Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-03
BEECHER.
The Original AgitatOr Returns
to the Charge.
DIR. Bacon Demolishes MouIton.
He is Rather Non.Commiftai ON
Reeeher

He Is Rather NOn-COmmtftat Oh
Beecher.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2.-Rev. DR.. Leonard
Bacon has contributed paper TO the IndS-
pendent on the Brooklyn scandal. he
says no summing up or siftings Of the tes-
timony, published or unpublished, and no
disclosures that may yet be made can IN
any way redeem The man who has become
so conspicuous in his character Of mutual
friend, or negOtiator between the embar-
rassed editor and proprietor of the Golden
Age, and the popular and prosperous, but
not very cunning pastor of the Plymouth
Church. Perhaps il was three years ago |
that the entire budget, very much as given |
in TiltOn's statement, was laid open be
fore me by a man of high standing, |
who unfortunately knew nothing about the |
matter save what others had told him.
Then it was that L first heard the name OF |
Frank MoultOn. In the absence of any |
proof or show of proof, l refused to with
draw my confidence from Beecher or to |
charge my memory with the painful details |
of the story which knew would sooner or
later become public. But then began to |
suspect and thence forward the impression
on my mind grew deeper and more definite
that whoever might be the dupe or victim |
and whatever might be the result in regard |
to Beecler or any other of the dramatic |
personal, the mutual friend, the custodian |
Of
Papers Big and Black with Fate,
the hero of the pistol scene, would |
be exposed in the announcement as
chief of the plot. Frank. as his crOnies |
call him, is not only man of aesthetic re-
finement, but eminently chivalrous in his |
fri ,Hc1af fo ha ~ 1
of dishonorable thing. Beecher having |
had the benefit of Franks generous friend |
ship for know not how many years, now
turns upon him in self defence, and charges |
him with having had chief part in a very /
base conspiracy. Win this high toned gen
tleman, whose eve became keen with honor
Vindicate his honor by bringing his accused
to answer before a jury? How can he?
Where win he find a judicious and honor
able counsellor at-law who will advise him
TO do so? OF course put this question
without kowing that he has not already
paid retaining fee, or even that
The Most Eminent Criminal Lawyer
in Massachusetts has already advised him
to do Just the thing which think sagac-
iOuS and honorable counsellor would ad-
wise him not to do. Beecher charges this
actor in case of conspiracy. He
tells a story very dishonOrable to
the conspirators, vet not very
creditable to his own discretion and not IN
credible, all things considered. If he
tells the truth Frank MOultOn is bad man,
but
II Beeeher's story Is E0t True,
what follows We have 1Ioulton's own
IL Ii. Il. I
years past, and his is tie true story if
Beecher's is false. According to his own
story not less than according to Beecher's
be deserves the reprobatSn and scorn of
all men, though he seems TO be deficient
in the moral sense to know it. In each
Of the two stories there is an apparent
conspiracy:
The one isagainst Beecher's peace Of mind,
against his reputation, against his useful
ness, against his family, against the church
of which he is the hOnoTed minister. 1t
involves a conspiracy against weak and
helpless woman to disgrace her and her
children and to make her life intolerable.
Ii has proceeded, it is alleged, so far as to
eXtOrt money from Beecher's gushing sym
pathy with a man whom he had befriended,
but who Lad ruined himself by |
his ineradicable folly. The other
is a conspiracy to cover a crime which
ought rather TO have been exposed and pun
ished. To persons of certain principles,
adultery may seem a trivial offence pri
vate affair, in which the dishOnO1ed hus-
band has something to cOndOne, or revenge,
but not much of a crime against society, if
only 1t can be 'huSled up" among friends.
So fixed does the conviction seem to be in
MOultOn's mind, that, enviOus of the bless
ing proclaimed on peace-makers, he has
been waiting all this while, as he would
have us understand, for compromise.
With an assurance born of perfect uncOn-
sciOusneSs, he urged the investigation COM
mittee to accept his view of the case
to settle it by compromise. What he
proposes, is that the man who, according 20
his story, is a thorough prOfigate leading
captive a silly woman shall retain his posi-
ton and all his influence by coming to
terms with Theodore TiltOn. Doubtless
it is the hope Of countless multitudes in
this and other lands that Beecher will be
triumphantiy vindicated, and they are
praying that he may be, but they are not
praying nor hoping that if he is guilty he
may escape detection. Having long
honored him as a good man, they believe
he is innocent of the crime imputed TO
him, and will believe so till he shall be
proved guilty. In that belief they are
praying that his innocence may be made
manifest, and that those who have con-
spired to destroy him may be DESTROYED /
and confounded. Beecher's friends do not
claim for HIM immunity in any wicked
ness. MoultOn may negotiate himself into
infamy, but he is not counted among