The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-01
sCENT1Ne FAR OFF SCANDAL.
BEECHER'S LAWYER ON TILTON's
Rail

IHE Hun ENB VI VI AN
OLD ROW AT THE STATE ~ERSITY-
PROP. GAY CALEB UPON To TESTIFY
FREE LOVE ~LECTURING AND ITS FRUITS.
The Beecher-Tilton case, since the scene OF
action has been transferred from the press
to the courts, has not made 50 much noise
in the world as formerly, but the apparent
quiet by no means indicates hat the par
ties az interest are at rest. Indeed, though
they have talked less about their troubles,
they have probably acted with more in
tense energy than ever before. The extern
sion has diminished, but the intension has
increased. Besides the maneuvers of the
lawyers to outwit each other and
gain every possible technical ad-
vantage, every agency has been
set at work in tie collection of evidence
bearing upon the matter in controversy or
affairs collateral to It. As an illustration Of
the keenness of scent with which every
detail Of this great case is being sought out,
and the persistency with which 1t is being
worked up, it may be mentioned that an
effort is evidently on foot to connect Tllton
with q
GREAT INDIANA SCANDAL,
which. it is alleged arose put of his
free love teachings. The Sentinel hear
ing a rumor 10 that effect, at once
set 10 work to trace it TO some authentic
source, and found hat Mr.. Beecher's counsel
were actually on the track of Mr.. TiltOn as
a lecturer, aud were in search of authentic
information regarding his celebrated dis
course delivered at the State University at
Bloomington, on the theme of "HomeS sweet
Home" in February, 1872, on which oc-
casion one of the professors rose in his
place in the audience and denounced
the doctrines which Mr.. Tilton preached
and which the students of the in
stitution, male and female, received
with more appreciation of the sweetness of
the speakers rhetoric than of the unwhole-
someness of his teachings. In pursuit of in
formation on the college emeute which then
took place and the subsequent social scandal
which made the story of Tilton's lecture
more noteworthy, Mr.. Beecher's
FRIEND. sHEARMAN,
has written to the opponent OF Mr.. Tilton
on that memorable occasion, Prof.
J. L. Gay. This fact is sufficient
to prove that that indefstigable law
yer Is tracing every disreputable event
and every unwise word in TheodOre's life
like a bloodhound. 1t is, OF course, impos-
sible to say precisely what information
Prof. Gay has forwarded, as he has refused
to be interviewed OF the subject, but an in
vestigation of the quarrel which cost the
professor his situation, serves to show, with
every degree of probability, what must
have been the nature of the intelligence
which he had to give. 1t Is of a kind
to blacken Mr.. Tilton's general character,
by affording collateral proof of the stories
already in circulation in regard to his free
love prOclivities, rather than TO establish
Mr.. Beecher's innocence in any way.
THE STORY OF TILToN's
at Bloomington is briefly this: He had
been invited TO deliver a lecture at the State
University in that place by one of the stu
dents societies, and as he was then in the
height of his fame, he was enthusiastically
received. The young ladies and gentlemen
attending TIE college were present, together
with a large number of the best class of cit
liens, and Mr. Tilton, in his lecture OF "HOme,
Sweet Home, (which had been selected by the
students tor delivery, dwell upon the subject
with q warmth of Imagination and a laxity
of morals that was described as startling.
He acquired almost complete sway over the
younger portion of his audience, who rushed
up to the stage to congratulate the speaker
when he closed and declare their adhesion to
the new doctrine of which they regarded
him as a sort of apostle. Foremost among
them was one who afterward applied the
theory TO practice. Just how far Mr.. TiltOn
went in his teachings in the incubation of
free low it is not very easy to determine.
His lecture which became the subject of Bit
ter discussion, was afterwards published, but
those who heard it delivered maintain that
the Objectionable passages have been softened
for general perusal. IL is pretty strong evil
dence that something unusually dangerous
against the orthordox doctrine of marriage
and divorce was uttered, that Prof. j. l..
Gay. the instructor in English literature and
a member of such a
CONSERVATIVE BODY
rs the Episcopal clergy, felt called upon to
rise ia bis seat and denouncs the lecture as
Inappropriate to the audience and containing
dangerous doctrines. The stormy scene
which followed, and the subsequent
action of the students who considered their
guest insulted is described in the following
account of the affair, which is taken from
the Journal of this city for February 18th,
1872:
THEODORE TILToN.
STRANGE SCENE AT A LECTURE I'VE
BY THAT GENTLEMAN REFOR THE STU
DENTS OF III STATE
By a letter received yesterday we learn the
particulars of a mostsingular transaction which
occurred at the State University at Bloomington,
last Friday night, upon the occasion of a lecture
by Rev. Theodore Tilton before the Students
Association, The students have lately or
Mr.. 11lton to open their course with his
well known lecture, ."Home Sweet Home"
chapel before an immense audience. At the
close of the lecture the entire audience rose to
its feet save the Rev. j. l.. Gay, professor OF the
chair of English literature, who, as soon as the
audience sat down mounted the rUstrum and
said that he felt that he could not go down to
his grave in peace without entering his protest
against what he considered the dangerous
heresy of the lecture. He said that the speaker
had made gross Misrepresentation, called him
a chronic grumbler, and wound up by saying
that the lecture wasIthe most inappropriate
one for the audience he had ever heard.
Then arose a scene of the widest confusion.
Some of the audience left, but the major por-
ton remained and called loudly for Tilton, in
terspeTsing their calls with vehement Kisses at
Professor Gay. Mr.. Tilton responded to the
calls, saying that he had no desire TO cross
swords with any man at that time and place;
that the association had chosen his subject for
him and he had tried TO discharge his
duty 70 the best Of his ability. Storms