The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-08-27


Mr.. Mouton then glscs fun history of Tilton's
Ssm ssas, q n for
torial services. and the settlement of that claim
by arbitrators resulting Ia the payment to Tlton
Of tine the
by Bowen and Tiltna and subsequently, by
Beecher.
In the form in which it was first drawn it
bound the parties to say nothing of any wrong
done or offense committed by Beecher, and fully
exonerated him therefrom. After Bowen had
signed it, it was handeato Tilton to sign, and he
refused He was willing to sign an agreement
never to repeat again the charges of Bowen. say
ing that if for no other reason. If the matter
should thereafter ever come TO light, it would ap
pear that there had been something between
Beecher and Mrs. Tilt0n. and ii might be used as
evidence TO the injury OF himself and family, as
well as of Beecher, and. therefore, it was not for
the interest of either Triton or Beeeher to sign il
in the form first proposed.
From the time of the trPartite covenant moth
ing occurred to disturh the. relations between
Beecher, Tilton and Btswen, or either of them,
until the publication in ToodhaW & Ckdfin'S
Weekly of the elaborate story concerning the so
cial relations between Beecher, Tilton and Mrs.
Tilton. After that publ. alton appeared it again
came to the knowledge Ut hechcr that Bowen
was making declarationE derogatory to his char
acter. This was folowe1by the publication ofthe
Wiues.. ID M 'its not party q q It's pub
lication, nor knew anything about it.
Another curious compileation q the relations
Woodruff of the story in her Journal. 1t is mat
ter of public notoriety that Mrs. Isabella Beecher
Hooker, the sister OF Beecher, had espoused the
cause of Mrs. Woodhull on the question of
womans suffrage and had been accused still fur
ther Of adopting her social tenets. Beechers re-
lations to Mrs. Tilton had been communicated to
her. This had been made u subject Of communi- |
cation from Mrs. Hooker to her brother, and, after
the publication by Mrs. Woodruff Mrs. Hooker
addressed the famous letter To her brother, in
which she implorcd him to contide the whole
truth to her.
Then follows the letter from Rev Thomas X
Beecher to Mrs. Hooker in which he says that
he respected Mrs Woodruff but abhorred her
philosophy and that she was only carrying out
Henrys philosophy against which recorded
my protest twenty years ago, and parted loving
ly and achingly from him, saying: We cannot
work together. lie has drifted and | have
hardened like crystal, till am sharpcornered
and eXactIng.
Mr. Moulon saw Mr. Beecher. conversed about
these letters at various times. and Beecher said
he was apprehensve that his sister, in her anX-
icty that he should do his duty in presenting this
truth as she understood it, and III protecting
Mrs. Woodruff iromthe consequences of having
published the truth from which she was then
suffering. would go into his pulpit and
cation was substantially true. Moalton suggested
that he should Mrs. Hooker speak to her
kindly. and exhort her not to take this course:
and that Tilton should see her, and SO far shake
her confidence in the truth of the story to in
duce her to doubt whether she would De safe in
making the statement public. In this course
Beechcr agreed and such arguments and induce
menls We're brought to bear upon Mrs. Hooker
were likely to prevent her from doing that
which would have certainly brought
on an exposure of the whole business. During
the consultations between Bcecher and Moulton
AZ to the means of meeting Mrs. Hookcrs inten-
tpns, no suggestion was ever made on the part
of Beecher that his sister was then or had been
at any other time, insane Beecher was exceed
ingly anxious that rilton should repudate the
statement published by Woodruff and denounc-
ing her for its publication.
Beccher asked Mouton To say to Tiiton sub
stanlially: Theodore may for his own purpose,
if he choose, say that all his misfortune has
come upon him on account of his dismissal from
the TnioH and the LHaependent: and on account
Of the otfensc which committed against him he
may take the position against me and Bowen that
he does. Yet the fact is that his advocacy of
Mrs. Woodruff and her theories has done him
the injury which prevents his rising. Now, in
order to get support from me and from Plymouth
Church. and in order To obtain the sympathy of
the whole community, he must publish card de-
nying the allegations of Mrs. Woodruff, and un-
less he does il he cannot rise He also said the
same thing to Tilton in Mouton's presence.
TO this Tilton answered in substance to Beech
er: You know why | sought Mrs. Woodhull's
acquaintance. 1t TO my family and
yours from the consequences of your acts the
facts about which had become known to her.
