The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-07-08
Beecher Items.

nccChcr AecaAhSs
The lame and impotent attempts
of Mr.. Beecher's friends to get
around or under or over that ter
rible. letter to Tilton only make
matters worse. 'Burleigh," the
New York correspondent of the
Boston Journal, says that Mr..
Beecher ''can explain any paper
that any man holds of his, and
explain it in harmony with his in>
tegrity and honor" And1rofessor
Raymond, Superintendent of Ply
mouth Sunday school, offers the
very foolish suggestion that sit
was jotted down from Mr. Beecher's
utterances at different times, and
signed by him without knowing
what he was signing In their
anxiety TO prove that Mr.. Beechcr is
not a knave his friends should take
csre lest they prove him fool.
Now explanation of that letter will
answer except its publication in full
and q statement of all the facts
which gave rise to it.-Indianapolis
Journal.
1t may be well to recollect, just
at this time, that the following
covenant was once upon o time
entered into:
Il, Theodore Tilton, do, of my
free will and friendly spirit toward
Henry G. Bowen and Henry Ward
Beecher, hereby covenant and agree
that 1 will never again repeat, by
word of mouth or otherwise, any of
the allegations or inputations or
inuendoes contained in any letter
hereunto annexed, or any other
injurious imputations or allegations
suggested by or growing out of
these; and that I will never again
bring up or hint at any cause of
difference Or ground of complaint
heretofore existing between the
said Henry G. Bowen and myself
or the said Henry Ward Beecher.
''Satan may vent his sharpest spite,
And all his legions roar"
was one of the hymns sung at
Beecher's church last Sunday week
which may be considered person
al.
Not the least singular phase of
the Beecher Tilton affair is the part
that the notorious Woodruff plays
in it. People were amazed in the
latter part of 1872 to see certain
men, who prior to that had con.
demned the free love doctrines of
Mrs. Woodruff, publicly associating
with her and applauding her work.
Prominent among them was Theo-
dore Tilton. He appeared on the
streets in her company, freqnented
her house, and finally wrote a gush-
ing and eulogistic history of her
life and her wonderful gifts. It is
not too much to say that indorsc-
ment by Theodore Tilton did more
to give countenance to this woman
than all other efforts combined.
There were many who wondered at
his infatuation. but none save those
Immediately interested suspected
the cause. Now the truth comes
out, and we hardly know whether
to dispise most the cunning and
| ingenuity of this woman, or to pity
the man thus made a slave to her
will. A writer of fiction might
congratulate himself on his clever
ness had he invented such story
as is here told from real life. Think
of this man, proud, gifted, ambitious;
compelled to do the biding Of this
woman, fatter her, admire her, go
through shameful mockory of adu.
lation, put himself on record as her
enthusiastic biographer. while all
the time his heart shrank from the
work, and his pen revolted at the
despicable part it was required to
play! What fact needed to be
suppressed at such cost? What
is the deed that Mr.. Tilton cannot
''name nor characterize but which
has put this misery and shame
upon him, and scandalized the
pastor of Plymouth Church, Is
the man insane that he should thus
consent to become an abiect too,
in the hands of q shameless woman
to screen Mr.. Beecher from scandal
and his wife from the exposure O.
the fact that she simply repellet
the improper overtures of hel
pastor? Is that all2 If it is, the1
Mr. Tilton's friendship is greater
than Damons and his love surpas
ses that of Antony.