Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-15

rebuff from him, it seemed as though it
would kill me. and the letter was the pro-
duct of that mood into which was thrown.
Q.-what was Mr.. MoultoD's man.
ner at the time when he demanded re-
fractions OfMis Tilton's threatening?
Al should describe il as being one Of
exceedingly intense excitement.
OFF you used the words '.He would
have been
ABetter Man
in my circumstances than L have BEEN
what did YOU mean by them?
Al am not sure. I'm sure the cOnver-
SatiOn ran on, alphabetically in respect to
the betrayal of friend in an hour of emer-
geney, in respect to the undermining Of
Tilton just at the time when Bowen and
all the world were leaving him. In re-
spect TO want Of fidelity, there is one thing
that YOU are to bear in mind. a thing that /
have never mentioned to any Of you. Mr..
Beecher here told a story Of TiltOn going
20 Washington, and having his son Henry
appointed a Lieutenant in the regular
army.
Q.-In your letter Of Feb. I, 1871, to
this occurs: "Would to God who
orders all hearts by his kind mediation,
Theodore and Elizabeth aud could be
made friends. Theodore will have the
hardest task in such a case Precisely
what did you mean by that last sentence?
A.-Itis .--.sr T.. -.1s B.
All n MuddIe
To me, as don't recall the precise working
Of nv mind. have no vivid recollection
OF the making up Of the letter or Of the
precise mood under which L wrote. |
can't give the reason Of the sentence.
There was a family that by circum-
stances had been brought to the bittereSt
antagonism at a time of the most profound
when TiltOn had got TO struggle
for his livelihood, for his name, for his pO-
sitiOn, and for his household. Everything
put together, he was in a situation in which
he had got to exert himself in every way
for his restoration in every manner, and the
point vas that she should cooperate with
him as well As with his friends. If she had
her sorrow to bear at home he had his too.
That is what l think it likely may have
suggested in those words, but don't say
thai il is, because don't remember.
Q.-In a letter of Feb. I, you say Of
course Il can never speak with her again
without his permission, and l doubt that
even then it would be best" Why did you
say that?
A.-Because either al the time Of that
letter from Bowen or its immediate yieini-
ty, Mr.. TitOn, as have the impression
now, sent word by Bowen, though cannot
be sure of that, fOrbidding me ever to en-
ter his house again
Q.-Nothing else 2-
A.-No. know frequently said,
IwIsh Was Dead,
and Theodore TiltOn. he came and said he
wished lie was dead; and Mr.. MoultOn was
frequently in a state in which he wished
he was dead, and Mrs. MOultOn said, II am
living among friends every one Of whom
wishes be was dead or something like
thar. / DO not know that il was smarter
than that, but she put il in a way that was
very ludicrOus. Every one Of US usel TO
be echOing that wish; We were vexed and
plagued together, and / used the familiar
phrase, Il wish was dead.'
Q.-The outside gossip is that you re-
ferred in that line to
Contemplated Suicide.
Alt was not. My general purpose in
the matter of this whole thing was this,
and kept it as the motto Of life: By
patient continuance in well doing to put
to shame those who falsely accused me.
l meant to put down and preach down
this trouble Of course il my dismal
moods felt as though the earth had come
to an eni.
Q.-Tilton had cOndOned his wife's
fault. What did you mean by this?
A.-COndOned has a legal meaning and
4 general meaning, but | used ibs-gOrd
as a literary man would use il, not as
lawyer. If used ii in legal phrase there
would have been an Ofeuse, not fault.
Betraying His wife.
Q.-NOu say in the same letter that he
had eujOined upon you not to betray his
wife. In what respect?
A.-NOt 10 betray this whole difficulty
into which his household had been cast.
Next 10 stabbing a woman. dead is to talk
about her virtue, and if the public suppose
that in order to interpret these letters i
must refer 10 a vulgar physical gross indig-
IA,y, then they are living OH plane where
| do not live. TiltOn had also in acts Of
jealousy accused his wife Of criminal inti-
macy with several gentlemen, CT whom l
am not one, and had asserted in the pres
ence Of witnesses that all her children ex-
cept the first were children of those gentle
men respectively.
"My Last Sunday
Q.-When YOU write: l have a strange
feeling upon me that am spending my last
Sunday and preaching my last sermon.
Do you refer to some condition Of health
and mind that You have described?
Al refer to the fact simply that it was
my state of mind during this great trouble.
Beecher's Confidence I'm MOuI1OD.
Q.-Here is a clause in which you ex-
press profound confidence in MoultOn's
fidelity. Does that correctly represent your
own feelings?
At does. Although MOulton is not
the man / should select Us an ideal man,
thought that in that one particular of fidel-
iiy TO friends be was the most remarkable
man ever met. l had an abiding faith of
Ar. MUultOn's truth. Until the reply of
TiltOn to BacOn's letter, | never had a sus-
picion Of his good faith. and when that let
ter was published, and MOulton on my Wis
iting him in reference to it proposed no
NDAluAEA NkCA dlAOu vi uO
OF no help, was staggered.
When Mr.. Tilton subsequently pub
lished his statement, after he came to
this committee, and when that came out.
1 never heard a word from Moulton. He
never sent for nor visited me, or did a
thing. / waited for him to say or do
something, for had said TO MOultOn in
the last year, ''As things are coming, you
never are going to manage Tilton; he is
going to manage YOU" have said to him
once or twice, "MOultOn, TiIton is longer
headed than YOU are, and he has Out-witted
YOU have said to HIM: "The time is
coming in which l see distinctly YOU have
got TO choose between Tilton's statement
and mine.7 He said there never will be.
But shall stand by you to the death. He
said that to me in the last conversation
had with him.
MOultOn Challenged,
Q.-Has MoultOn any secret of yours in
paper, in document or in knowledge, Of any
act Of yours, that you would not have see
the light this hour?
A.-NOt that I'm aware of.
Q.-Have you doubt?
Al have none.
Q.-Do you call upon him to produce
all he has and tell all he knows?
Al DO, do.