Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-07-30
THE PLYMOUTH CHURCH DIFF.
Guilty."
TILTON'S STATEMENT.

,on's) wife, an imperfect knowledge OF
which has formed the basis of what Is
known as the ton-Beecher scandal.
This statement lifts the curtain and eX-
poses to the public gaze hideous pic
ture of moral depravily. 1t is a sicken-
inc and horrible revelation.
The statement contains twenty-five
specifications, giving time and place OF
the commission of the otlenseS therein
mentioned and on its face appears I'M
answerablc The Introductory and con
GLIDING portions of the statement are
here given, the former because it con
tains ii recital of the motives that lniiu-
enced him to appear before the commit
tee, and the latter because it is a recapit-
ulation of his grounds of ottense:
GENTLEMEN OF THE CoMMITTEE-ln
communicating to you the detailed state
mrnt OF facts OF evidence which you have
been for several days expecting at my
hands, let me remind you of the circum-
stances which cal this statement forth.
In my recent letter to DR.. Bacon | allud-
ed to an otfense and an apology by the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. To whomso-
ever else this allusion seemed indefinite,
to Mr.. Beecher it was plain. The otense
was committed by him; the apology was
made bv him Both acts were his 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 otiense
and apology, and the one man who least
needed To inc uire into either Neverthc-
less, while possessing perfect knowledge
of both these acts done by himself, he
has chosen to put on public atiectatlon OF
ignorance and innocence concerning
them, and has conspicuQusly appointed
a committee Of six of the ableSt men OF
his church, together with two attorneys,
10 inquire into what he leaves you to re-
gard as the unaCCOuntable mystery OF
this otfense and apology, as If he had
neither committed the one nor offered the
other; but as if both were mere pigments
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. Fur
thermore, in order to east over this eX-
PLANTATION the delicate glamour which al
ways lends charm to the defense of
woman's honor, Mrs. Elizabeth II. 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 ostensibly honest and lauda
bic inquiry into facts concerning which
she too las well as he) has for years past
had perfect and equal knowledge with
himself.
This investigation, therefore, has
been publicly pressed upon me by
Beecher seconded by Mrs. Tilton both
i cd
suming before the public the non-eXist-
.ence of grave and solemn facts, into
which they have conspred to investigate
for the purpose not of eiciting but of
denying, the truth. This joint as
sumption by them, which has
seemed to your committee to be
in good faith has naturally led you
into an examination, in which you eN-
pect to find on their part nothing but in
nocence and on my part nothing but
SANDER. 1t is now my unhappy duty,
from which | have in vain hitherto
sought earnestly to be delivered, to give
YOU the facts and evidence for reversing
your opinion on thi. subject. In doing
this painful may say heartlendlng-
duty, the responsibility for making the
grave disclosures which am about to lay
before you belongs not to me, but first to
Beecher, who has prompted you to the
examination, and next to Mrs. 1ilton,
who has Joined him in a conspiracy
which cannot fail to be full of peril and
wretchcdneSs to many hearts. call
you to witness that in my first
brief examination by your com
mttee ! begged and implored you not
to inquire into the facts of this case,
but rather seek to bury them beyond all
possible revelation Happy for all con
cerned had this entreaty been needed!
Il is now too late. The last opportunity
for reconciliation and settlement has
passed. This investigation, undertaken
by you in ignorance of the dangers
against which 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 lind no space for repentance,
though ne seek il carefully and with
tears Ills desperate man must
hold himself only and not me ac-
coUntahlc for the Indebtedness which
these disclosures viii carry to
hi, own home and hearth as they have
already brought to mine | will add
ln the ensuing sworn statement are for
the most part In my possession but
that the apology and a few other papers
ara Ia tuc hands of Francis u. Moultun
Ira~your,, THEODORE TILToN."
#
EECTIrULArIoN.
Finally, THAT in addition to the fore
going facts and evidences other Confr
nations could be adduced if needed to
prove the following recapitulated state
mont namnLN. TINT tnc RnN HenN