Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-08-20
not a member, nor even regular at

HOW he CAME IO VISIT ARS. VILTON.
During this whole period never re-
,eived from Mr.. Tilton or any member |
If his family, the slightest hint that
here was any dissatisfaction with my
amiliar relations to his household. AS |
ate, l think, as the winter of 1869, when |
going upon an extended lecture tour,
ne said, 81 wish that you would look
in and see that Libby is not lonesome,
DR. does not want anything" or words
TO that effect. Never, by sign or word,
did Mr.. Tilton complain of my visits
in his family uLtil after he begun to-
feel that the Independent would be
taken from him; nor did he break out
into violence until on the eve of dis
possession from both the papers, the In
dependent and the Brooklyn Union,
owned by Mr.. Bowen. During these
years of intimacy in Tilton's family |
was treated as father or elder brother.
Children were born, children died.
They learned to love me and to frOlic
with me as if was one of themselves.
l love them, and 1 had for Mrs Tilton
true and honest regard.
HIS OPINION OF MRS. TILToN.
She seemed to me an affectiOnate
mother and devoted wife, looking up
to her husband as far above the common
race of men, and turning to me with
srtless familiarity and with entire con-
fidence. Childish in appearance she
was childlike in nature, and would as
soon have misconceived the confidence
of the little girls as the unstudied affec-
ton which she showed me. Delicate
in health, with self-cheerful air, she
was boundless in her sympathy for
those in trouble, and labored beyond
her strength for the poor. She had the
charge one time OF the married wO-
mans class at the Bethel Mission school
and they perfectly worshipped her
there.
L gave Mrs. Tilton copies of my books
when published. sometimes sent
down farm flowers to be distributed
among dozen or more families, and
she occasionally shared. The only pres
ent of value ever gave her was on my
return from Europe in 1864, when dis
tributed souvenirs of my journey to
some fifty or more persons, and to her
l gave a simple brooche of little intrin.
sic value.
HIS INFLUENCE ON MRS. TILTON.
So far from supposing that my pres
ence and influence was alternating Mrs
Tiiton from her family relations, ]
thought on the contrary, that it wa:
giving her strength and encouraging
her to hold fast upon man evidently
sliding into dangerous associations, and
liable to be reversed by uneXampled
self-conceit. l regarded Mr.. Tilron a:
in a very critical period of his life, anG
used to think it fortunate that he had
good nome influences about him.
During the late years of our friend
ship, Mrs. Tilton spoke very mourn
fully to me about the tendency of he
husband to great laxity of doctrines ir
religion and morals. She gave me Il
understand that he denied the divinity
of Christ, the Inspiration of Scripture
and most of the articles of Orthodox
faith, while his views as to the 5anctity
of the marriage relations were under
going constant change in the direction
of free love. In the latter part of July
1870, Mrs. Tiltou was sick, and at he
request, L visited her. She seemes
much depressed, but gave me no hin
of any trouble having reference to me
l cheered her as best could, and pray
ed with her just before leaving. Thi
was our last interview before the trou
BILE broke out in the family. describ
it because it was the last, and its char
acter has "a bearing upon a latter par
of my story.
i CONCERNING ALL MY OTHER VISITS,
1t is sufficient to say that at no inter
view which ever took place between
Mrs. Tilton and myself did anythin
occur which might not have occurre'
with perfect propriety between broth
er and sister, between a father an
child, or between q man of honor an
the wife of his dearest friend, nor di
anything ever happen which she or
, sought to conceal from her husband.
THE DOCTRINES OF TILTON.
Some years before any open troubl
i between Mr.. Tilton and myself, hi
|, doctrines, as set forth in the leaders G
4 the Independent, aroused storm @
indignation among representative Cor
> gregationalists in the west, and as th
paper was still very largely suppose
to be my organ, I was written to on tn
subject. In reply Indignantly di
). claimed all responsibility for the view
3 expressed by Mr.. Tilton. Ny brothe
e Edward, then living in Illinois, ws
: prominent in remonstrances addresse
o to Bowen, concerning the course of b
!. paper under Mr.. TiltOn's Management
+ 1t was understood that Mr.. BOwe
n agreed that in consequence of the pr,
ceedings arising out of this remol
STRANGE, to remove Mr.. TiltOn, or SUI
press his peculiar views, but instead ,
I that Theodore seemed firmer in I'll
q saddle than before, and his loose n
e tions of marriage and divorce began
be shadowed editorially. This led
I. the starting of the Advance in Chicas
!. to supercede the Independent in ii
Northwest, and Mr.. Bowen was mat
,s to feel that Tilton's management W
n seriously injuring the business, ar
o TiltOn may have felt that his positi(
q was being undermined by the opp
= nents of his views, with whom he su
e sequently pretended to believe L W
leagued.
81 VAGUE INVITATIONS.
. of his feeling hard toward me, L ascri
:. ed to this miscOnception. i had real
d taken no steps to harm him.
,e A VISIT TO MRS. TILTON.
VI After Mrs. Tilton's return from t
is West, in December, 1870, young gi
ID whom Mr.. TiltOn had taken into Il
J. family, educated and treated like /.
n own child, cher testimony, 1 understar
l. is before the Committee was sent to u
s. with an urgent request that 1 wou
Of visit Mrs. Tilton at her mothers. 81
n SoiA fhut Mrc TTlfon hod loft bor hn,,
n and gone to her mothers, in cons
ID quence of ill treatment uf her husban
a. She then gave an account of what 81
had seen of the cruelty and abuse
the part of her husband, Mr.. Tito
That shocked me, and yet more whe
1T with dOwncast look, she said that M
n TiltOn had visited her chamber
= night, sought her consent to his wishe
rs [ Immediately visited Mrs. Tilton
y her mothers residence, and receive
n a n aooO1nt Of hor homo lifa anI of q,