The New York herald., 1874-07-22
MR.. TILTON'S PREFACE.

GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE:-
In communicating to you the detailed statement
OF facts OF evidences which you have been several
days expecting at my hands let me remind you Of
the circumstances which call this statement forth.
In my recent letter to DR.. Bacon | alluded to an
offence and an apology by the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher. To whoms0ever else this allusion seemed
Indefinite to Mr. Beecher 1t was plain. The offence
was committed by him; the apology was made by
him both acts were hs own. and were among the
most momentous occurrences of his life. OF all
men in Plymouth church, or in the world the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher was the one man who was
best informed concerning this offence and apology
and the one man who least needed to inquire into
either.
Nevertheless while possessing perfect know-
edge of both these acts done by himself, he has
chosen to put on public afYectation of ignorance
and innocence concerning them, ard has cOnspic-
uously appointed committee Of six OF the ablest
men Of his church, together with two attorneys to
inquire into what he leaves you to regard as the
unaccountable mystery of this offence and apology
as If he had neither committed the one nor offered
the other but as If both were the mere fgments
OF another mans imagination-thus adroitly
prompting the public to draw the deduction that
am person under some hallucination or delusion,
living in a dream and forging fraud.
Furthermore, in order to cast over this expana-
tion the delicate glamour which always lends q
charm to the defence OF wOman's honor, Mrs.
Elizabeth r. TiltOn, lately my wife, has been
prompted away from her home to reside among
Mr.. Beecher's friends and to cooperate with him
in his Ostensbly honest and laudable inquiry into
facts concerning which she too, as well he. has
for years past had perfect and equal knowledge
with himself.
TIE investigation therefore, has been publicly
lsvM NJ aEv,
Tilton, both Of whom, in SO doing, have united In
assuming before the public the non-existence Of
the grave and solemn facts into which they have
conspired to investigate, for the purpose not of
elicting, but OF denying the truth.
This joint assumption by them, which has seemed
10 your committee to be in good faith, has natur-
ally led you into an examination In which you ex-
pect to fnd on their part, nothing but inn ocence,
and on my part nothing but sander.
1t is now my unhappy duty, rom which have In
vain hitherto sought earnestly to be delivered, to
give you the facts and evidences for reversing
your opinion on this subject.
In doing this. painful, may say heartrending
duty, the responsibility for making the grave dis
closures which am about to lay before you be-
longs not to me, but first to Mr.. Beecher who has
prompted you to this examination, and next to
Mrs. Tilton, who has joined him in a conspiracy
which cannot fail to be full Of peril and wretched-
ness to many hearts.
call you to witness that in my first brief ex-
animation by your committee beged and i'm
plored you not to inquire into the facts Of this
case, but rather to seek to bury them beyond all
possible revelation. Happy for ali concerned had
this entreaty been heeded,, 1t ID now TOO late.
The last opportunity for reconciliation and SETTLE
ment has pascal. This Investigation, pnaSrtaken
Beecher should have warned you In advance, Will
shortly prove ITSELF TO your surprise, to have
been an act OF wantOn and wicked folly. for
| which the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. as Its
originator and public sponsor, Will hereafter find
no 'space Tor repentance, though ne seek 1t care.
| fully and with teara" This desperate man must
hold himself only, and not me, accountable for the
wretchedness which these disclosures will carry
TO his own home and hearth, a. they have already
| brought to mine.
| viii add that the original documents referred
70 IN the ensuing sworn statement are for the