Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-14
Triton TO TIE FRONT.
another Letter &c tse Cemmittee-He
Aceepu Beecher's Challenge, and
win SOW Tell tas Whole story.
In a Week or Ten Gays we are to have
It All as Bare and Naked rs
TiItOn Caz Give Ii.

D
/ NEW York, July 1s.-Mr. Beecher's
4 letter to the committee of six church
! members, requesting them to investi-
/ gaze his character against Mr.. Tilton's
Z alusiOn % an OffeBse, and the apology
I in his Bacon letter has elected the fol-
/ lowing reply by Mr.. TiltOn. 1t is adj
I dress d, as Mr.. Beecher's was, to the COM
4 mittee.
BROOKLYN, July l3, 1874.
/ To the Investigating Committee:
! GENTLlLAIEN-Wh hen on Friday last /
met you at your invitation the appoint
ment of your committee had not then
been made known to the public. You
sat in a private ecapacity. Moreover one
Of your legal advisers had previously
given me hope that if on my appear
ance before you I would preserve a
judicious retieence concerning the worst
aspects of the eass, I might thereby face
il. Although you made such
moderate public presentation of
Mr.. Beecher's Offense and apology
IS would close rather than
prOlOng tile existing scandal, l rejoiced
iD this hope, and promptly reciprocated
the kindly feeling which was reported
to me as shared by yo1 all toward my
self and family. Accordingly when i
y al
ment was in substance, the two follow
ing points: First, that my letter to
DR.. Bacon was written, not as an act of
aggression, but of self-defense, arising,
as therein set forth, from great and
grievous provocation by your pastor,
your chursh, the Brooklyn council, and
the ex-mCderator's criticisms on my sup
posed conduct, all uniting TO deiame me
before the world, and to infiict upon me
an u1jus. punishment for acts done by
another; and, second, that having, by
that letter, defended myself so far as |
thought the occasion required me to
carry my reply, felt unwilling to pro-
ceed further against Mr.. Beecher with
out farther pTOVocation, or other neees-
sity. SUCh a necessity is now laid upon
me by Nh. Beecher himself in the pub
lieation Of direct request by him to
you to inquire officially into his eharac'
ter rs affected by his Ofense and apology
to which 1 referred. He thus otteIs to
me a direct challenge, not tnly before
your committee, but before the public,
which 1 hereby accept. l therefore give
you n0tise that L shall prepare q full
and detailed statement in accordance
with the terms OF your committees in
vitatiOn to me to furnish such facts as
dLE AlL1A4 IL y huOWltNfsc lOACAAAS MAJ
ters which compromise the character Of
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. l shall be
ready to lay this before you within a
week or ten days, or as soon thereafter
as / shall find myself able to set numer-
Gus facts and evidences in such strict
array as that can cover them each
and all, with my oath to their exact
truth, sworn before magistrate. An
appointment by you is requested Of a
day mutually convenient for my atten-
ton to this statement in person before
your con mittee. In the meanwhile /
shall make public my present note to
you, because Mr.. Beecher's letter, to
which this is a preliminary response, |
has been made public by him. With |
great respect, am yours truly,
TEEOD0kE TILTON.