The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-09-24
"wIckEDNEss IN HIeH PLAoEs..,

by the Rev. E. B. Fairfield DID. l. L.
D., pastor of the First Congregation
alist Church of Mansfield, in this
State. The document occupies twelve
columns of the Mansfield Herald and
is by far.fhe most thorough aud logic
al analysis of the case yet presented.
Ii will attract general attention, not
only by its great ability and evident
dispassionate dealing with the facts,
but also on account of the position of
the author as a minister of the same
denomination as Mr.. Beecher and his
high standing as theelogian. The
EdeHomination to which DR.. Fairfield
belongs is, of course, Interested in
clearing SO distinguished leader as
Mr.. Beecher IRON the taint of scandal,
if that were possible. DIR. Fairfield
has been for many years a warm adj
smirer and devoted friend of Mr..
Beecher, and of Mr.. Tilion has never
been either. He was one of those who
urged the removal of Mr.. Tilt0n from
the editorship of the Independent
because of the mischievous tendency
of the doctrines he was promulgating
in its columns. There was every rea-
son why he should desire the acquit al
of Mr.. Beecher from even the shadow
of suspicion,a He says he entered up
on the investigation with a judicial
mind. He not only read the testi-
mony direct and Indirect, internal and
external, but studied it with the great
est care and conscientionsness as if
his life depended upon it.. The re-
view was made under what he con-
siders stern sense of duty and given
to the public because he feels, as a
minister of the Gospel, belonging to
the same religious denomination, that
under the circumstances Beecher has
failed to relieve himself from the OBJ
loquy of the charges that have been
made against him and should not be
continued in the pulpit. AT the same |
time DIR. Fairfield makes it clearly un-
derstood that be does not commit his
congregation in any way by the paper |
published but merely discharges a ]
personal duty, which although disa-
greeable, is nevertheless obligatory |
upon him. = -
DIR, Fairfield starts with the contes-
sion of Mrs. Tflton, the genuineness
Of " hich he believes and gives his I
reason therefor. He says it was made |
repeatedly to several parties and made
in writing several times in the course |
of several years. 1t was made not on.
" to her husband but to Mr.. Moulton, I
to her mother, to Miss Anthony, ana |
to at least one other person whose |
name DR.. Fairfield says he withoiis,
though he thinks it win come. to the |
public by and BY. He reviews the |.
whole course of Mrs. TiIton's conduct |
to show the probabilities Of her orig-E
inal confession being genuine and the
glaring imprebabilities of her subse-
qaent attempts TO deny or explain 1t
away. LII disnlissihg this part of the
affair he asks, when before, was ever
ssan accused persons denial in couri-
Ssthat, toe, when it was shown to be
ssfnll of falsehoods in its details-tak
zen as complete offset to all the con-
'tfessions that had been previously
s1made ?" ~
From this poiat of view DIR Fair
field confines himself mainly to the
statements and letters of Mr.. Beecher
himself and the report of the Com
mfttee. putting the statements of Til
ton and Moulton entirely aside. His
examination he says, is not of the
whole case of Tilton and Moulton
against Beecher. bat chiefly Of Beech
er against himself. The statement of
Mr., Beeeher was made after much de-
and he had every oppor-
tunity for making it as strong as pos
sible. He was called upon to defend
himself, not so much against the ac-
cnsation of others as against his own
acts and words. This he undertook
to do, and, DR.. Fairfield says, signally
failed. t3 Ho
~ Dr.. Fairfield refers first to the pistol
scene at Mr.. Beecher's house when
4 anf
Mrs Tilton's retraction, displaying a
pistol as an argument for Immediate
compliance, and the astonishing sub
mission of Mr.. Beecher to this extra
ordinary demand He had been
charged with a most heinous offense-I
of which he now processes himself in
nocent-and he held in his hands a
written retraction which was his only
protection; and yet, at the demand oi
a comparative stranger, enforced by
the show of revolver. in his own
house, he gave up the document. DIR.
Fairfield says: eff the man who gave
sup that paper in these circumstances
sis an innocent man, we may safely
s.defy the records of the worlds his
sstory to produce its like. =
y And yet this is Mr.. Beecher's
'sowns s;atementl 1t is the confession
ssof cowardice aud pusillanimitY SUCH
ssas belong only to conscious guilt"
The giving up of the paper is proof,
in his estimation, that it was dishon-
estIy obtained ami that the evidence
against him WAS so overwhelming
that its retention would do him mol
good. The very next day Mr.. Aeech.
er had another interview at his own
house, with the same man who had
robbed him of the precious paper and
to shoot him, and in that
of three hours prepared a
letter f'to pacify Tilton." DIR. Fairfield
then cites and comments on the "Apol-
ogy" which was drawn up at that in
in which the language used
TiIton and Moulton was
extraordinary as applied to one man
who two days previous had charged
him with crime and to another who !
but the preceding day had robbed him
of a valuable document at the pistols !
mouth. DIR. Fairfield scouts the story
of Mr.. Beecher that the language OF {
the Apology was not his and that he
did not know what he signed. He
says the renudiated sentence bears in /
ternal evidence of Beecher's author I
ship and not of Moulton's and the con- !
have trusted this TO I
"Moullon in confidence. with the
admitted to be in Beecher's +,
hand writing. What had he trusted
..to moulton in confidence if not 4
that needed concealment-
the docAment as it now appears ? ,
Beeehcr said that several times in the
course of severeral years in his con-
versations with Monlton reference
was made to that paper as one that
ought to be returned to him. Why so
anxious about it it ne did not know
that 1t contained terrible testimony
against him?
In his first published explanation of ,
the Apology Mr.. BeeLher made no
denial of its genuiness, but attempted
to explain it by saying he had
given unfortunate advice to Mrs. Til i
ton recommending her to leave her hus-
band, and this was the blunder over j