They have now been published and will not de
nouncc that woman to save YOU from the conse-
tiucnces of what you yourself have done"
After Moulton had carried TO Mr.. Tfton the
paper of apology which referred to Beeehcrs
adultery, and had received assurances that all
between TiltoH and Beecher should be kept
quiet, Moulton conveyed the information to
Beecher. who was progESc III his expressions OF
thankfulness ard gratitfEe
Mr. Mouton here STATS that Mrs. Morse, the
mothcrin-law Of Mr.. Tilton, who was from time
to time an inmate of his family in Livingston
street, had, as he had been informed both by
Mr.. and Mrs Tilton. learned from her daughter
the criminal relationship existing between
Beccher and herself. and who could not under
stand why that mattenhad been settled, and who
had not been told how il had been adjusted and
who had had n most bitter quarrel with Tilton,
accusing him of not having carried his affairs
to keep what fortune he had, and who had
called upon Beccher about the relations between
Tilton and Mrs. Tilton, and who had, as Beechcr
had informed him tMoultonl, filled the minds Of
Mrs. Beecher and himself with stories OF lllton
infdelity and improper conduct to his wife wrote
letter 10 Mr.. Beecher, under date of Jan. ~ 1871, in
which letter Mrs. NJ speaks of the suffering in
Mr.. Tiltons family, and especially OF neglect and
want endured by Mrs. T. She says:
sNelthcr Mrs. b.. Yourself nor can have
done anything to ameorate her condition She
has been Tor The last three weeks with one very
indiilvent girl. I. has sent the others away,
leaving my sick and distracted child to care for
all four children, night and day. without fires in
the furnace, or anything like comfort or nourish-
ment in the house. She has not seen any one
He says she is mourning for her sin If this be
so, 'one twcnty-lour hours under this sheet
think is enough 70 atone for lifelong sin
however heinous. ] know that any change i'll
his affairs would bring more trouble upon
her, and more suffering. | did not think for
moment when | asked Mrs. b. a. to your Call
there. supposing she knew it, of course, a. she
said you would not 90 there without her, was
innocent tsicl of making any misunderstanding
if there was any. \ on say, keep quiet. have all
through her married life done SO, and we now see
our error (sic). Ii has brought him to destruc-
ton, made me utterly miserable turned me from
a comfortable home, and brought his own family
to beggary. don't believe, if his honest debts
paid. he would have enough to buy their
breakfast tsic). This she could endure and thrive
under but the publicity he has given to this re-
cent and most crushing Of all trouble is what has
taken the life out of her. | know of twelve per
sons whom he has told, and they in turn have
told Others had thought we had as much as we
could live under from his neglect and ungoverna-
Bile temper But this is the death-blow To us
both. and doubt not Florence has hers. Do you
know when hear Of your cracking your jokes
from Sunday to Sunday. and think of the misery
you have brought upon Us. | think with the
Psalmst, There is no God Admitting all he
says to be the invention of his hafdrunken brain,
still the effect upon US is the same for all lie be-
licyes ii. Now he's nothing TO do. he makes a
target of her night aud day. | am driven in this
extremity to pray for her release from all suffer
ing by Gods taking her to himself for II there is
Heaven | know she'l 90 there. The last time
she was in his house she said: Here feel have
no home. but on the other side l know shall be
more welcome Oh. my precious child how my
heart bleeds over you in thinking of your suffer
ing. Can you do anything in the matter: Must
she live in this suffering condition OF mind and
body, with no alleyiatong Sir, you or any
one else who advises her to live with him when he
is doing all he TO kill her by slow torture is
anything but friend. thought
the least you could do was to put your name TO
paper to help reinstate my brother in the Custom
House. Elizabeth as disappointed as my
self. He is still without employment. with sick
wife and five children to feed. behind with rent.
and everything else behindhand. If your wife
has adopted Lib (sic), you sympathize with
her, pray you do something for her relief before
it is too late. He swears soon as her breath
leaves her body he will make the whole thing pub
lie, and this prospect think is one thing which
keeps her living l know of no other. She's
without nourishment (sic) for one in her state,
and in want actual want. They would both
deny it. no doubt. but it's true.
In reply to the foregoing Mr.. Beechcr writes
shor. letter which contains the following: MY
course toward YOU hitherto should satisfy you
Mrs. Beechcr and 1, after full considerations are
of mind, that under the present circum-
stances, the greatest kindness TO you and to all
will be, in so far as concerned to leave to
time the rectifcation of all the wrongs, whether
they prove real or imaginary
Mr.. Moulton says he purposely omts the
name of the young girl in the expression by Miss
Morse that ''Tilton has sent -, with the Others
away" and adds that . the reason why it was de-
sirable she should be away from Brooklyn, as
given me by Mr.. and Mrs. Tilton, was this: She
had overheard conversation by them concerning
Mrs. Tilton's criminal intimacy with Beecher,
and she had reported these conversations to
several friends of the family. Being young
Of her prattling, 1t seemed proper
for the safety of the two families that she should
| be sent to a distance to school, which was ac-
cordingly DONE She was sent to boarding chool
in the West, and the expenses of her stay there
| were probably paid through me bv Beecher, to
whom Ihad stated the difficulty of having the
| girl remain in Brooklyn, and he agreed with us
| that it best that she should be removed. and
offered to bear the cost of her schooling The
| bills were sent to me from time to time az they
became due, part OF them through Mrs.