St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-03
VOLUME 37---NUMBER 1927.

Shearman's reported interview in the
Union, that gentleman sent to me
through Mr.. F. ID. MouIton letter,
the substance of which was that he
(Mr. s. had referred in the above CON
versation not to me or my family, but
70 other persons. This letter declin-
ed to receive, and returned it to the
writer, with demand upon him to
retract his untrue and un just state
mentS. Furthermore, ! required as a
condition of my accepting from Mr..
Sherman any apology at all, that this
apology should he presented to me in
writing in the presence of the Rev.
Henry Ward Bcccher. This was prompt
ly done at Mr.. Moulton's house in Mr..
Bcecher's presence. Mr.. Shearman'S
apologize letter was as tollows:-
BROOKLYN, April =, 1874.
Dear Sir: Having seen paragraph
in the Brooklyn Union of Saturday
last, containing Il report of Il statement
alleged to have been made by me con
cerning your family and yourself, ! de-
sire to assure you that this report is
seriously incorrect. and that | have
never authorized such IL statement.
1t is unnecessary to repeat here what
| have actually said upon these sub
lects. because ! am now satisfied that
what did say WAS erroneous. and that
the rumoIs TO which | gave some credit
were without foundation.
| deeply regret having been miSlcd
into an act of unntentional ini ustice,
and am glad to take the earliest occa-
sion to rectify it. beg, therefore, to
Withdraw all that said upon the occa-
sion referred to as incorrect (although
then believed by mel and to repudatc
entirely the statement imputed to me
as untrue and unjust to all parties con
ccrncd. Yours obediently.
Il. G.. SHEARMAN.
Theodore Tilton. Esq.
The above named calumnv which Mr.
/. G.. Shearman thus retracted is but
one of several similar falschoods against
my wife and myself which have been
foStercd hy interested parties to eX-
plain the action of Plymouth church
| falSehOodS which, in some instances,
| have been corrected in the same way.
and which in others still await to he
corrected either in this way. or in
court of Justice.
| III. Iou ask. "When did Mr.. TiltOn
cease to he responsible to the Plymouth
church p ! answer that first ceased
my responsibility to that church when
| terminated my membership four Years
ago. | afterward voluntarily renewed
my responsibility to the church on the
evening of October 81 1873. by appear
ing i'll person ut one of its public NEST
lng$, and offering to answer then and
there. i'll the pastors presence. the
charge that had slandered linn. Less
than two months ago. still further re-
newed my responsibility to Plymouth
church. as will appear by the following
correspondence =
BROOKLYN. MAY /, 1874.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. pastor of
Plymouth church Rev. :. b. Halli-
day. associate pastor: and Mr.. Thomas
G.. Shearman, clerk
Gentlemen: address. through you,
to the church of which you are officers.
the following statement, which yOu are
ut liberty to communicate to the church
through the examining committee, or
in any other mode. private or public.
The Rev. Leonard Bacon. ID. d., Ii.
d.. moderator of the recent COngrcga-
tional council. has seen fit, since the ad-
.iourrment of that body, to proclaim,
publish. and reiteratc, with signal en-
phasis. and with the weight of some
thing like official authority, Il grave
declaration which | here quote. name
ly:-
1T was for the Plymouth church,
he says. ITO vindicare its pastor against
Il damaging imputation from one of its
members. But with great alacrity-the
pastor himself conSenting-it threw
away the opportunity of vindication."
"That act he continued, ''in
which the Plymou. h church threw away
the opportunity of indicating its pas
tor. WAS what gave occ; sion for remOn-
Str;Incc from neighbOring churches"
There are many.r he says also,
mot only in Brooklyn. hut elsewhere.
who felt that the church had not fairly
met the question. and by evadng the
issue had thrown away the opportunity
of indicating its PASTOR"
The moderator'S declaration is thus
made three times over that the Ply
mouth church. in dealing with my case.
threw away its opportunity of vindica-
ting the pastor.
This declaration. so cmphaticallv re-
peatcd by the chief moutll-piece of the
council, and put forth by him apparent
ly as an exposition of the councils
views. compelS me, as the third party
t" the controversy, to choose between
two alternatives.
One of these is to remain cOntentcdly
in the diShonolable position of IA man
who denies to his former pastor an op-
portunity for the vimdication of that
pastors character an offence the more
heinouS because an umSullicd character
and reputation are requisite to his Sa-
cred office.
The other alternative is for me to re
store to his church their lost opportuni-
ty for his Nindication by presenting my
self voluntarily for the same trial to
which the church would have power to
summon me if were IL member a
suggestion which (judging from NV
past eNpcrience) will subject me afresh
to the unjust imputation of reviving II
scandal for the suppression of which |
have made more sacrifices than all 9th
CT persons.
Between these two alternatives
which are all that the moderator leaves
to me-and which are both equally re-
pugnant To my tcclings-duty requires
me to choose the second.
| therefore give you notice that if the
pastor, or the examining committee. or
the church us IL body, desire to repo-
ScSS the opportunity which the modern
tor laments that you have thrown away.
hereby restore to you this lost oppor-
tunity as freely as if you had never
parted with it.
authorize you Gf such he your
plcasurc) t" cite me ut any time with
III the next thirty days to appear mt the
bar of plymOuth church fnr tr;,I an, tln