New-York tribune., 1874-09-19


,... raa d,sm,ssed the subject Of blsckmail as
TOO tenuous to be made part Of their specia peadng
am not willing that this outrageous pretenSe sna' 10
allowed TO pass iuto swift and easy oph'ion. WI, -
what the Committee had not tho courage W uoi
vtve Mr. Beechers charge OF backmai, In order tnas
80, 80, nrt mara nv niece the ingenious but fal-
lacious argument which he put forth 70 SUSTAIN 'ui' VIE
ionary indictment Il. -. - r,
In tho rs place. before Mr. Beecher ventured on suon
an extrayagant accusation he prepared the way ioi
by misrepresentug me as man reduced 70 SUCH po'
erty and desperation that would be likely 10 resort W
blaokman. As preliminary requisite Tor the coming
charge Mrs Tlden instructed to say that had de-
nr,ved her OF food and frea statement showing con-
dtion OF distress not only hor part but on mine;
distress so great that hunger is said to break through
stone walls) would presumably tempt me 70 commit
murder highway robbery, blackmaii But IL so nap
pens that at the very time when according 10 this
description) was without the means to furnish FOOD
and fire to my family. namely, the winter OF
lso7 had several thousands Of dollars In cash TO
my account on the books OF an eminent COM
mercial house in New-York-a larger sum than ever
had st any one time loose money even In my most
days And Mr. Beecher knew OF this TACT at
the time because when Mrs Morse wrote 10 MIN The et
ter In which she falsely and imprudenty said that my
honest debts we're paid would not be worth cent, Mr.
Beecher was then informed by one OF the custodans OF
my money first that had no debts unpaid, ana next
count distinctly declare therefore, that the story put
INTO Mrs Titons mouth by the persons who advised her
to say that she had the wherewh to feed and
warm herself and family. was fabricated statement
put forth to be one OF the necessary premnares to the
subsequent charge OF blackmail.
After thus falsely msrepresenting as passing the
Winter of 1901 without food and fire. Mr.. Beeohers
second preliminary to the intended charge OF black
mail consisted in his saying that in the following Win
ta, ~ 1oTt 10 driv m
platform, and that my lecturing engagements were
brought to naught In vivid language he portrays my
supposed distress at this time thus:
The Winter following Gs7172l Mr.. Tton Che says re-
turned from the lecturing field In despair Eugase.
mems had bee cancelled Invitations Withdrawn, and
he spoke the prejudice aud repugnanoe with winch he
was everywhere met as lndescrlDaDle
The above statement is not only the direct opposite OF
the truth but when first came upon it 10 the midst OF
Mr. Beechers defense, and before / saw the end to
which IL pointed--namely. that it step In the
argument to prove man in sufficient desperation
to resort TO blackma-I could not understand the mys
terous purpose Of his coming such an unnecessary
hction but soon aferward saw that, as Mrs Iiltons
invention of her pyations OF food aud fuel came nrst
In order so next came Mr. Beecher's equally fancful
invention my lecturing losses and disgrace Both OF
these alleged events-one occurring one Winter the
other in the nex-Were create the desperate determ
nation Of mind my part which was to turn me into
blackmailer.
Mrs Tton's falsities call them hers always remem-
berng that they not of her own prompting have
already been sufficiently answered. 1 need only to
answer Mr. Beechers And If he does not blush for his
statement above quoted when he reads the following
refutaton OF it, then he must be lost to proper regard
for that strict truth which should form the basis OF any
and every accusation which one man brings against an
other
NOTE FROM Mr.. TILToNs LECTURE AGENT.
COOPER INSTITUTE, NEW YORK, Sept. !, 1914
DEAR SIR In reference TO our p9ok % nna tmat So f
filed more lecture engagements during the season Vi
s7I72 than other of the one hundred OF more ec
turers, readers, &c, our list, save one.
Only three of your engagements were Cancelled, ana
two these In the West where the great CncasO
re had almost the Lecture BUSHES 9 M es
engagements. In seven places you were called 10 give
a second Lecture and In one place thrd very Truly
yours .,
Vice President American Literary Bureau.
Theodore Tllton, esq.
Mrs. Tton, who accompanied me at my request dur
ing a portion Of the aboye-named lecturng trip or
thought II she we're thus travelling with the
stories against her would receive In that way most
efectual rebuff, wrote home the following:
MRS. TIIToN TO MRS -
WATERTowE Mass, March l. 1872.
MY SWEET FRIEND: Theodore has about 70
last week In March. We have met with exceedingly
nice people, aud always Theodore reinstates himself
AGAINST the preJudlees grown up lhe Pas'
Your dear ELIZABETH
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. Beechers declaration
that lost my ecturng engagements ana was heap
ing up preudices against myself wherever haty
contradicted by Mr. Mumford. my lecturng agent who
says that of his hundred lecturers and readers had
more than any other person one and
Mrs Titon testes that instead OF my giving rise to
preiudices against myself 1 everywhere clearing
them away What becomes OF Mr. Bcecher's case when
its principal statements thus, one after another,
seen TO be utterly baseess and therefore utterly basel
Mr. Beecher-after first insgating Mrs Tllton to say
that in the Winter Of 1901 house was hovel of
privations and permitting himself to declare that
in the following Winter OF 1s71-72 hunted from
the public rostrum and deprived Of my nvelhood-had
by these two misrepresentation pausibly reduced me,
in his statement to the condition OF man whose next
alternative would be TO levy bacsma After these pro
gressye preparations for his intended Indictment Mr.
Beecher exhibits the same catfooted care in pre-
septpg his successive charges Thus he cautiously pre-
tends before directly preerring his main accusation of
blacgmail, that made OF him to extort from Mr..
Bowen the sum Of s. OOO There is something to provoke
smile In this insinuaon, for have yet to hear Of any
man. living dead, who has been able to extort from
Mr.. Bowen cent Of money not Justly due.
What is the story of the 1900 which received from
Mr. Boweni IL was a just debt which Mr.. Bowen
owed me and paid me, and that was the whole matter:
but he did not pay through Mr. Beechers influence,
nor through any other influence the necessary obi
cation devoving on man who owes money to pay it.
The transaction was follows: According 10 the
tracts made between Mr. Bowen and myself in the latter
mart OF December 1870 was to edit The BROOKLYN Union
for FIVE years at annual salary Of $500, together
with ten per cent Of the profits and 1 TO fur
nsh TO The Independent weekly article an annual
salary OF 1920 making from these two sources year
" income estimated by Mr.. Bowen at $4,000 and up
wards These two contracts contained the following
provisions, namely: They could be annulled by the
death of either party the consent Of both parties
or by one party giving to the other half years notice
OF intention to do or at once by either party paying
to the other forfeit equal to; half years income say
about 81 ooO Mr. Bowen through Mr.. Beecher's innu-
ence las Mr. Beecher admits chose to terminate
contracts at once He had perfect right to do this on