Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-09-04
THE GREAT SCANDAL.
Report of Plymouth Church Inves-
tigating Committee.

Plymouth Church (Brooklyn) was
densely packed on the evening OF the
28th to listen to the report OF the Beecher
Investigating Committee, which was read,
in substance as follows:
Tn conducting the investigation the committee
state that they had faithfully endeavored to make
it thorough and impartial, and to obtain such
facts as were relevant to the inquiry from all
attainable sources of evidence. For this purpose
they requested the attendance OF large NUMBER
of witnesses, most of whom had testified before
the committee, one notable exception being MI.
Francis B. Carpenter.
Mr.. Moulton had promised to testify fully, put
had failed to do so. He had submitted three
short statements in writing to the committee,
consisting chiefly of the reasons why he declined
to testify at the call of the committee.
In addition to the evidence of the persons who
had testified, they had examined NUMBER OF leI-
tiers and other documentary evidence Wnlcn W.T. I
supposed to relate to the subject matter Oh Tue
inquiry.
The committee state that the offense as alleged
bv Mr. Tilton during some four years, and until
recently, to numerous persons, IN writing ana
Otherwise, was an improper suggestion or soilcl-
tation by Mr. Beecher to Mrs. Triton, but as time
passed and purposes matured this charge was en-
larged to that of adultery.
The committee state that, after having given
the evidence the most careful consideration, they
find therefrom that in 1861 Mr.. Beecher became
editor and Mr.. Tilton assistant editor OF the
and intimate friends, Mr. Illton urging MI.
Beecher to visit his house. very
friendly relation sprang up between INC
wife and family of Mr.. Titon and Mr.. Beecher,
continuing down to December, 1870. THESE
friendly relations understood and cordially
approved Of by Mr.. Triton. Some years belore
any open trouble appeared between Messrs.
Beecher and Tilton, the latter's doctrines as SET
forth in the independent, of which he had become
editor, aroused so much indignation and opposl-
ton in the West as to lead to the starting OF the
AdUGnce newspaper in Chicago. He (IIlton) had
come to deny the inspiration OF the scriptures
chd views ShS had had changed in the direction
of free love, these religious and social changes on
the part of her husband being sources OF great
grief and sorrow to Mrs. T1lton. Mrs: Tilton vol
unfairly sought her pastor for counsel ana sym
pathy and set forth in strong terms the suffering
her husbands course was causing ner. III ap-
pears that during these years Mrs. Il. had become
strongly attached to Mr.. Beecher, and in July,
1870, Confessed to her husband an over-shadoW-
ing affection for her pastor.
On or about the 10th of December, 1870, Mrs.
Tilton separated from her husband, going with
her children to her mothers house. She sent
for Mr. Beecher, and made to him statement OF
her sufferings, and the abuse which she had re-
ceived at the hands of her husband which
greatly shocked Mr.. Beecher. He asked and re-
ceved permission to send to Mrs. Tilton his
wife, whose judgment in such matters he con-
sidered better than his own. Subsequently he
agreed in advising with his wife that it was de-
sirable that Mrs. Tilton should separate
from her husband. Mr. Tilton, however,
house by sending for, and obtaining possession
of, their youngest child, who was sick with the
Group, during Mrs. Tiltons temporary absence
from her mothers house. The next day after her
return, ON the oath, she suffered miscar-
rage, which resulted in a serious illness, contln-
uing until after the LIST of January her physician
being in daily attendance on her from the Oath to
the 30th of December inclusive. Early in Decem-
Der, this year, owing to the marked change in MIR.
Titon's religious and social views, Mr.. Bowen
felt constrained to give him notice that his serv-
ices as editor of the independent would terminate
at a day named in the notice. Subsequently to
this notice, and on about the Goth of December,
Mr. RONan a contract T.
ton, by which he was to be the editor of the Brook
lyn Daily Union and chief contributor of the
after making this contract Mi Bowen received
such information of Titon's immortality as
alarmed him and led to an interview between
himself, Tilton and Oliver Johnson, at the house
of Mr. Bowen, on the Goth day of December, 1870.
At this interview Mr.. Tilton sought to retain his
place and Mr.. Bowen's confidence by, offering to
Join Bowen in an attack Mr.. Beecher.
