The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-08-01

| tDHI Snt WuSsDOlItSs uIlu CuuSttt WIlltll
she believed herself to be. She further
stated that her sexual commerce
with him had never proceeded from
low or vulgar thoughts, either on her
! part or his, but always from pure af-
fectiOn and high religious love. She
stated furthermore that Mr.. Beecher
! habitually characterized their intimn-
cy by the term "nest hiding" and he
would suffer pain andsorrow ic his hid
den secret were ever made known. She
said that her mind was often BURDEN
Ell by the deceit necessary for her to
practice in order to prevent discovery,
and that her conscience had many
times impelled her to throw Off this
burden of enforced falsehood by max
ing full confession to her husband +,
so that she would no longer be living
| before him perpetual lie. In particu-
lar, she said that she had been on the
point of making this confession few
months previously, during severe
illness, when she feared she might die.
She affirmed also that Beecher has as
sured her repeatedly that he loved her
better than he had ever loved any 9TH
er woman, and she felt Justified before
God in her intimacy with him, save
! lltCtSStlllN lltt OCCtlb w lllCh
MED it, and at which she frequently
suffered in her mind.
! That after the above-named confess
| sion by Mrs. Elizabeth II. Tilton, she
returned to the country to await such
action by her husband as he might see
| fit to take. Whereupon, after many
considerations, the chief of which was
that she had not voluntarily gone
| pS Inf hp1 hnan fiIIlU tnisIaI
through religious reverence for the
Rev, Henry Ward Beecher, her spirit
ual guide, together also from the desire
to protect his family from open shame,
| lilton condoned the wrong, and he ad-
dressed to his W ifc such letter of af.
| fection, tenderness AMI respect as he
felt would restore he. wounded spirit,
and which did partially produce that
result.
That in December, 1870, differences
arose between Theodore Tilton and
Henry &. Bowen, which were aug
mented by Henry w. Beecher and
Mrs. Beecher. In consequence where
of, and at the wish of Mrs. Elizabeth
r. Tilton, expressed in writing, in a
paper put into the hands of Francis ID.
MOultOn, with u view to procJre a har-
monious interview between Tilton
and Beecher, such an interview
was arranged and carried out by MOul-
ton at his then residence on Clinton
street, Beecher and Tilton meeting and
speaking then and there for the first
time since Mrs. Tilton's confession of
six months before. The paper in Mr..
Moulton's hands was statement by
Mrs. TiltOn of the substance of the con-
fession which she had before made,
and of her wish and prayer for recon-
ciliation and peace between her pastor
and her husband. This paper furnish
ed to Beecher the first knowledge
which he had as yet received that Mrs.
Tilton had made such Il confession. AT
this interview between Beecher and
Tilton, permission was sought by
Beecher to consult with Mrs. Tilton on
that same evening. This permission
being granted, Beecher departed from
Mr.. Muulton's house, and in about half
an hour returned thither, expressing
his remonse and shame, and declaring
that his life and work seemed brought
to a sudden end. Later in the same
evening TiitOn, on returning to his
house, found his wife weeping and in
great distress, saying that what she
had meant for peace had only given
pain and anguish that Beecher had
Piust called on her, declaring that she
had slain him, and that he would prob
ably be tried by council of ministers
unless she would give him written
paper for his protection, whereupon
she said he dictated to her and she
copied in her own handwriting q suit
able paper FOR him to use to clear him.
self before a council of ministers. Mrs.
Tilton haying kept no copy of this
paper, her husband asked her to make
distinct statement in writing of her
design and meaning in givingil, where
upon she wrote as follows:
DECEMBER 90, 1870, Midnight.
My DEAR HUSBAND--l desire to
! leave with you, before going to bed, a
statement that Henry Ward Beecher
called upon me this evening and asked
me if would defend him against any
accusation in n council of ministers,
and I replied solemnly that 7 would,
in case the accuser was any other per-
son than my husband. He III. w. r. }
dictated letter which copied as my
own, to be used by him as against any
other accuser than my husband. This
letter was designed to vindicate Mr..
Beecher against all other persons save
only yourself. L was ready to give him
this letter, because he said, with pain,
that my letter in your hands, addressed
to him, dated December 20, had struck
him dead and ended his usefulness. You
and / are pledged to do our best TO
avoid publicity. God grant a speedy
end to all further anXieties
Afiectionately,
ELIZABETH.
On the next day, viz: December 81,
1870, Moulton, ON being informed by
| Tilton of the above named transaction
| by Beecher, called on him (Beecher)
at his residence, and told him that a
reconciliation seem suddenly made i'm
possible by Beecher's nefariously pro-
curing the letter which Mrs. TiltOn had
been improperly persuaded to make,
| falsely. Beecher promptly, through
Moulton, returned the letter to Tilton,
with an expression of shame and sor-
row for having procured it in the man
ner he did.
At the time of Beecher's returning
| the above letter to Tilton through
Moulton, Beecher requested Moulton
to call at his residence in Colum bia
street ON tie next day, which he did
on the evening of January |, 1871. A
long interview then ensued, III Wnlcn
Beecher expressed to MOulton great
contrition and remUrse for his previ-
Gus criminality with Mrs. Tilton, TAX
( ing to himself the shame for having
! misused his sacred office as clergy
man to corrupt her mind, expressing a
deter mination to kill himself in case of
exposure and begging Moulton to take
a pen and receive from his (Beecher'sl
lips an apology to be conveyed to Til
/ ton, in the hope that such appeal
would secure Tilton's forgiveness. The
7 apology which Beecher dictated to
Moulton was as follows:
I'm trust with Z. d. Moulton
My DEAR FRIEND MoULToN-I ask
through YOU Theodore Tilton's forgive
ness, and humble myself before him
as l do before my God. He would
have been a better man in my circum-
stances than 1 have been. i can ask
nothing except that he will remember
the other breasts that would ache. !
will not plead for myself. j even wish
that were dead, but Others must live
...ao- mill dia hafnrp any nflp INT