Smyrna times., 1874-08-19
Judgment i'm Beecher-TiIton.


the parties to the Tilton-Beecher controversies
have challenged public judgment as to their
several characters; and it SO happens that such
judgment can be sufficiently made up without
taking the accusations of either against the
other, as each one has furnished abundant testi-
mony as to himself, which can be taken
together with undisputed facts. Beginning
with Tilton what a spectacle does he present
Affirming that he had in his possession for
four or five years positive evidence of his
wiies criminal intimacy with Mr. Beecher, he
continues during the whole of that time his
intercourse and his correspondence with the
perpetrstor of the foul wrong-sometlmes
friendly, cordial and gushing, and sometimes
turbulent and interchangeable friendly pc
RODS being marked by the interchange of
messages of "grace " and good will, aud the
execution of treaties and covenants of peace
and the hostile periods being distinguished by
maudlin sentimentalism and by unexecuted
threats some of which we're hushed by the
payment of much money in cash. During
these intermitting periods he by turns INDUCED
in gross assaults upon transcendental praises
Of his wife, condones her fault-whatever it
was-and accepts an apology" from the man
he accused of committing against him (Tilton)
the fOulest possible crime which can be COM
mitted against a husband. Having done all
this-abhorrent as the contemplation of such
conduct must be to every true man n-he then,
in another of his intermittant spasms Of hos
tility, pours down shower OF public accusa-
tiOns upon the wife whose offence he had con.
dOned, end upon the other offender whose
apology he had accepted, and with whom
he had signed a treaty of oblivion. 1t is
hardly possible to imagine more despicable
character. Whatever difference of opinion
there may be as to Mr.. Beecher, it is difficult
to conceive what possible plea can be put
forward to break the force of the inevitable
judgment against TiltOn. He has shown him.
self to be utterly unworthy of sympathy or
respectful consideration, and no one can be
blamed who holds him unworthy of belief.
Mr.. Beecher also has described himself,
giving the public an opportunity to inspect his
character in the light he throws upon it, and
in the light of admitted facts. As far back as
December, 1870, he knew that Tilton had
made an infamous accusation against him,
which he (Beecher) then, as now, believed to
be cruel, wicked fabrication, for the sole
purpose of personal revenge; he knew that
TiltOn, taking the advantage of Mrs. Tilton's
feeble health and distracted mind, at time
when she was sick, even unto death, had
extOrted fIOm her, through an alleged internal
process of mental torture, pretended cOnfes-
zion of her guilty conduct with him, Bercher
he knew then, and soon after, that these accu-
SatlouS anI Vaccinations were being used by
TiltOn TO deIame and disgrace him. Beecher,
and to drive him from his pulpit and his home
in Brooklyn by threats; he knew subsequently,
by costly experience, to the amount OF $1,000,
that TiltOn was using the cruel, wicked and
infamous accusation which he had fabricated
TO levy " blackmaiI'' upon him and others he
knew that IitOn had become corrupt in his
morals, aud degraded in his associations: and
yet during the greater part of the three or four
years, during which all this was going on, he
Beechcr, profeSSes TO have been aSSiduously
engaged in trying to restore this infamous
cslumniat0r, this shameless corrupter of NOR
all, this lnhuman torturer of a sick wife, this
brazeu blackmaier, to his position of power
and mischief as public journalist! This is
Mr. Beechers picture of himself-his por-
trayal Of the character of the pastor of what he
valnly ard O>tentstiously styles the great
church his description of that pastors and
that muD 5 sense of duty to his own manhood,
10 his religious profession, to his position as an
Instructor of morals, and to outraged society,"
1t he could silence the tongue, and shackle the
pen of Iitnn so far as his otcn case was con.
cerned, h. was willing to continue his ass cia-
ton and intimacy with him, william as he
describes him To be; if he could hide the
scandal connected with his own name he was
willing to furnish thousands of dollars and To
u@o "iS vast iHHuehce 10 replace tne dlaDOllcal
schemer he depicts in position whore he
c"uld do infinite damage to others, including
the Church and the religion of which he
(Beecherl is devOut champion and defender!
All this because he shrank away in ahect
terror before an unfounded calumny, instead
of confirming it Will. the courage of Christian
man. This recreancy to duty, this elf-painted
pusilanlmity, is iu sharp contrast with the
aggressive sttitude and the bold utterances of
Mr.. Beecher from the pulpit and in the press.
Innocent of the crime charged upon him by
Tilton he may be, but if he can stand with
approval in the pulpit of Plymouth Church
after such disclosures, the world sjudgment can
hardly fail to be that pastor and congregation
are extraordinary examples of morals and
religion.-Phda Ledger.