Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-08-26

D CANT eulogiums on her. She W;
' a genius. born and reared anon
] rude influences, but only needle
I TO be irrounded 10y refined societ
: TO show a noble and commandin
? nature. l did not know much abou
; her, and though my impression
; were unfavorably her real charaC
ter was not then really known I
the world. ! met her three time:
, At the first interview she wa
, gracious. AT the second she wa
cold and naughty, but at the thir
she was angry and threatening, 70
| had premptorily refused TO pre-
side ut lecture she was about Z
give at Steinway Hall. The mos
strenuous efforts had been mad
by both Tilton and Moulton to in
duce me 10 preside at this lectur
and To identify myself publicl.
with Mrs. Woodruff. 1t was rep
resented to me that / need not il
so doing expressly give assent L
her doctrines, especially with re
gard to the married relation, upor
which point she was beginning t.
be more explicit in opposition &c
the views which |, in common witt
all Christian men, entertained, but
it was plausibly urged that | could
preside at lecture and introduce
/ her upon the simple ground Of adj
vocating free speech and liberty Of
debate, but as | understood that
she was about to avow doctrines
which / al h )red | would not be in
duced by this plausible argument
to give her public countenancc, and
after continuing to urge me to the
very day of the meeting without
any distinct threats, but with obvi-
Gus intimations that my personal
safety would be better secured by
taking this advice. Mr.. Tilton
himself went over to New York
and presided at the meeting where
Mrs. Woodruff gave vent, as | un-
derstand, for the first time in pub
lie, to a full exhibition of her free
love doctrines. The very thought
that | should have been asked, I'M
der any circumstances and upon
any excuse, to preside, or be pres
ent Mt such a meeting was mex
pressibly CALLING to me. Whatever
my establishment might have been,
The motive of Mr.. Tilton and
Moulton in asking such a thing as
TO which / had not, at the time, as
clear perception as l now have,
he request was nevertheless a
lumiiating one. At about the
same time / found that the circle
IF which Mrs. Woodruff formed
part, was the centre of loathesome
scandals, organized, classified and
pei p atuated with a greedy and un-
clean appetite for everything that
was foul and vile. / would not as
'ociate with those people, and yet
Mr.. Tilton and Mr.. Moulton had
some strange theory concerning
he management of this particular
/ Tair which allows it, in their
Judgment, necessary for them to
friendly relations with q
group of human hyenas.
From this circle and from Til
tons intimate associations with it,
some rumors and suspicious arose
my own congregation which
led them TO presume with questions
and to ORIGINATE Investigations
especially into the affairs of Mr..
Tilton. from wi ON alone, as they
believed, the rumors
against me originated. In this /
was constantly and vehemently as
sured by Mr.. Moulton that they
were mistaken, and yet their zeal
in my defense made them impatient
of my silence and anxious to deal
in a summary manner with Mr..
Tilton. Had | allowed them to do
this it was obvious that Mr.. Tilton
would have been greately enraged ;
that all his former unjust suspic-
ions Of ire would have been con-
{ rm d and that he would have had
every motive which was necessary
to induce him to break up the
peace between us, and to make
some such public attack upon me
as he has finally made. But one
thing was constant and apparent.
When Theodore, by lecturing or
otherwise, was prosperous, he was
very genial and afiectionate to me.
Whenever he met rebuff and was
in pecuniary trouble he scowled
threateningly upon me as the
author Of his troubles, and Moul-
ton himself seemed at times to ac-
cuse me of Indifference to Tilton's
misfortunes. 1t was in the midst
of complications like these, there
may be, that part of these events
happened. Shortly after that in a
thoroughly worried and depressed
mood, discouraged by apparent
hopelessness of extricating Tilton
from his difficulties or of saving his
family from the blight which he
has since fastened upon it, with
even more destructive effect upon
its members than / then feared, /
wrote letter to Moulton of which
Wilton has given extracts, even