Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-27

excitement and now holds II. This ends my con-
necJion with the case.
p. S.GThis statement i made al the request
Of Mr.. Carpenter. that ii may he shown cOniden-
tally 10 DR.. StOTrs and other friends with whom
my husband and l are consulting.
This paper was delivered 10 Mr.. Moulton, and
the theory of the confession then was that Mr..
and Mrs. TiltOn should admit no more than the
solicitation, but that enue3vOr 10 make an eXpIa-
nation Of the business fell through, and after
it was shown to those Interested a 1 was told,
the paper remained with ne. Mr.. Moulton
received no further communication from Mrs.
Tilton until the 18th of June Of this
year, 1874, and that communication came
showed him his CDR. Bacon's) letJeF. he most
strongly and earnestly advised against It's publ
cation, and said TO Mr. T. in substance that
while he admitted the wrong and injustice Of DR..
BacOn's charge that he (Air T > had lived by the
magnanimity of Beecher. and that he was dog
and knave. when he (MoUlton) believed he had
acted proper and manly part in endeavoring TO
shield his family, yet that its publication would
so stir the public mind that in
vestigation would be forced upon him and
Beecher in some manner. and that the truth
would in all probability have 10 come out, or 50
much of it that Mrs. Titon and Mr. Beecher
would be dishOnOred and destroyed. and Mr.. Til
Mr. Tflton insisted upon the publication
Of the letter; the only modification
that, whereas the letter originally read that
Mr. Beecher had committed against Mr.. Tilton
ana his family revolving crime as published
II SAID - an Ofense committed against ne" Mr..
MOulton secured this change in the letter in hopes
that reconciliation might vet be effected be-
tween all the parties concerned. and an exposure
be thus avoided.
After giving brief note from Mrs. TitOn, in
which she asks his forgiveness for having coupled
his name with Mr.. Carpenters as having advised
the publication OF the Bacon letter. Mr.. Moulton
says that having now placed before the committee
his statement of facts concerning Mrs TiltOn, and
documentary evidence that he had to support
ON and tbaXv ntrjP "a lIy DTluG
nearly all that Mrs. TiltOn appears to declare in
her published statement, he deems it his duty to
himself and to his position in this terrible bust
ness TO say that during this affair Mrs Tiiton has
more than once admitted TO him and to another
person, whom he does not care to bring into this
controversy, the fact of her infideiities with Mr.
Beecher, and that she never has denied them
other than in written papers prepared for pur-
pose which he had already exhibited.
Mr.. MOulton here gives portion of the history
! of the connection of Mrs Woodruff with this
case after the fall of 1871. He produces letter
| from Mrs w. to Mr.. Beecher, to the effect that
| two of his (Mr B.'s) sisters were assailing her
character, and that he (Beecher) knew thatit was
! in her power to strike back in very disastrous
| way and demanding an interview. The interview
| was held. at which Mrs. Woodruff desired Mr..
! Beecher to preside at her meeting in Steinway
| Hall, and Mr. TiltOn also urged him to do So MIR.
! Tilton subsequently presided at the meeting,
| thus, as Mr.. MoultOn believes preventing Mrs
| woodruff s attack on the Beecher family being
| made at that time.
Dec 80, 1871, Mrs Woodruff sent letter
| to Beecher desiring that he would speak at a
| Woman's Suffrage Convention in Washington, in
| the following month. This letter Mr. B returned
| to Mr.. MoutOn with a reply and a note to Mr..
| Moulton in which he says: - do not mean to
| speak on the platform of either OF the two suf-
frage societies. What influence exert prefer to
do on my own hook, and do not mean TO train
with either party and it will not be fair to press
me in where do not wish to GO
Other letters are given by Mr. MOultOn from Mr..
