Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-21
Another Talk between Th sodOre Til
ton aud George Alfred Townsend
Remarkable Letter from
Mr.. 1iltOn.
Beeeher's Charge OF Blaekmailing-
More Documentary Evidence
Hrs. TiltOh's WOeful
Intimacy.
Important Letter Of Mrs. T.ItOn in Re-
gard 10 Her Husbaud-Beecher's
PreVaricatiOn ia the
Bowen Matter.
correspopdence chlcago rrLbnnel

/ Correspondence Chicago Trlbune.l
BROOKLYN, August l5.-If anybody
supposes ihat Mr.. BeecheT's long and
perfumed statement has settled the case
OF TiltOnis desolate house against Henry
Ward Beecher's work, then he must
sleep the sleep Of Rip Van Winkie TO lie
perfectly happy. 1 came down from
Saratoga to day and went over the field
in person. Beecher had gone off like
travelling menagerie and wax-wOrk
show. TiltOn stood guard in his home,
with his old Irish hOusekeeper. His
daughter Florence was at Cornwall, on
the Hudson, near West Point; the little
children were at Mount Clair, New Jer
sey; Mrs. TiltOn wss jeslously hidden
away, as TiltOn said, because the Beech
critics thought she might fall into his
h 3nds sooner or later. sit may be many
years" he said. "She will confess the
whole truth. Confession, with her, is aO-
solutely necessary for the repose of her
soul. Poor child, they will not let her
cleanse her eOul by speaking. told my
daughter Florence" continued MT. Til
ton, 'tbat before these people were done
with Elizabeth they would reject her,
disgrace her, and cover her with con-
tempt. Beecher did Just that day before
yesterday. Ii is part Of his plan TO dis
bar her, and make her INV oTthy Of be-
lie. do not know where she is. l can
not leRrn.n
was gratified, yet made sad, to-day,
by the sight Of letter from Elizabeth
TIlton to her husband, written in OctO-
Der, 1870, three months after her confess
sion. will not say how or where l saw
il, but that is not vital. Seduced, con-
fessed, penitent, miserable. She adj
dressed duplicate letters 20 her mother
and husband from point II the west,
where she was living out her year Of con-
triton. All this time her mother Mrs.
Morse, the evil genius Of the house, was
preparing the public mind for the day of
wrath, and nerying on her daughter TO
desert Theodore TiltOn forever. The
wife, getting her ideas OF her household
while absent from this unhealthy source,
wrote upbraidingly, and yet in shame, to
her husband, seeking. it appears, 70 give
him strength in his affliction to bear his
woe. The letter said nearly as follows,
though l could not copy it. am tele-
graphing entirely from memory, two
hours after I have seen the letter:
Theodore, 1 have taken my own
fault to my Savior, and made my peace
with him. Oh, why do you keep in
timating it TO my mother, and say in
your intense moments that after 1 am
dead you will give the world a depic-
ton of Mr.. BeecheT? Every time you
throw a dart at him you make my heart
bleed, for have / not already wTung his
heart and clouded his usefulness enough?
When Told Hly secret fear, IkRelU that
Il JUdS 1orORg to you. IneUer TeBe1Usd
that tOOeftH intimacy, When you break
out in these strains Of ferociiy, every
body suspects what you mean. Even
our daughter, gathering the meaning OF
the ofiense, asked me one day over the
table whether / was an adulteTess.
Think Of the children born to us, of the
one still unborn, and pray Gods for
givaness upon Us both. know the ruin
in our household, the gap between US,
who loved too well; the sgOny OF spirit
that is driving US on and on. If you
cannot live for ne, live for yourself and
those little ones. Part from the company
you have become entangled with-Su-
san Anthony and Mrs. Stanton. In the
prese at awful state Of things, meekness,
new resolutions, prayer TO God through
Christ, and consent to live until he
calls Us hence, is all that we can hope
for. l long to return to my house and
children, but l cannot come until this
agony be passed. Some say my mother
Is bad adviser, but, if / cannot go to
my mother, where on this earth can /
60? Do not distress my fathers hear.
with the imputatiOn of his daughters
fall. Although he is separated from
mother, it gladdened my heart to hear
L. -, -fHH T.
wife, Oh, that cruel fate could make
it possible for me to be at your side and
stay pure; my husband and family are
still all to me. For PHYS sake let silence
rest upon this thing, and il we can never
love again, let US spare the dear off
spring God has given US"
The letter is about eight or nine pages
long. A duplicate was sent to Mrs.
Morse, with orders TO destroy it, and
never mention its contents to the hus-
band, but to read it that she might be
advised what was being said from her
daughter to the husband. The letter
strictly beers out Mr.. Tiiton's theory
that Mrs. Tiiton fell without the knowl-
edge of guilt; that she was awakened
to the fact Of guilt by some such circum-
stance as reading the story of Catherine
Gaunt; that she then made a voluntary
confession OF offense; was put ia despair
by the consideration that she had de-
stroyed Mr.. Beecher's usefulness as well
as her husbands peace Of mind, and
that the household was going TO pieces
before her sight. She saw her husband
backsliding, tippling TO drown his mis-
cry, and Beecher equally smitten with
fear and despair. Through all it is
rational, truth-serving document, and it
is closed with an imploratiOn to destroy
all correspondence, aud speak nothing
that will spread evil report. Not a
point In this letter is met 10y Beecher's
iabOred defense.
l also saw two letters from Reynolds
aud Ford, TiltoI's attorneys, written in
1871, while the suit of TiltOn against
Bowen was pending, which wholly re-
fute Mr.. Beecher's statement that he
settled TiltOn's case with Bowen, put
seven thousand dollars IN his pocket,
and enabled him to establish the Golden
AQe. These lawyers write letters, each
Of them, and enjOin TiltOn not to sub
init 10 any arbitration, because his case
is perfectly sound in open court; and
they say " II you submit to arbitration,
il must be in the interest OF a third prin-
cipal to avoid disclosures and not to get
deserts. What / advise is that you pros
ecute your own rights. Be not diverted
by sympathy with any outside party,
and play your part like man Of busi-
ness, open and above board" When
Mr.. Beecher, therefore, says that TiltOn
used him (Beecher) to get what was be-
longing justly to TIlton, ne prevaricetes,
and alleges 10 himself an act Of gsner-
osily be never performed. On the con-
trary, Mr.. BeecheT was the man who
had TiltOu discharged from both BOwen's
publications, Immediately after he found
Tlton had knowledge OF guilty inter.
course with his wife, as the following
memorandum will show: Mrs Tilton
confessed 70 her husband July Sd. She
failed 10 tell Beecher thai she had con.
fessed until December 30th. Til
ton had his celebrated interview
with Beechet the same night. Next
day, December 3lst, Bowen, IN a curt
note broke his recently-revived and
strengthened connection with Tilton,
thereby involving himself In the follow
ing penalty, tO-wit: He agIeed but
two or three weeks before TO pay
Tilton five Thousand dollars year as a
contributor TO the Independent, and five
thousand dollars a year, besides ten per
cent. In the profits, as editor OF the
/ Brooklyn UIaOgi. Ten thousand dollars,
added 10 ten per cent, made the sum OF
forfeit to be paid by any violent cancel