The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-09-25

stem on Tilton's part was his belief that Mr..
Beecher had caused him his loss OF place,
business and repute."
Tilton devotes considerable space to the
statement of Beecher-that he (Beecher) " at
tempted to keep Tilton from public trial by
Plymouth Church" for having circulated
scandals derogatory to the Christian Integrity
of it's pastor-and quotes from the church
records to prove that the Investigating CON-
mittse stultifed themselves when they re-
ported that Tilton's original statement pre-
scented no square issues upon when MI:
| Beecher's guilt or innocence could be tried.
| Tilton elbows that the committee falsified the
church records, believing that he possessed
no official copy, and concludes under TINS
head by asking:
public trial by the church? 1t was to save,
not me, but himself. 1t was not /, but he,
| who feared to be tried. and who put forth
| the labors of Hercules to prevent a
trial. And with good reason i; for,
unless Mr. Beecher's case in that perilous
| hour had been conducted by the present
| Committee of Six, on their novel plan OF &C
| quitting at all hazards, the trial would have
proven him guilty. With wise sagacity, there
| fore, Mr.. Beecher sought to keep me from
that trial in order to save himself from that
ruin. / we'll remember how, at that time, he
| spoke Of his anxious and sleepless nights, full
OF fear and apprehension at the possible fall
ure of his cunning attempt to prevent the
coming on of trial which. at the same time
he had to pretend to invite J"
Tilton claims that his relations with Mrs.
Woodruff were known and joined in by
of the great scandal. B0echer formed her
personal acquaintance, and strove by his
kindly interest in her to maintain and increase
her good WILL
Commenting on Beecher's statement that his
greatest error consisted in simply advising
l. g.
TiltOn holds that such advice, given on the
theory that she had been deprived of food,
fuel, and personal liberty, was good, and that
the giver Of it would never need to have re-
pented of such action. Tilton concludes this
part OF his argument as follows:
- But will 60 further, and say that grant
ing such advice to have been given, and to
have been bad, yet since Mrs. Tilton did not
accept this advice, but rejected it-since she
did not separate from her husband and home,
but remained with her family as before-in
other words, since Mr.. Beecher's bad advice
wa not followed by i'll consequences, but no
harm whatever came Of tit is nlockery OF
human reason to say that he spent four years
OF remorse in contemplating the giving OF
bad advice which was never taken and which
produced no effect of harm or i'll "
Tilton then cites numerous occasions from
the winter Of 1871 to the spring Of 1874, when
Mr.. Beecher made illusions, in Moulton's
presence, to the abiding grief which, he said,
God would never lift from his soul for having
corrupted so pure minded a woman az Eliza
beth Titon to her loss of honor, and also for
having violated the chastity of friendship
towards Tilton as his early and trusting friend,
and concludes this section OF his statement as
follows: Mr.. Beecher's recent denial under
oath that he committed adultery with Mrs.
Tilton IL known to him, to her, to Mr.. Moul-
ton, to me, and to several other persons to be
an act of perjury"
Tilton next proceeds to deal with the al
legged hypocrisy Of Beecher before the Inves-
tigating Committee. Taking up this sentence
from his defense
" His (Mr. Tiltons) affairs at home did not
promise that sympathy and strength which
makes ones house, as mine has been, in times
of adversely, a refuge from the storm and a
tower of defense he compares it with some
expressions of Beecher to Tllton previous to
the exposure of his guilt, as
90 Theodore, God might strip all other
gifts from me if He would only give me wife
like Elizabeth and home like yours
Or
II dread to go back to my own house;
l wish the earth would open and swallow
me up"
Tilton closes this part Of his rejoinder with
the words
II know that my allusion to Mr.. Beecher's
home-life is rough and harsh, but l know,
also, that it is true; for, as / pen it down,
the many years of my daily association with
Mr.. Bsecher, during which he taught me to
sympathiZe with him for the very reason that
his house, instead Of being what he now calls
it, a refuge from the storm. was more often
the storm ITSELF from which he sought refuge
in NINE"
Beecher's charge Of blackmailing is dis
posed Of by Tilton, who shows that at the
period Mrs. Titon was instructed to say that
she was deprived Of food and fire, and Mrs.
Morse wrote that il Tilton's debts were paid
he would not be worth a cent, Mr.. Beecher
was informed by one of the custodians Of
Tilton's money that he had no debts unpaid
and that he had several thousand dollars in
cash to his account. Tilton's denial of the
charge Of blackmailing is. couched in these
words:
II have pride enough to say that. were I
clothed in the rags of beggary and perishing
with hunger, would not accept penny from
Mr.. Beecher for food or raiment. Had known
of this mans surreptitious gift to the Golden
Age, would have returned it to him, saying,
Thy money perish with thee!'"
A visit from Mr.. Kinsella editor Of the
Brooklyn Eagle, is described by Tilton, in
which the following language is attributed to
Mr.. Kinsella-the interview having occurred
a few days previous to the reading of Tiltons
sworn statement to the committee:
Mr.. Tilton, l know the justice Of your
case; Mr.. Beecher has himself admitted to
me his guilt; he has wronged you most
foully; acknowledge it ALL But remember
that he il an old man; his career is nearly
ended, and yours has only just begun. II
you will withhold your forthcoming state
ment, and spare this old man the blow which
you are about to strike him, will see that
you and your family shall never want for any
thing in the world"
,,. This proposition was politely declined by
Tilton.
The remainder Of this statement is devoted
to 1llton's magnanimity in condoning his
wife's Prievous sin, and Beecher's sclfshness
In sacrificing every one so that he might be
shielded and concludes as follows
No regret beclouds my mind for this for
giveness of my wife, which, am sure. L shall
look back to from my dying bed with pleasure
not with pain. 1 forgave this gentle woman
because l loved her forgave her for her
children's sake L forgave her because
despise the public sentiment which
condones such faults in men, and then COM
pels men to punish them in women forgave
her because, even after her grievous error,
she still remained woman loving right rather
than wrong and seeking good rather that !
evil L forgave her because l tenderly re-
membered that Christ Himself forgave sim
liar fault in more wicked woman-and who |
was to scorn the law of His great example ? |
NO criticism Of my forgiveness of Mrs. Tilton |
can prick me with any pang. III all the acts of
my life had been as righteous as this good |
deed Of clarity-albeit toward n woman who |