This interview resulted in the letter writ
ten and signed by Mr., Tilton demanding
Brooklyn. On reading this letter, which was de-
livered by Mr.. Bowen, Mr.. Beecher expressed his
astonishment at the receipt of such letter, and
denounced the writer. Mr.. Bowen then derided
the letter, and gave him some account of the rea-
sons why he had reduced Tilton from the editor
ship of the Independent to the subordinate
tons religious and social views were running the
paper, and that he now considering whether
he could consistently retain him as editor of the
Brooklyn Union or chief contributor of the Inde-
PENDENT
They conversed for some time, Mr.. Bowen
wishing Mr. Beechers opinion, which was freely
given. Mr.. Beecher said he did not see how Mr..
Bowen could retain his relations with Mr.. Illton.
Mr.. Beecher spoke strongly of the threatening
letter and the revelation he had just had con-
corning Mr.. Iilton's domestic affairs.
Mr.. bowen read the threatening letter and said
he would stand by Mr.. Beecher, and he told Mr.;
Tilton the next day of the conversation he had
had with Mr.. Beecher and of his (Bowen's) inten-
ton to stand by Mr. Beecher.
Mr.. Beecher, though he had no doubt that Til
TON OSt Mace.
ence was decisive and anticipated I1lton's over
throw.
1t now appears that on the Goth of December,
1870, Mr.. Tilton having learned the advice Mr..
Beecher gave Mr.. Bowen, and which was likely to
bring him face to face with loss of place and po-
stion, extorted from his wife, then lying i'll Of
miscarriage, document duplicating Mr.. Beecher
"a document evincing her love for her pastor and
accusing him of having made an improper solicita-
ton. On the following day he sent Moulton to
Beecher requesting an interview with Mr.. Beecher
at Mr. Monlton's house that evening. Mr. Beecher
ton received him with a memorandum in his
hand and proceeded to charge Mr. Beecher with
being pnriendy to him. With seeking his
about him, undermining him, and ad-
vising Bowen to dismiss him; injuring him in
mother-in-law in producing discord in the house,
advising separation, alternating his wifes affec-
ton from him. with gaining her love more IMAM
virtue, with teaching her to be insincere, lying
and hypocritical, and ending by charging that he
had made wicked proposals to her. T1lton then
produced a written paper purportlng to be a
memorandum of confession made in July
previous to HIM by his wife of her love for Mr.
Beecher, and that he had made proposals to ner
of an impure nature All,
The committee say it is clear that ON the Goth
day of December, when the so-called memoran-
dunn of confession was procured from Mrs Iilton,
the chief melting cause Of that step on Tllton's
part was his belief that Mr. Beecher
had caused him the loss of place, bust
ness and repute. Mr. Beecher says this
charge of impure proposals fell upon him like a
thunderbolt. AT Mr. Tilton's request Mr.. Beecher
repaired with him to his house, where Elizabeth
was waiting for him. and learned from her lips the
truth of the stories so far as they concerned her
the charges by Mrs. Tilton, who, in q. sort of q
postscript to the retractionSdenied explicitly that
Mr. Beecher had ever offered any improper solic-
itations to her; The next evening Mr. Mo1lto1
with him for having obtained the retraction,
saying it was an unfriendly act, and
that Mrs. Il. had already recanted the retract1on,
and that Mr.. II. had destroyed his ,wifes nrst
paper of confession. Mr.. Moulton claimed that
papers. and that Mr.. Beecher ought to give up the
one he had. He (Moulton) made no threats, but
displayed pistol and laid it on the bureau near
which he stood. The paper was given up.
Mr.. Beecher saw the peril of being even falsely
accused. While in a morbid state of mind pro-
duced by these distressing difficulties Moulton
again called on him, and, though his manner was
kind and conciliatory, professed to believe that
fall; had leagued with Mr.. Bowen against him.
Mr.. Beecher expressed many regrets at the mis-
fortunes of Mr.. Titon's family, and Mr.. Moulton
caught up some of these expressions and wrote
them down, saying that if Tilton could see them
there would be no trouble in procuring recon
Citation. This paper, which is dated Jan. /,
1871, was intrusted by Mr.. Beecher to Moulton' s
keeping without reading it, nor was it read to
him. This paper, sometimes called 1.-THE apollo
gy,n and sometimes the confession" Is in no
proper sense Mr. Beecher's production or a cor
rect report of what he said No man will be-
lieve, for instance, that Beecher said: hum
BILE myself before him (Tilton) as do before my
God" Another sentence: Her forgiveness