The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-22

III d company OF FRIENDS a Few days previous,
wrote in the World, Monday, MAY %, 1871 the
following statement, namely:
Il know OF one man, public teacher of emf
neuce, who lives in cOncubiuage " ith the wife
OF another public teacher of almost equal emf
nence- All three concur il denouncng often
ces against morality I shall make it nv duty
in Analysing some of their lives.
VICTORIA Woodruff
New York, May Goth, 1871.
On the day of the publication of the-above
card in the World Mr.. Tilton received from
Mrs. Woodruff a request to call on imperative
business at her Office, and on going thther
copy of the above card was pot into his hand
by Mrs. Woodruff who sa d that the parties re-
ferred to therein are the Rev. II. w. Beecher
aud the wife of Theodore Tion. Following
this announcement Mrs. Woodruff detail 10
Mr.. Tlton with vehement speech the wicked
aud injurious story which she published III the
year following, Meanwhile Mr.. Tlton desiring
to guard against any possible temptation TO
Mrs. Woodhull to publish the grossly distorted
version which she gaze to Mr. TIlten, and
which she afterwards attributed to him He
sought by many personal services and kindly
ate ions to Influence her to such good will
towards himself and family as wo1ld remove
I'll disposition OF desire in her to atflict him
with such publication Mr. Titon's efacts
and association W th Mrs Woodhull ceased in
April, 1872, and six months afterwards name
~: November "a. 1872, she publ shed the scan
dial which he had ldbored to suppress
Fifteen h-That on the third day therea fter
Rev. Thomas b. Beecher of Emira, N. Y,
wrote as follows:
ELMIRA Nov, 9TH, 1872
Mrs Woodruff only carries out Heur,'s
philosophy against which recorded nv protest
twenty years ago.
Sixteenth-That in May, 1873, the publica-
ton by one of Mr.. Beechers partners of a
trlpartte covenant between IL. g. Bowen, H.
Ward Beecher and Theodore TIlton led the
press OF the country to charge that Mr. Tlton
had committed against Mr. Beecher some pre-
vious wrong which Mr.. Beec:eI had pardoned,
wheraas the truth was the reverse. To remedy
this false public impression Mr. Moulton re-
quested Mr.. Beecher to prepare "a suitable
card relieving Mr.. Ti'ton of this injustice. IN
answer to thus request Mr.. Beecher pleaded his
endorsements which prevented his saying
anything without being laid himself under
such suspicion. Mr.. Tilton then proposed to
prepare card of his own containing few
lines from the recently quoted apology for the
purpose of showing that Mr. Beecher, instead
OF having had occasion TO forgive Mr.. Tllton
had had occasion to be forgiven by him. Mr..
Beecher then wrote a letter to Mr.. Mouton,
which on being shown to Mr.. Titon was sue
cessful in appealing to Mrs Tilton's feelings.
MIR. Beecher to Mr.. MouIton.
Sunday, June l. 1873
''ldy dear Frank Il am determined to make
no more assistance Theodore's temperament
10 such that the future if Temporarily earned
me liable at any hour of the day to be Obliged
to stultify all the devices by which we saved
ourselves 1t is only fair that he should know
lha. the publication of the card which he pro-
poses would leave him worse off than before
the agreem snt viz: the "tripartite covenant"
was made. After my letter through you to
him, viz: the apology, was written he had 1T
year He had condoned his wIfo's fault.
He had enjoined upon me with tie utmost
eaTnestness aud solomnty not to betray lis
wife leave his chil0rAD tn hiiubt
such man as Theodore Tilton there is DO pos
sIbe salvation for any that depend upon hun.
