The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-08-21


cord. not drawn by me, but accepted by me
as sincere.
y "When l had lost the last remnant
of faith in Theodore, or hope for him; when
I heard with indispensable remorse that every
thing l had done to stay his destruction, had
made matters worse and worse, and that my
attempt to keep him from a public trial, i'll
volviug such a flow of scandal as has now
been let loose. had been used by him to bring
up new troubles; hat his unhappy wife
was, under his dictation, signing papers
and recantations, and l know not what that
in short everything was breaking up, and
the destruction from which / had sought
to save the family was likely to be emp
tied on other families, the church and the
community, with infinite horrors of woe for
me; that my W innocence was burie'
under heaps and heaps Of rubbish, and no.
body but my prcfessed friend, il even he,
could save us-io bis assurances that he could
still do so l gave al least 30 much faith IS to
maintain under these terrible trials the silence
which he cnjoined. Not until AIR. Tilton,
having attempted through Frank Carpenter
to raise mouey from my friends, openly as
sailed me in a letter to DIR. Bacon, did I break
that silence, save by the simple denial of the
slanderous rumors against me a year before,
when, on the appearance of the first
open attack from Mr.. TIltoD, I Immediately,
without consulting Moulton. called for a
thorough investigation with . committee Of
my church."
Mr.. Beecher Gays he finds himself in a posi-
ton where he knows his innocence without
being able to prove it with detailed e1plana-
tons declares that he is an hereditary bypo-
chondriac, and that in certain moods Of re-
action the world becomes black. II he were
to write in such a mood he should give false
colors and exaggerated proportions to every
thing. He then proceeds to give a circum-
stantIal narrative Of his personal relations
with Mr.. and Mrs. TiIton. from the day of
their acquaintance dow to the percent day.
He first knew Tiiton as a reporter of his ser
mors, became much attached to the young
man. and shortly after gave him g position
on the Independent. Of which he was
editor. He shortly after placed Til
ton in charge of the paper during a
temporary absence in England, and on return
ing made arrangements by which the young
man became responsible editor of the indie
pendent.
Friendly relations continued until 1866"
SAWS Mr.. Beecher, "when violent assaults
were made upon me by Tilton in the indie
pendent on account of my Cleveland letter,
and a temporary discrimination Of publica-
ton Of my sermons in that paper broke of
my connection with it. Although Mr.. Tilton
and l rema ined personally on good terms, yet
there was n coolness between us in all mat
tiers Of politics. Our social relations wero
very kindly, and as late as 1863. at his re-
quest, l sat to Page some fifty times for a
portrait. 1t was here thatI first met and talked
with Moulton, whose wife was q member
Of Plymouth Church, though he was not a
member or even q regular attendant. During
this whole period l never received from Mr..
Tilton or any member Of his family the slight
est hint that there was any dissatisfaction
with my familiar relations to HIS household.
AZ late, l think. es the winter of 1869. when
going upon an extended lecturinS tour. lie
said: II wish you would look in often. and
see that Libby is not lonesome. or DOES not
want anything" or words to that effect.
Never BY sign or word did Mr.. Tilton complain
of my visits in his family until after he began
to fear that the Independent would be taken
from him nor did he break out into violence
until on the eve of dispossession from both
tho ra,era tho ,,I.pspIanf and tho nro,lIy,,
Union. owned by Mr.. Bowen. During these
years OF intimacy in Tilton's family, / was
treated as a father or elder brother"
In regard to the matter of his alleged rom
fession to Moulton, and the paper which it is
charged he obtained from Mrs. Tilton while
lying on u bed of sickness, Mr.. B. Gays:
In a sort of postscript she denied ex-
plicitly that | had ever offered any improper
solicitation to her, that being the only charge
made against me by Mr.. Tilton, or sustained
by tho statement about the confession
which he had read to mel dreamed
OF no worse charge at that tims-that was
horrible enough. The mere thought that he
could make 1t, and could have extorted any
evidence on which to base it, WAS enough 20
take away my senses. 1t seemed to me as if
she was going to die that her mind was over
thrown, and that | was in some dreadful way
mixed up with it, and might be left by her
death with this terrible accusation hanging
over me. returned like enc in q dream to
MIR. Mou!ton's house, where l said very little.
and soon went home. 1t has been said that l
confessed guilt and expressed remorse. This
is utterly false. Is it likely tina. with Mrs.
Tiltons retrsction in my pocket l should
have thus stulIiied myself? On the next day.
at evening, Mr.. Moulton called at my houre
and came up to my bedroom. He said that
Mrs. Tilton, on her husbands return to her