The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-24
THE GREAT SCANDAL.
Continuation of NEomlaon's state.
nent.
The Charge OF Blackmail Considered
and Denied.

etters. When we went to press part OF Mrs.
lockers letter had been received in which she
ccepis the statement of her brothers guilt as
,iven by Mrs. Woodruff. The letter was en-
Iorsed to her brother, Thomas X. Beecher.
70 this letter, Thomas X replied in the follow
ng curious letter:
ELMIRA, Nov. 5, 1872.
Dear Belle: To allow the Devil himself to be
rushed for speaking the truth is unspeakably
,owardly and contemplate. l respect, as at
present advised, Mrs. Woodruff, while | abhor
Ter philosophy. She only carries out Henry's
philosophy, against which | recorded my pro-
est twenty years ago, and parted glowing and
lchinsly) from him. saying, 1--WE cannot work
,ogethsr." He has drfted, and have hardened
ike a crystal till l am sharp-cornered and ex-
acting l cannot help him except by prayer.
cannot help him through Edward In my
Judgment Henry is following his slippery doc
lrines of expediency, and, in his cry of progress
and nobleness of human nature, has sacrificed
clear. exact ideal integrity. Hands off, until
he is down, and then my pulpit, my home, my
church, and my purse and heart are at his Ser
wee. OF the two, WoodLull is my hero, and
Henry my coward, as at present advised. But
[ protest against the whole batch and all its
belongings. | was not anti-savery; l am not
anti family But as L wrote years ago, twhen-
ever / assault slavery because of its abomina-
tions, shall assail the church, the state, the
family. and all other institutions of selfish
usage.
l return the papers You cannot help Hen
~. You must be true to Woodruff. l am out
of the circle as yet and am glad of it. When
the storm-line includes me l shall suffer as a
Christian, saying: "Cease ye from man."
4 Don't write to me. Follow the truth and
when YOU need me cry out Yours, lovingly,
(Signed) Tom.
?. S. I am so overworked and hurried that
see upon review that my letter sounds hard
because of its sententiousness. But believe
me, tdear Belle, that see and suffer with you.
You are in tight place. But having chooses
your principles l can only counsel you to be
true aud take the consequences. For years,
you know, have been apart from all of you
except in love. / think you all in the wrong as
to anthropology and social science. But honor
and love them who suffer for convictions sake.
this world all Christians shall suffer tribula-
ton. So eat, sleep, pray, take good aim and
shoot, and when the ache comes say even here
unto were we called, But repeat-You can't
help Henry at present.
p. S. Iunseal my letter to enclose print and
add: You have no proof as yet of any offence
on Henry's part. Your testimony would be al
lowed in no court. Tilton, wife, Moulton &
Co, are witnesses. Even Mrs. Stanton can
only declare hearsay So if you move, re-
member that you are standing on uncertain in
formation, and we shall not, probably ever get
Tilton are brought into court nothing will be
revealed. Perjury for good reason is with adj
vanced thinkers no sin.
The above letter, as well as those which fol-
low, are, as Moulton says, introduced to show
that even before the publication of the Wood
hull revelations, the matter was talked about
by the relatives and friends of Mr.. Beecher.
This letter is followed by one OF Mr.. HOoker'S
absent in Europe, to his wife, in which he de-
votes some space to the stories in circulation.
1t is dated November, 1872
Moulton says that after Beecher had seen
these letters of his sister, Mrs. Hooker, she
came to me, in trouble and alarm, and handed
me all the letters, together with one under the
date of November 27.'' This letter of Nov. 9th
is that in which she Mrs. H. proposes to Mr..
Beecher that he write paper cO1fessing him
self guilty of the alleged crime, and allow her
to read it in his church. 1t also enclosed slip
told Eli Perkins that Mr.. Beecher would make
fall which would shock the civilized world.
Mr. Moulton continues:
Beecher then informed me of his apprehen-
sion that his sister, in her anxiety that he
should do his duty in presenting this ruth as
she understood it, and in protecting Mrs.
Woodruff from the consequences of having
published the TRUTH from which she was then
suffering, would go into his pulpit and insist
was substantially true; and he desired me to
do what in me lay to prevent such disaster.
