Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-08-26

OtpSIEuCIt stIlI Inc DTOOhtVt CVtOH U
the foregoing narrative of facts l have
sudden interruption, by your own act, of
what has been, on my part towards you, a
faithful friendship of fifteen years.
Truly yours,
(Sioned) THEODORE TILToN.
His account of the outbreak and of his
interviews ut or about the time with
Beecher, we give as they are the most i'm
portant part of the document.
.'On Friday evening, the 30th of De-
cember, being the night of the Plymouth
Church praver-meeting, Tilton came to
ME and said in substance that by his wife's
request he had determined to see Beecher,
in order to show to Beecher a confession
of his wife of the intercourse between
them, which he Crilton) had never up to
that time mentioned to him (Beecher), and
the fact of the confession, of which his
wife had told him that she had never told
Beecher, although her confession had been
made in July previous in writing, which
wiring he (Tilton) had afCerward des roy
ed; but that his wife, fearing that II the
Bowen accusations against Beecher We're
made public the whole matter would be
known and her own conduct with Beecher
become exposed, had renewed her comics
sion in her own hand writing, which he
handed to me to read, which was the first
knowledge | had of lis existence.
Tilton did not tell me how his wife came
to make the confession iii July, nor did l
ut that time or ever after ask. Indeed L
mavstate here, once for all, that L retraIned
from asking confessions of the acts OF all
the parties further than they chose to make
them to me voluntarily for the purpose for
which | was acting.
Tilton wanted me to go down and ask
Beecher to come up and see him at my
house, which did. | said to Mr.. Beecher,
. Mr. Tilton wants You to come and see
him ut my house Immediately" He asked,
"What for?n | replied, = He wants Ito
make some statement to you IN reference
to YOUR relation with his family" lie
then called to some one in the back room
10 90 down and say that he should not be
at tne prayer-meetlng, and we went out
together.
1t was storming at the time, when he
remarked: There is an appropriateness
in this storm and asked me, q" What can
do? What can | do?" | said, " Mr..
Beecher. | am not Il Christian, but If you
wish will show you how well healhen
can serve you.n We then went to my
house, and | showed him into the chamber
over the parlor where Mr.. Tllton was
and left them together. In about an hour
Mr.. Beecher came down and asked me II
[ had seen the confession OF Elizabeth. /
said had. Said he, . This will kill me, >
and asked me to walk out with him.
did so. and we walked to Mr.. TiltOn :
{ l. ia. h.. in On the
way he said This Is terrible catastro-
phe; it comes upon me as If struck by
lightning"
lie went into Tilton's house and | re-
turned home. Within an hour he return
ed to my house, and we left my house
aoain together and | walked with him to
his house. Tilton remained ut my house
while Beecher was absent at Tilton's house,
and when he returned there was no con-
versation between them. When we az
rived at Beechers house he wanted me to
stand bv him in this emergency and pro
cure reconciliation if possible. | told
HIM | would, Lecuuse the interests of
women. children, and families were in
volved, if for no other reason. That end
ed the interview that night. During this
evening nothing was said by Beecher as
to the truth OF t;llsity of Mrs. Hilton ; con-
fession. nor did he inform me that he had
obtained from her any recantatlon OF the
confession which | afterWard learned he
had done.
returned to my house and had some
conversation with Tilton, in which he told
me that he had recited to Baecher the de
tails of the confession OF his wite's adul-
teries, and the remark which Beecher
made was. This is all a dream, Iheo-
dore.n and that was all the answer that
Beecher made him. | then advised TiltOn
that. for the sake of his wife and family,
and for the sake of Beecher's family. the
matter should be kept quiet and hushel
I'D. The next morning as | was leaving
home for business Iilton came to my house
and with great anger said that Beecher
had done Il mean act; that he had gore
from that interview of last night to his
house and procured from Elizabeth Il re-
cantation an retraction of her confession.
He said for that act he would smite him !;
that there could be no peace. He said ::
=. You see that what | have told you of
the meanness Of that man is now evident -
Tilton said that Beecher at the interview
of last night had asked his permission to
90 and see Elizabeth, and he told him he
MIGHT 90. which statement was confirmed
bv Beecher himself and Beecher left him
for that purpose. said to Iilton; Now
don't get angry; let Us see if this cannot
be arranged | will go down and get that
retraction from him"
was then going to my business, 50 that
was unable to 90 that morning, bat went
that evening, saw Beecher, and told him
that thought he had been doing very
mean and tretcherou5 act-treacherous.
first. towards me, from whom he wanted
helpJn that he did not tell me on our way to
his house last night what he had procured
from Mrs Tilton, and that he could not
expect my friendship in this matter unless
he acted truthfully and honorably towards
me. | further said: Mr. Beecher, you
have had criminal intercourse with Mrs.
Tilton; YOU have done great injury to
Tilton otherwise. Now when you are con-
fronted with it you ask permission of the
man to again visit his house, and you get
from that woman who has confessed you
have ruined her recantation and rctrac-
ton of the truth for your mere personal
safety. That won't save you"
At that interview he admitted with grief
and sorrow the fact of his sexual relations
with Mrs. Tilton, expressed some indigna-
ton that she had not told him that she had
told her husband, and that in consequence
of being in ignorance of that fact he had
been walking upon volcano-refelring
to what he had done in connection with
Bowen and with reference to Illton's fam
ilv. He said that he had sympathized
with Bowen, and had taken sides with him
as against Tilton, in consequence OF stories
which were in circulation in regard to
him, and especially of one specific case
where he had been informed that Tiiton
had had improper relations with Il woman
whom he named, and to whom letter
from his wife will make Il part of this
statement, and had SO stated to Bowen.
And he told me that he would write to
Bowen and withdraw those charges, and
gave me the rough draft of Il letter which
he wrote and sent to Bowen, which letter
is here produced and marked sc"
BROOKLYN, Jan. 2, 1871.