Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-23
after the date Of the apology, by Mrs.
Tilton TO Mr., Moulton:
ia LIVINGSTONE STREET..
BROOKLYN, January 4, ls7i.

Mr.. Francis ID. MoultOn:
Ny DEAR FRIEHD-In regard TO your ques
ton whether have ever sought a separation
from my husband, / Indignantly deny tnai
such was ever the fact, as have denied II 9
hundred tunes before. The story that wanted
separation was deliberate falsehood, coined
by my poor mother, who said that she would
bear The reSpOnsl bllity OF this ana other state
ments that she might make, and communi.
Gated TO my husbands enemy, Mrs. ii. W.
Beecher, and by her communicated TO Bowen.
l feel outraged by the whole proceeding. and
l am now suderingin consequence more than
/ am able to bear. / an yours. very truly,
ELIZABETH r. TILroN.
Nineteenth-That during the first
week in January, 1871, few days after
the apology was written
BEECHER COMMUNICATED TO TILToN
through Moulton an earnest wish that
he Mr.. Tilton) would take his family to
Europe and reside there for a term of
years at Mr.. Beeeher's expense. SINH
lar offers have been since repeated by
Beecher to Tilton through the same
channel. A message of kindred tenor
was brought from Beecher to Tilton last
summer by T. b. Carpenter, as will ap-
pear from the following affidavit:
HOMER, n. Y, July Is, 1874.
Two days after the surreptitious publication
Of the tripartite covenant between II. W.
walked with Mr.. Beecher from Plymouth
church to the residence Of +. d. MouitOn in
Rensen street. On the way TO Moultonis Is
house. Mr.. Beecher said TO me that il Tilton
would stand by him, he would share his fame,
his fortune and everything he possessed with
FRANCIS 3. CARPENTER.
Sworn and subscribed before me this eight
eenth day Of July, 1874.
WILLIAM T. HICKocK, Notary Public.
Mr.. Carpenter, in communicating to
Mr.. Tilton the above affidavit, says in
the letter accompanying it:
have no hesitation in giving you a state
ment in this case. 1t was Tor me TO repeat in
substance, and did so repeat. 1t was at this
interview that Mr.. Beeeher spoke to me of his
apology to you. The charge that Mr.. TiltOn
ever attempted to levy blackmail on Mr..
Beecher is false. On the contrary, Mr.. Tiiton
has always resented every attempt BY Mr.
Beecher to put him under pecuniary obliga.
tions.
Not long after the scandal became
public, Mrs. TiltOn wrote on a slip of
paper, and left on her husbands writing
desk the following words:
"Now that exposure has come, my whole
nature revoits 10 join with you, or stand with
you"
Through the Influence of Mr.. Beech
er's friends the opinion has long been
propagated that the scandal
was due to TiltOn, and that the alleged
facts were malicious inventions by him
to revenge himself for supposed and
imaginary wrongs done to him by Mr..
Beecher. Many words were spoken from
time to time by Mrs. Tilton to praise
and eulogize Mr.. Beecher, which, being
extensively quoted through his congre-
cation, heightened the impression that
Mr.. Tilton was Mr.. Beecher's slanderer,
Mrs Tilton being herself authority for
the statement. In this way Mrs. Tilton
and one of her relatives have been the
chief cause of the great
OF SURPRISING THE
SCANDAL.
They have had a habit of saving that
Mr.. Tilton believes such and such
things, and their naming of these things
by way of denial has been a mischiev-
Gus way Of circulating them broadcast.
In this way Tilton has been made to ap-
pear as a defamer, whereas he has made
every effort in his power to suppress the
injurious tales which he has been
with propagating. On all Oe-
casiOns he has referred to his wife in
terms favorable to her character. FuF-
ther, he would not have communicated
to the committee the facts contained in
this statement except for the perverse
course Of Henry W. Beecher and Mrs.
Elizabeth r. TltOn to degrade and de-
stroy him in public estimation.
Twenty-first-Thato one evening, about
three weeks after the publication of Til
TOMS letter to DR.. Bacon, Mrs. Tilton, on
coming home at a late hour, informed
her husband that she had been visiting
7t q friends house, by invitation of
of investigation, and had
given
SWEEPING EVIDENCE ACQUITTING MR..
BEECHER
Of every charge. This was the first in
.imation which TiitOn received that any
such committee was then in existence.
Furthermore, Mrs. Tilton stated that
she had done this by the advice of law
yer whom BeecheF had sent to her, and
who, in advance of her appearing be-
ore the committee, arranged with her
he questions and answers which were
o constitute her testimony in Beecher's
lehalf. On the next day after giving
his untrue testimony before the COM
nittee she spent many hours of extreme
from pangs of conscience at
having testified falsely. She expressed
o her husband the hope that God would
Orgive her perjury, but that the motive
vas to save Beecher and her husband,
md also to remove all reproach from
he cause of the scandal. She also ex-
,ressed similar contrition to one Of her
Intimate friends.
Finally, that in addition to the fore
,oing facts and evidences, other confirm
.tiOns could be adduced, il needed, to
'rove the following:
RECAPITULATED STATEMENT.
That Rev. H. w. Beecher, as pastor
md friend of Mr.. Tilton and his family,
respassed upon the sanctity OF friend
hip and hospitality in 8 long endeavor
o seduce Mrs. Elizabeth R. Tilton; that
~ the artful use of his priestly authori-
Y with her, she being his pupil in re-
igion, he accomplished this Sc
luctiOn; that for period of
! year and a half, or thereabouts, he
a criminal intercourse with
Ter, overcoming her previous modest
cruples against such conduct by invest
ng it with a false justification as sane
ioned by love and religion; that he then
in conspiracy to degrade
Theodore Tilton before the public by the
Oss of place, business and repute; that
he abused Mr.. Tilton's forgiveness and
pledge of protection by thereafter au-
horizing a series of measures by Ply
mouth church, having for their
'bject the putting Of stigma
lpon TiltOn before the church, and also
'efore an ecclesiastical council, in so
much that the moderator of that cOun-
ii and interpreter of these acts by
5eecher and his church declared puolicly
hat they showed Beecher to be the most
of men and Tilton to be
|, knave and a dog; that when Tilton
not in malice but for self-pro-
ectiOn, wrote a letter to DR.. Bacon,
lluding therein TO an ofense and apol.
gy by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, he
Mr.. Beecher) detiantly appointed a
ommittee Of his church members to in
uire into the injury done him by Mr..
fltOn by the aforesaid allusion, and i'm
lying that he (Mr. Beecher) had never
cen the author of such offense and
pOlogy, and that Mr.. Tilton was a SLAM
erer; that to make this injury bear
against Mr.. Tilton, Mr..
'eecher previously connived with Mrs.
!. r. TiltOn to give false testimony in |
is (Mr. Beecher'sl behalf; that |
Ir. Beecher's course toward Mr..
ilton and family has at last re-
llted in the open destruction of |
Ir. Tilton's household and home. |
nd desolation of his heart and life.
THEODORE TILTON.
Sworn before me this twentieth day
{ July, 1874. t. BURGMEYER,
Notary Public.
GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE |
Iaving laid before you the above sworn
.atement, which l have purposely re- /
-ricfed tn the relations of Mr. Rasohor