| Beecher. in one of which, dated March %, 1872,
| he says: Il have been doing ten mems work
| this winter, partly to make up loss, and partly
1iNyEa1 lArQ eli
| that may be doing my last work and anxious
| to make the most OF it. When EsaU sold his
| brthrght he found no place fer repentance,
| though he sought it carefully with tears; bnt |
| have one abiding comfort. l have known you,
| and found in you one who has given q new mean
| ing to friendship"
| 4 letter is also given from Mr. Tilton, written
| in the fall of 1871, thereabOuts, on board of
| passenger car on the Hudson River Railroad,
Mrs Beecher being also a passenger in the same
| car. Mr. Tilton says in the letter:
Mrs. Beecher sits in the next seat We are
| almost elbow to elbow in the palace-car. She is
| white-haired and looks dozen years older than
| when last had a near view of her. My heart has
| been full of pity for her, Notwithstanding the
cruel way in which she has treated my good
| name. Her face is written over with many vol
| umes of human suffering. | do not think she
has been aware of my presence, for she has been
absorbed in in th thought e. If lam am
which she has circulated, which Mr.
| Bowen pretends TO have derived from her and
| Mrs. Morse, why would it not be well to get
| oath, by such process as last evening-dOcu-
| ments made easy and harmless-Of the exact
variations which they made to him and to
| others? 1t would be well to have them say what
| they said before he gets chance to say what
| they said to him. My sUllen neighbOr
| keeps the dark and lurid past wildly before my
mind If she actually knew the conduct which
her priestly husband has been guilty of. believe
| she would shed his blood; or, perhaps, sparing
| him she would wreak her wrath on his victim.''
After the publication of the tripartite covenant
was made Tilton deemed, from the comments
from the press, that the statement reflected upon
| him, and he desired that in some way BeecheB
should relieve him from the imputatiOn of having
| circulated slanderOus stories about him without
| justification, for which he had apologzed. and
| by advice of friends he prepared a card for Mr..
Moulton to submit to Mr.. Beecher for him (Mr
| b. to sign and publish in his vindication.
Mr.. Beecher felt much aggrieved at this claim
on him by TiltOn, feeling that the matter had
| been all settled and adjusted, and he answered
Tilton sapplication in this regard by letter,
der date of June l, 1873 published in full in Mr..
Beecher's statement, and beginning My Dear
| Frank: The whole earth is tranquil, and the
| heaven is serene, Meanwhile charges were
| preferred against Tilton for the purpose of hav-
| ing him dismissed from Plymouth Church. This
| action, which seemed TO threaten the discovery
OF the Iacts IN regard 10 me troubles between
Beecher and Tllton, annoyed both very much,
| and Mr.. MOulton feared that serious diff
| iculty would arise therefrOm. Upon consultation
with Beecher and TiltOn, Mr.. NJ. suggested plan
by which that investigation would be rendered
unnecessary, which was in substance that resO-
| luton should be passed by the church amending
Withdrawn from the church some four years be-
fore, therefore, the roll should be amended by
striking of his name. This course had been sug-
gested by Mr.. TitOn. In a letter to Mr.. Moulton,
dated Dec 81, 1871, Mr. Beecher says to press &C
ton in the would only serve to raise profit
less excitement; there were already complex
ties enough. He suggests that = if letter is
written it had better be very short, simply an
nouncng the withdrawal, and. perhaps, with an
expression of kind wishes, etc"
But when the meeting Of the church was held
for that purpose, it charged there that Iiton
had slandered the pastor. 1ilton took the stand,
and said in substance, that if he had uttered any
ISLANDERS against Beecher he was ready to answer
them as God was his witness. Beecher thereup-
on stated that he had no charges TO make. and
the matter was dropped. But when the resOlu-
ton was passed. instead Of being put as to ex-
onerate Tilton, it declared, in substance that
whereas, certain charges had been made against
him and as he pleaded to those charges mon
membership, his name be dropped from the
roll This action Of the church very much eXas-
perated Tilton, who thought Beecher should
have prevented such a result and that he
might have done so if he had stood by him fully
and fairly as agreed. In that, however, MOultOn
believes Tilton mistaken, because Mr. Will
liam F. West, who preferred the charges against
TiltOn did it against the wish of BeeCher and
without anv consultation with him. Meanwhile,
through the Intervention of DR.. StOrrs and 9th
ers an Ecclesiastical Council had been called.
The efforts of this council in attempting to dis
fellowship Plymouth Church were very displeag-
ing to Beecher, and caused him much trouble. es-