With strong nature he does not know how TO
govern It, There is no use IN trying further
have strong feeling upon me and it brings
great peace that I'm spending my last Sunday
and preaching my last sermon"
The h0pelpsSneSs Of spirit which the forego-
ing letter portrayed on the part of it's writer
led Mr.. Titon to reconsider the gu. stion of
defending himself at the cost of producing
misery to Mr.. Bpecher, which determination by
Mr.. Tiltoh to allow the prevailing calumnies
against himself to go unanswered was futher
strengthened by the following note received by
him two lays the eafter from the office of the
editor of Mr. Beecher's Journal:
Oliver johnson TO Theodore TiItOn.
IS East 18th street, June f. 1873
My Dear Theodore May [ tel you frankly
that when saw you last you did not seem to
me to be the noble young nan tho inspired my
warm affection so many years ago You were
yielding 10 an act which, could not help think
ing would be dIshouoraDle aud peril aious, and
though 1T is easy for me to IL AXE every allow.
ance for tue circumstances that bad brought
you to such frenzy, was dreadfully shocked
my dear Theodore. Let me as an old irend
whose beart is wrung by your troubles of suf-
FIRING and sorrow, tell you that You can never
have true peace of mind till you conquer your
self aud dismiss all purposes and thoughts of
injuriug the man who has wropged you OF all
the PROMISES our lips can frame none are SO
sac ed as those We make to tho.e who have
lDJu.ed us and whom We have protested 10 for
give. and they sacred just 10 proportion as
their violation would work injury TO those to
whom they are made. You cauuot paint too
blackly the WRONGS you have suffered. On that
point make no plea III abatement, nut beg You
To Remember that nothing change the law
which makes forgiveness noble aud Godlke L
have prayed Tor you night and day with $ roug
crying aud teare beseecoing God to restrain
You from wrouging yourself by violating your
solemn agreements. Tonight am happy in
the thought that you have been preserved from
committing thea which so much dreaded
In a letter written by Mr.. Beecher in oruer to
be shown to Mr. Titon, Mr.. Beecher spoke as
follows.
MIR. IL, ccher to Mr. MoultOn.
mo man Can can see the difficulties tina t en-
vIron me unless he stands where do To say
that have church on my hands is simple
enough, but TO have the hundreds of thousa nds
OF men pressi g me, each Que with his keen
suspicious or anxiety or zeal; to the ten
deucles which Il not stopped w.uld break out
INTO rulnous defence of me; to stop them
without seeming to do it; to prevent anv one
questioning me; to meet aud alay pre- judicies
against Theodore Tltou which had their be-
ginnlug years before; to Keep serene as if |
was not alarmed or distui bed to be cheerful at
home eud among friends when was suffering
the torments OF the damned; to pass sleepless
nights often ano yet to come up fresh ard fair
for Sunday-ali this mag be talk d about, but
the real thing cannot be understood ffom the
outside, nor IS wearing and grinding on the
nervous SYSTEM"
ln still another letter written for the same
pu. pose as the above, Mr.. Beecher said:
I'll my destruction would please him (Mr,
Tilton) all right. That shall not stand in the
way. am willing TO step downtand out No
one can offer more that do offer. Sacrifice
me without hesitation if you can. Slowly see
your way to his safety and happiness thereby
In one point of view could desire the sacri.
pee on my part Nothing can possibly be so
bad as the power of great darkness in which
pend much of my time. look upon death as
sweeter far than any friend l have i'll the
world. 1t would be pleasant if l could see that
rebuilt which is shattered But to live GU this
harp aud ragged edge of anxiety, remorse.
fear, despair, and yet to put on an appearance
OF serenity and happiness which cannot be en-
dnred much longer! | am we'll nigh discourage
ed Ii you Cease to trust me, to love me, L am
undone. do lot know any person in the
world 20 whom could &c"
Mr. Titon yielded to the above quoted and
other similar letters, and made no defence of
himself against the public odium which at
tackled him unjustly.
Mr. TIltoo here speaks of the happiness of
his married life before Mr. Beecher corrupted
his wife, and cites several of Mrs. Tilton's let
tiers in evidence.
AT o'clock, the hour of going to press, the
statement was still coming over the wires