The Grange advance., 1874-08-19

was that Mr.. Dcechc3, acting partly
On the judgment of his wife, who had
heard Mrs. Tilton's story. advised Mrs.
Tilton to separate from her husband.
Mrs. Tilton did not, even then, let him
know that he was at all the cause Of
her trouble.
Soon after, Mr.. Bowen called upon
Mr.. Beecher and handed him note
reading as follows:
II. W. BEEcHER: For reas ons which
you explicitly know, and which I 1orbear to
state, demand that you withdraw from the
pulpit and quit Brooklyn as residence
(Signed,l T. T1LroS.
Nr. Beecher was surprised enough,
and handed the note to Mr.. Bowen to
read. Mr.. Bowen then related what he
had heard Of Tilton's private life and
habits, and questioned whether he
could consistently retain him in his en-
ploy. MIR. Beecher spoke strongly un-
der the provocation of the threatening
note, and his language was repeated to
Tilton by Bowen at the time of Tilton' s
discharge from Bowen's employ. When
this occurred, however, Mr.. Beecher felt
deeply regretful that disaster had come
to Tilton, and remorsful for his part in
it. He had been too long intimate with
Tilton, and felt too strong an affection
for him, to cast him off suddenly. >e-
sides he had had so much to do with
Tilton's advent in public life, that he
felt in some sense responsible for him.
On learning the result of Bowen's in
terview with Beecher, by his discharge,
Tilton extorted from his sick wife
document eliminating Beccher, and
upon that prepared an elaborate attack.
Francis D. Moulton called at Beecher' S
house coming as Tilton's friend, for
until then he and Beecher had been
merely acquaintances-and conducted
Beecher to an interview with Tilton, at
which Tilton charged upon Beecher
that he had sought his downfall, spread
injurious rumors about him, undermine
ed him, advised Bowen TO dismiss him !:
had Joined his mother-in-law in pro-
curing discord in his family !;
had advised separation had alienated
his wife's affection from him, won her
love and corrupted her moral nature.
and had made wicked proposals to her.
With this last charge he produced a
paper purporting to be confession by
Mrs. Tilton Of her love for Beecher and
her statement that Beecher had made
improper proposals to her. He said
this confession was made six months
before, and he ended by requesting
Beecher to 90 at once to his house and
learn from Mrs. Tilton that he had not
miSrepresented her.
Terribly shocked at the thought that
this Christian woman whom he had
long regarded as type Of moral good
ness, could have made such
false and atrocious statement,
Mr.; Beecher went to the house as
directed, was admitted by the house.
keep per Of whom Mrs. Tilton has spoken
as being her husbands creature, and
was conducted to the chamber where
Mrs. Tilton lay sick. Sne acknowledged
that she had made such charges, but
under the influence Of her husband,
and she gave to MIR. Beecher written
denial of their truth. At this time
there was nothing said of any further
charge than that he made improper
proposals to her. The next evening
Moulton called upon Beecher and per-
suaded him to give up the retraction,
saying it would only make matters
worse between husband and wife, and
was not needed by Beecher since Tilton
had destroyed the original confession,
but had obtained from his wife recan-
tation of the denial she gave to Beecher.
Mr.. Beecher felt as if Mrs. Tilton
was about to die, and, believing what
had been told him by Tilton, feared all
her sickness as well as her troubles had
come from an inordinate affection for
him. He feared also that Tilton's mad
accusations might be made public and
greatly damage the church and all else
in which he was interested. In this
mood Moulton came to him again and
urged upon him that he had wronged
Tilton and that the stories about the
latter's impurity were false. Moulton
was eloquent Beecher was ready to be
persuaded and felt that he had acted
mcanly towards Tilton. His utterances,
Moulton thought, if repeated to Tilton,
would bring about a reconciliation, and
so Moulton made a memoranda to
which he persuaded Beecher to write
a line upon it, saying he
committed it in trust to Moulton. He
did not read the paper; as since pub
lished it undoubtedly repeated what he
did say, under the influence of strong
emotion, but it is in sentences diyested
of their connection, and more extrava-
CANT fo1 that reason.
Through Moulton's efforts a peace
was patched up between Beechcr and
Tilton, but the latter, whenever any
misfortune came upon him, would act
as if he wanted to spread the whole
story before the public. During the
four years which followed Beecher was
induced by Moulton to give about