[ suggested to hin that he should see Mrs.
Hooker, speak to her kindly, and exhort her
not to take this course, and that Tilton should
see her and so far shake her confidence in the
truth of her story as to induce her to doubt
whether she would be safe in making the state
ment public. In this course Beecher agreed,
and such arguments and inducements were
brought to bear upon Mrs. Hooker as were in
the power of all three of us, to prevent her
from doing that which would have certainly
brought on an exposure of the whole business
All these letters l received from Beecher, and
they are those to which he alludes in his COM
munjcation of the 4th instant as the letters of
bis sister aud brother delivered to me, and
which did not believe that could hon0rably
give him up, because thougbt-and ] submit
to the committee, / was right in thinking
that they form part of this controversy, and
were not, as he therein alleged, simply given
to nv keeping as part of his other papers,
which he could not keep safely on account of
his own carelessness in preserving documents.
Beecher was exceedingly anxious that Tilton
should repudiate the statement published by
Woodruff, aud denounce her for its publca-
ten, and he drew up, upon my memorandum
book the form of card to be published by
Titon, over his signature; and asked me to
submit it to him for that purpose, which here
produce, marked IN 10':-
BEECHERs PROPOSED CARD FOR TILToN.
In an unguarded enthusiasm l hoped well
and much of one who has proved utterly un-
principed. shall never again notice her sto-
ries, and now utterly repudiate her statements
made concerning me and mine.
Beeeher told me to say to Tilton, substantial
": Theodore may, for his own purpose, If he
choose, say that all his misforunes have come
upon hin, on account of his dismissal from the
Union and the Independent, and on account of
a. off / INIT ind I, h
may take the position against me and Bowen
that he does; yet the fact is that his advocacy
of Mrs Woodruff and her theories has done
him the injury which prevents bis rising. Now
in order to get support from me and from Ply
mouth church, and In order to obtain the SYM
pathy of the whole community, he must pub
lish this card and unless he does it he cannot
rise." He also said the same thing to Titon in
nv presence. To this Tilton answered in SUBJ
stance to Beecher: 'You know why 1 sought
Mrs. Woodhulls acquaintance. 1t was to save
my family and yours from the consequences of
your acts, the facts about which had become
known to her. They have now been published,
and will not denounce that woman to save
you from the consequences of what you your
self have done"
To resume: After had carried to Mr., Tiltcn
the paper of apology which had reference to
Beechers adultery, and had received assuran-
ces that all between Beecher and Tilton shonld
be kept quiet, | immediately conveyed that in
formation to Beecher. He was profuse in his
professions Of thankfulness and gratitude to me
for what he said were my exertions in his be-
half Soon after that / was taken sick.
While confined to his room, Monlton receiv-
ed from Mr.. Beecher one of his rather gushing
letters, which has been published and which
contains the sentence, sDo esGod lock down from
heaven on three unhappy creatures, who more
need friend than these"-(r eferrug to himself,
TIton and wife, Also the reference to the re-
that Theodore will have the hard
est task in the case'' and further along Won
lers ''if Elizabeth knows how generously (Til-
tom had carried himself toward me- On the
same day Monlton obtained permission for Mr.
Beecher to write letter to Mrs. clifton. Fol
lowing this permission is letter from Mr..
Beecher to Mrs. Tilton, dated Feb. 9TH, 1871.
and begins with the declaration, HWhen 1 saw
you last did not ever expect TO see you again,
or to be alive many days" The letter has
been published in fulEheretofore. 1t is full of
expressions of confidence in Moulton, who saws
further that this letter was written to pursuade
Mrs Titon to trust him in order that he might
bring about reconciliation.
Following this is a letter from Mr.. Perkins,
nephew of Mr.. Beecher, to him. stating that he
lad heard in connection with the stories of
rton's crimnality, that Tilton stated that
3eecher was equally guilty in the same direc-
ion. To this letter Mr.. Beecher replied as fol-
owS
February %, 1871.
My Dear Fred Whatever Mr.. Tilton for
nerly said against me-and know the SUBJ
tance of 1.-THE has withdrawn and frankly