The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-31
THE BEECHER SCANDAL.
Mrs. TiltOn Rises to an Explanation.
The ssSaddest Act of her Life.s

The sGSaddest Act of her Life"
The following is the statement of Mrs.
Elizabeth R. Tilton:
To pick up anew the sorrows of the
last ten years, the sting and pains l had
daily schooled myself to bury and for
give, makes this imperative duty as call 4
ed forth by the malicious statement of
NV husband, the saddest act of my life. .
Beside my thought of following the
Master contradicts this act of my pen,
and a sense of a perversion of my life
faith almost compels me now to stand .
aside till God himself delivers; yet ! see 4
in this wanton act an urgent call, and
privilege from which l shrink not. To
reply in detail to twenty-five articles of
arraignment, 1 shall not attempt at pres
ent, yet if called upon to testify to each
and all of them, shall not hesitate to
/ do So Suffice it for my purpose now
/ that ! reply to one or more of the most
glowing charges touching the feigned
4 sorrow of my husbands compulsory rev.
Citations. l solemniy avow that long be-
! fore the Woodruff publication / knew
/ him by insinua1on and direct statement
70 have repeated to my very nea- rela-
/ tive and friend the substance of these
accusations which shock the moral sense
of the entire community to-day. Many
times, when hearing that certain persons
had spoken i'll of him, he has sent me to
chide them for so doing, and then and
there I learned he had been before me
with his calumnies against myself, so
that was speechless. The reiteration
in his statement that he had persistently
striven to hide these so-called facts is ut
terIy false, as his hatred to Mr.. Beecher
has existed these many years, and de-
termination to ruin Mr.. Beecher has
been the one aim of his life.
Again, the perfidy with which the hO-
liest love wife ever offered has been
recklessly discovered in this publication,
reaches well nigh to sacrilege, and add.
ed to this the endeavor, like the early
scandal of Mrs. Woodruff, to make my
own words condemn me, has no parallel;
. most conspicuously my letter quoting
the reading of "Grifith Gaunt." Had
} Mr.. Tilton read the pure character of
: Catharine he would have seen that ]
lifted myself beside it as near as any hu-
} man may affect an ideal. But it was her
character, and not incidents of fiction
: surrounding it, to which l referred.
Hers was no sin of criminal act or
5 thought A like "confession" with hers
f I had made to Mr.. Tilton in telling OF
| my love to my friend and pastor one
:, wear before. and I now add that, not
withstanding all misrepresentation and
anguish of soul, owe it to my acquaint-
: ance and friendship with Mr.. Beechei
n as to no other human instrumentality
$ that encouragement in my mental life
and that growth toward divine nature
e which enable me to walk daily in live
/ " hope of the life beyond.
e The shameless charges in articles sew
en-, eight and nine are fearfully false il
: each and every particular. The letter
u referred to in Mr.. Tilton's tenth para
q graph was obtained from me by impor
c tunities, and by representations that
r was necessary for him to use in his thel
e pending difficulties with Mr.. Bowen.
he was then sick nigh unto death, having
d suffered miscarriage only four days be
81 tore. ] signed whatever he required
'd without knowing or understanding 1t
ct import. The paper l have never seen
OF and do not know what statements it con
al tanned.
M In charge eighteen, a letter of min
Ell addressed to Mr.. Francis MOulton, quot
+ ed to prove that never desired sepa
ed ration, or was advised by Mr.. or Mr.
III Beecher to leave my husband, repl
ms the letter was of Mr.. Tilton's own cor
ne cocting, which he induced me to cop
oi and sign as my own-an act which, l
iy nv weakness and mistaken thought t
~ help him, have done too often durin
these unhappy years
The implication that harmony
home was unbroken until Mr.. Beeche
entered it as frequent guest and frien
is lamentable satire upon household
:, where he himself had years before lai
the corner stone of free love, and des
IS Grated it's affairs. Up to the time of m
=, departure that atmosphere was not on
"o homeless but impure for children, ar
in this effort and throe of agony l wou
-, fain lift my daughters and all woma
hood from insiduous and diabolic
teachings of latter days. His frequel
~ efforts to prove me insane, weak -minde
'O' Insignificant, of mean presence, all raT
in category as heartlessness, selhshne
=, and falsehood, having its climax in b
. present endeavour to convince the wor
that am, or ever have been, unable
distinguish between an innocent or
guilty love- In summing up the who
matter / affirm myself before God to
innocent of crimes laid upon me.
mt Never have been guilty of adulte
my with Henry Ward Beecher in thong
or deed, nor has he ever offered to l
"P an indecorous or improper proposal
IAN the further charge that I was led aw
from my home by Mr.. Beecher's frien
and by the advice of lawyer whom
'he Beecher had sent to me, and who, in
vance of my appearing before the CO
ieu' mittee, arranged with me the quests
nc and answers which are to constitute
l"w testimony in Mr.. Beecher's behalf, l
wei swer that this is again untrue, hav
''"f- never seen the lawyer until introdn
oa'' to him q few moments before the arri
rom of the committee by my step-father; a
eye in further reply, I submit the follow
, al statement of my action before the c.
.he mittee and separation from my husba
rihE The publication of Mr.. Tilton's lie
u' in answer to DIR. Bacon, had not kn'
nor suspected, when, on Wednesday I
ina ming, he brought home the Golden !
heu, handing it to me to read. Looking d.
FSeii its columns saw, well nigh with bl
iish inn eves that he had put into execu