due partly to my own overwhelming public
engagements, partly to my complete surrender
of this affair, al papers and questions connect
ed with it into the hands of Mar. Monlton, who
wss entirely confident that he could manage it
it successfully.
MoULToN's CONDUCT.
suffered much but / inquired not. Mr.,
Mouton was chary to me of Mr.. Tilton's con-
idence to him. reporting to me occasionally In
a general way Mr.. Tilton's words and out
breaks Of passson, only as elements of trouble
which he was able to control and as additional
proofs Of tic wisdom of leaving it to him. His
0anm ents OF the situation seemed to me at the
sal Y
cares and duties, and only too glad to be re-
lieved from considering the details and wretch
ed complications, the origin and the fact OF
which remain, in spite of all friendly interven-
ton, q perpetual burden to my soal.
/ would not read in the papers about It. /
would not talk about it. / made Moulton for
long time my confident and my only channel of
information From time to time, suspicious
were aroused in me, by indications that Mr..
Tilton was acting the part OF an enemy, but
the suspicious were Rapidly alayed by his own
behavior towards me in other moods and by
tSle assurances of Mr.. Moulton, who ascribed
the circumstances to misunderstanding or to
malice on the part of others.
TILToN A BLACKMAILER.
It is plain to me now that it was not until
Mr. Tilton had fallen into disgrace and lost his
salary that he thought it necessary to assail
me with charges which he pretended to have
had in mind for six months.
The do .pestic offence which he alleged was
very quickly and easily put aside, but in such
away as to l1et,p my feelings stirred up in order
that | might th rough my friends, .be used to
extract from Mr.. Bowen $1,000. the amount of
a claim between them. The check for that
sum in hand, Mr. ,rilton signed an agreement
of neace and concord net drawn by me, but ac
cepted by me as sincere. The Golden Age had
been started. He had the capital to carry it on
for while. He was sure he was to head
GREAT social revolution. With returning pros
ri
not be- covered by his signature to the articles
of peace.
Yet the change in that covenant made by him
before signing it and represented to me as nee
essary merely to relieve him from imputatlon
of having originated and circulated certain oId
and shameless ISLANDERS about me, were really
n, ade, as now appears, to leave him free for iu-
tule operations upon me and against me.
So long as he was, or thought he was on the
road to q new success, his conduct toward me
was as frank as he knew how to make 1t. HIS
-assumption of superiority and magnanmIty
and his patronizng manner were trlfies at
which | could afford to smile and which
bore with the greatest humility, since still re
tanned the profound impression of the truth OF
the narrative that L had been a cause OF over
whelming disaster to him, and that his COM
plete restoration to public standing and house,
hold happiness was reparation justly required
of me- and the only one which L could make
Isat with q peculiar genius for blunders. he teil
almost at every step into new complications
and difficulties and in every such instance his
policy was to bring coercion to bear upon my
honor. my conscience and my affections for
the purpose of perceiving his extricatlon at any
expense.
theodore Tlton knew me well. He said
aeain and again to his friends that ii they
wished to gain any influence over me tney
must work upon the sympathetic sense of my
nature. To this he has addressed himself
steadily for four years, using as lever without
scruple my attachment to my friends and to
mf family TO his own household, to renew my
old affection for himself.
Not blind to his faults but resolved to look
on him us fayorably and hopefully as possiD-e,
and ignorant of his deeper malice, L labored
earnestly even desperately for his salvation for
four years. | have been trying to feed the I'M
yatable egotism to make the man great as he
concieved himself to be, to restore q prosperity
aud public confidence to one, who, in the
midst of my efforts in his behalf, patronized
dsreputable people and doctrines, refused
when besought him to separate himself from
them and ascrlbed to my agency the increasing
rEin which ne was persistently bringing upon
himself and whch L was doing my utmost to
avert.
THANKLEss TASK.
1t was hard to do anything for such man. l
m icht as well have tried to fill sieve with
wa ter. la the latter stage OF the history ne
actin ally melted and created difficulties appar-
entity fo.~ no other purpose than to drive me to
fresh exc, tons. j refused to indorse his wild
views and associates. The best could do was
to speak well OF him and the ability which l
still believe him to possess in his higher moods
and keeping silence concerning the evil things
which was assured and believed had been
greatly exaggerated by public report. | could
| not think him so bad as my friends did.
trusted to the germs of good which L thought
still lived in himl-to Mr.. Monlton's apparent
mower over him, and the power of my persis
tent elf-sacriflce.
CONFIDENCE IN MOULToN.
Mr. Mu,llton came to me at first as the schoo
mate and friend of Mr.. Tilton, determined tt
| renstate him. l always suspected without re
| care to my interests, but on further acqnaint
| ance with me- undertook and promised to serve
| his friend without doing wrong to me. H'
| said he saw clearly how this was to be done 81
as to restore peace and harmony to Mr.. Tiltoni
! home and bring happy end of all misunder
| standing. Many things which he counseed
absolutely refused but l never doubted hi
nrofessed friendship for me. After the friend
shin had grown up between us. and whateve
he wished me to do did unless it seemed t.
me wrong My confidence in him was the on
lv element that seemed secure in that contuso
Of tormenting perplexities. To him | wrot
freely in this troublous time when ! felt tina
secret Vaccinations We're going on around me
and echoes of the yilest ISLANDERS coneernin
me were heard in unexpected quarters
III warn