Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-09-16
The Great Scandal.

another statement TO ihe public, which ID
altogether too long for our columns, The
T Springfield Republican, which has treaed
the matter very fairly all through, says.
t concerning the statement:
: Mr.. Moul.on attacks the greatest char
acter before the country. and it is OF the
> utmost Importance that the case, both for
. aud against. should be given the fullest
, bearing. II is matter in which no grown
5 person can be ashamed to feel an interest,
and to read the evidence. Nor is that evil
dence presented in a prolix form. 1t is Civ
en- as compsctly as circumstances will al
low. and, once begun, cannot we'll be laid
down. Ii must be M infection, but 1t can
not be bore except to the most trivial
minded.
We may briefly summarize it. Mr..
Moulton first shows that he did not desert
Mr.. Beecher, as charged, or propose to
do nothing, in the interval between the
appearance of Bacon's letter and the APP
pearance of Beecher before the commit.
tee, about six weeks. On the contrary.
for month of that time, Moulton was sc-
lively exerting himself with Beecber and
Tracy to prevent Tilton's statement.
Mrs. Tilton's testimony Of the con-
duct Of her husband during this inter-
val confirms Monitor precisely. He raises
a direct issue of veracity with Beecher.
not only on this point, but also as to
Beecher's declarations as to what was
done with Mrs. TilloHs confession and IA
to the character Of the famous apology.
Moulton cites from Beecher's own letters
sentences in which be speaks Of the apol-
ogy as "my letter." and cites conversa-
ton in which Beecher asked whether
letter could not be framed retracting that
apology and branding it as "mere mem.
Inorandum," the very treatment Of it f.
nally adopted by Beecher himself. On
these several issues Of veracity, Moulton
has the documents on his side.
The next body Of matter concerns the
resumption of the intimacy between Beech
err and Mrs. Tilton by clandestine letters
and. implicitly, by meetings. The letters
from the parties are certainly singular.
Mr.. Moulton iuterprets them as them
fair speech" and "the fatter of the lips"
OF the improper person against whom SOL
ONION utters his warning. We need scarce
ly remind readers that .'love.child" was
the old English designation for the kind
of children which we now spell with a b.
Moulton then reiterates the fact of Beech.
er's personal confession to him, with
more particular narrative of it and, later,
deepens the tale to on inky pitch by
narrative of Beecher confession on "the
Bowen case" to which confession there
was another witness. Moulton further
completes his case by showing he was not
the man Of devices" any more than was
Beccher. that the charge of black-mai
was entirely an overthought and might as
we'll have been brought against dozens Of
men who helped the Golden Age, that the
real back-mailer was the outside family"
Mrs. Morse and Bessie, and that Beecher
maintained good opinion of Moulton
down to within few days of his state.
ment he closes with a disclosure of
Beecher's preparations for suicide.
From all this, escape is scarcely posi-
BILE, except in one direction. Those who
rely on what IS called the psychological
theory. that is. that SO great a preacher
could not possibly commit so great crime,
in the words of Rev. Mr.. Halliday, even
though an angel from heaven should come
down and make the charge,--are impreg.
uable to this evidence. They are safe,
because they refuse to admit the possibill.
ty of guilt from the first. But, to vast
majority of men, Moulton's statement is
more probable on the rules of evidence,
more reliable with the usual operations
of human nature and the frailties of sex.
ual passion, than Beecher's. We do not
say that Mr.. Beecbor is proven guilty, be.
cause the opportunity for cross-examiuatiou
and for the production of witnesses has
not been offered in its fullest extent, but
we do say that. with the cannid observer,
Moulton's statement will outweigh Beech.
er's.
Further, there can be no escape for Mr..
Bsecher, but to meet this charge In every
place. The country and the COMPRESSION.
al churches cannot submit to the return Of
this man to his pulpit amid the acclaim Of
bis parish. after the report of an ex-parte
committee. 1t is not to be thought of.
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