Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-07-24
THE INTERPRETATIONS SCANDAL
Mrs. Ti,ton.s Stat lnent.

ed myseIfto bury and forgive, makes this lu-
lucrative duty, as called forth by the malicious
statement of my husband, the saddest act OF
nv life Beside, my thought of following the
Master, contradicts this act OF my pen, and
sense of the perversion OF my llte-tath almost
compcls me now to stand aside till God him
sell delivers. Yet sec IN this wanton act an
urgent call and privilege, from Which l shrink
not.
of Arrangement, | shall not attempt at present;
vet, if called upon to testify to each and all OF
them, | shall not hesitate to do SO. Suffice 1t
for my purpose now that L reply to one or more
IF the most gIaring charges. Touching the
(c;aned sorrow of my husbands compulsory
revolutions, soIemnly avow that, long before
the Woodruff publication, l knew him, by III
siuuatiun and direct statement, to have repeat
cd to nv very near relative and friend the sub
stance of these accusations, which shock the
moral sense of the entire community this day.
Many timas when hearing that certain persons
| had ,pokeu Ill of him, he has sent me 10 chldc
Them for so doing, and then aud there | learn
| ed he had been before ME with his calumnies
| ara;nst myself, So that | was speeches. The
| rr,tcTatiob in his statement that he had persls-
tcnlv srivcn TO hide these so.caed facts Is ut
Teri, false. as his hatred to Mr.. Beecher has ex-
stcd these many years, aud the dctcrml nation
| to ruin MIR. Brecher has been the one aim OF
his te. Again, the pclfly with which the
hottest love wife ever offered has been rcck-
cssJv discarded 10 this publication reaches
w,Il.nigh to sacriege; and, added to this, the
nndcayor, like the carly scandal Of Mrs Wood
inll to make NV own words coudcmn me, has
no parallel, most conspicuously my letter quot
inr The reading OF Griffith Gauut. Had Mr..
Triton read the pure character Of Catharlne ne
would have seen that | lifted myself BESIDE It
as near as any human bclug may affect an IDEAL
| but il was her character and not the incidents
of fiction succeeding II TO which L referred.
| Hers was not a sin OF criminal act or thought.
y like confession with hers | had made to Mr..
Triton 10 telling Of my love Tor my ireud and
pastor one year before. and | now add thar,
Notwithstanding all Misrepresentation and au.
guish OF soul | owe 10 my acquaintance and
friendship with Mr. Bcccher, as to no other
human fundamentally, that encouragement II 10
NV mental lille and that growth toward the d.
vine nature which enables me to walk daily IN
lively hore Of the lie beyond.
| The shameless charges in articles seven,
| eight, aud uiDc are icart uily false IN each and
every Particular.
The letter referred to in Mr.. Tilton's tenth
| paragraph was obtained FROM me by lmportu-
nifty aud by representations that it was neccS-
sarv for him TO use it 10 his hen pending Difficult
ties with Mr.. Bowen. [ was then sick nigh
unto death, having suffered a miscarriage only
four days before sgucd whatever he rcquir-
ed. without knowing or understanding its im-
| port. The paper / have never seen, aud do
| not know what statement it contained.
In charge eighteen is letter of mine adj
dressed to Mr. Francis Moulton, quoted to
| provc that | never desired separation or was
advised by Mr. or Mrs. Bcccher TO leave my
| husband. reply the letter was of Mr. Ill
tons own concoctlng, which he Induced me to
| CODY aud sign as my own-au act which, IN my
| weakness and mistaken thong ht to help him, L
have done too often during these unhappy
years. The implication that the harmony Of
| the home Was unbroken I'LL Dir. Beecher eu-
| tered it as frequent guest and friend is lam
entable satire upon the household where he
| himself years before laid the cornerstone of
free love and desccratcd its affairs up to the
| time of my departure, so that the atmosphere
wa, not only goddess, but impure for my child
rem. and in this effort and thloe of agony
would fam lift my daughters and all woman
hood from the nsidious and diabolica teach
ings of these latter days.
HIS frequent efforts to prove me insane, OF
weak mind. insignificant, and of mcan pres
ence, all rank in the category of hcartIcssncss
seishncss, aud laiSehOod, having its climax
in his present endcavor to convince the world
that | am or ever have been unable to dis
tnguish between an innocent and guilty love.
In summing up the whole matter, | affirm
myself before God to be innocent OF the crime
laid upon me that never have | been guilty OF
adultery with Henry Ward Beecher in thought
or deed, nor has he ever offered to me an H.
decorous or improper proposal.
To the further charge that [ was led away
from my home Ivy Mr.. Bcechcr's friends, and
by the advice Of lawyer whom Mr.. Bcecher
had sent TO me, and who, in advance of my ap-
pearing before the committee, arranged with
NE the questions and answers which are to
constitute my testimony in Mr.. Beecher's be-
half answer that this is again untrue, hay
ing never seen the lawyer until introduced TO
him few minutes before the arrival of the
committee by my stepfather, Judge Morse; and
in further reply [ submit the following state
ment of my action before the committee and
the separation from my husband:
The publication of Mr.. liltou's letter in an
swer to DIR. Bacon had not known or suspect
cd when on Wednesday evening be brought
home the Golden Age, handing it to me. Look
ing down its columns | saw, well-nigh with
Ulluucu cStS, tiidt lC Hdo 'ut ibto CASuliOu
the almost daily threat of his life; that he lived
to crush out Mr.. Bcecher that the God Of
Battles was in him; that he bad always been
Mr. Beechcrs superior; and all that lay in his
path-wfe. children, or reputation, if need be
should fall before this purpose.
die not read it. | saw enough without read
ing. My spirit rose within me never before.
"Theodorc,' said, ''tell NE what means this
quotation from Mr.. Beecber. Two years ago
you came to me at midnight, saying, Eliza
beth, all letters and papers concerning my diff
fcuIties with Mr. Beccher aud Mr.. Bowen are
burned, destroyed; now, don't you be,ray me.
for have nothing to defend myself with. "
Ibid you believe that" said he. Il certain
ly did, implicitly said I. "Well, let ne tell
you they all ive not one is destroyed If
this was said to intmidate me it had quite the
contrary effect. | had never been so fearless
nor seen SO clearly before with whom was
dealing. Coming to me little later be said:
Il want you to read it; you will find it a vind-