Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-08-14

! made 70 him in July, six months previous; that
his sense of honor and affection would not per
| NIT any such documents 70 remain in existence;
that he had burned the original, and should
now destroy the only copy, and he then tore the
paper into small pieces. IL had been shocked
AZ such q statement I was absolutely thunder
struck when he closed the interview by request
ing me TO repair At once to his house, where be
said Elizabeth was waiting for me, and learn
from her lips the truth OF his stories 30 far -
they concerned her.
THIS FELL LIKE THUNDERSTORM
upon me. Could IL be possible that his wife,
whom had regarded as type Of moral good
ness, should have inside such false and atrocious
statements; and yet, IL she had not, how would
he dare to send me 20 her for confirmation of
his charges? went forth like sleep-wsIker.
White clouds were flying in the sky. There had
been a snow storm, which was breaking away,
the winds were out and whistling through the
trees, but all this was peace compared TO my
mood within. / believe that Moulton went with
me to the door OF TiltoDs house. The house
keeper, the same woman OF whom Mrs. Tilton
has complained, seemed 10 have been instructed
by him, for she evidently expected me, and
showed me at once 70 Mrs. Tilton's room. Mrs.
Tilton Law upon her bed, white as marble, with
closed eyes, as in trance, and with her hands
upon her bosom, palm TO palm, like one in
prayer. As look back upon n the picture IL
like some forms carved in marble that i had
seen upon monuments in Europe. She made no
motion, ana gave no sign OF recognition Of my
abeth, Theodore has been making very serious
charges against me, and sent me 20 your for
confirmation" She made no reply or sign, yet 1t
was plain that she was conscious and listening.
repeated some of his statements-that had
brought discord To the family; that had alien
ated her from him; had sought to break up the
family; had usurped his influence, and then,
as well as 1 could, added that he said that
bad made improper suggestions TO her, and
that she had admitted this part TO him last July.
said: elizabeth, have you ever made such
statements TO him?' She made no answer /
repeated the question; tears ran down her
cheeks, and che very slightly lowered her head
in acquiescencs. 4 said, "you cannot mean
that you have stated all that he has charged?''
She opened her eyes and began in slow aud
Feeble way 70 explain how sick she hsd been.
how weaIied out with Importantly; that he had
could not bear 10 think that she was better
than he; that she might win him to reformation
if she would confess that she had loved one
more than him, and that they would repent and
60 on with future accord. / cannot give her
language, but only the tenor of her representa-
tons. l. received them impartislly. L spoke
to her in the shortest language OF her course.
said TO her, "Hsve 1 ever made any improper
advances to you?" She said, "No." Then /
asked her, "why did you say so TO your hus-
friend. )" by that designation she always called
me, 81 am sorry, but could not helpit. What
can do?'' told her she could state in writing
what she had now told me. She beckoned for
her writing material, which / handed her from
the secretary standing near. She sat up in bed
and wrote a blief counter statement in a sort
or postscript. She denied explicitly that had
ever offered any improper solicitations TO her
that being the only charge made against me by
Ttlton, or sustained by the stasement about the
confession which he had read 10 me. L dreamed
OF no worse charge. At that time that was
horrible enough; the mere thought that he
could make IL, and could have extorted any
evidence on which TO base II, was enough 70
take away my senses. Neither my CONSCIOUSNESS
Of its utter false hood. nor Mrs. TiltOns re-
traction of her part in 10, could remove the
shock from my heart and head. Indeed, her
admission to me that she had stated, under any
circumstances, 20 her husband
so WICKED A PALsR9OoD
was the crowning blow OF all. Ii seemed TO me
as If she was going 10 die; that her mind was
overthrow, and that L was in some dresdt al
way mixed up in IL, and might be left, by her
death, with this terrible accusation hanging
over me. returned, Ike one in cresm. 10 MT.
Mouton's house, where / said very little, aud
soon went home, 1t has been said that / con
iesSed guilt and expressed remorse. This il
utterly false. Is it likely that, with Mrs TitOns
retrsction in my pocket, should have thus
stulthed myself? On the next day, i'm the eve
ming, Moulton called at my house and came az
into my bedroom. He said that Mrs. TiltJn.
on her husbands return to her after our inter
view, had informed him what she hsd done, and
that ! had the retraction. MoultOn eXpOstu-
iated with me, and SAID tue retrsction, under
the circumstances, would not mend matters,
but only awaken fresh discord between husband
and vile, and 90 great injury 20 Mrs. NltOu
without helping me. Mrs. Tilton, he said, had
already Tecanted in writilgthe retractiOn made
to NE, ard, OF course, there might be
NO END TO THESE CONTRADICTIONS.
first letter acknowledging the confession, aud
MIR. houlten claimed that had taken q mean
advantage and made a dishOn0rable use OF
TheodOres request that L should visit her and
obtain from her a written contradiction 60 q
document not in existence. He said that all diff
hculues could be settled without any such pa
pers, and that / ought to give it no. He was
under great excitement. He made no verbal
threats, but he opened his overcoat, aud, with
some emphatic remarks, showed pistol, which
afttrward he took out and left on the bureau,
raaa hfahh a Gfn n fha enh
ard after a few moments stay he left. Within
a day or two after this Mr.. Moulton made me a
third visit, and this time repaired 70 my study,
In tie third story of my house. Before speak.
ing of this interview il is with regret that I
should allude to the suffering through which I
had gone during the previous dsys, the cause OF
which was
STRANGE CHANGE IN MRS. TILroN.
Nothing had seemed TO me more certain, du-
ring all my acquaintance with her, than that
she was singular simple, truthful, and honor
able. Deceit seemed absolutely foreign 10 her
nature, and yet she had stated to her husband
those strange and awful falsehoods. Ste had
not, when daily called and prayed with her,
given the slightest hint, will not say OF such
accusations, but even that there was any Sc
rious family difficulty. She had suddenly, in
December, called me and my wife TO consults-
ton as to a possible separation from her hus-
band, still leaving me ignorant that she had
just put into his hands the weapon against me.
1 was bewildered with the double consciousness
of sanity woman communicating very need
less treschery Of her friend and pastor. My
distress was boundless. / did not for a moment
feel, however, that she was 70 blame entirely,
as would ordinarily be thought, but supposed
that she had been overborne by sickness and
shattered in mind until she scarcely knew what
she did, aud was no longer responsible for her
acts. My soul went out to her In pity. blamed
myselffor want of prudence and foresight, for
thought that al this lad been the result Of her
NJ lie affection for me. had profound feel
ing that would bear any blame, take any pun
ishment, il that poor child could only emerge
from this cloud and be put back into the happi-
mess from which had been, thought IL not the
cause, vet the occasion of withdrawing her.
TIME OF SORROW.
fmy own daughter had been in similar
case my grief at her calamity could scarcely
have been greater. Moreover, from the anger
and fury Of Mr.. Tilton apprehended that this
charge ss made by him, and supported by the
accusation OF his wife, was to be at once pub
icly pressed against me, and as IL was had
nothing but my simple word of denial to inter
pose against il. In my then morbid condition
OF mind / thought that this charge, although
entirely untrue, might result in q great disss-
ter, If not In absolute ruin. to the great inter-
eee which were entirely dependent upon me-
the church which had built up, the book
which was writing, my own Immediate fam
lily, my brothers name, now engaged in the
ministry, my sister, whose name had hoped
might live after me, And be OF some slight de-
- n