The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-22
A BAD LOOK FOB BBBCHBR
TILToN'S SWORN Statement
Beecher Charged with Adultery I!
And TiIton Continued to Live
with the AduIteress!
DATES AND DETAILS OF THE CRIME :
DATES AND DETAILS OF THE CRIME

DATES AND DETAILS OF THE CRIME
New YORK, July 2l.-The following i.
Theodore Illton's statement to the Ply
mouth church commttee
MR.. TILTON'S STATEMENT
GENTLEMEN OF THE CoMMITTEE:-ln com
munlcating to you a detailed statement o
the facts as evidence, which you have beer
several days expecting at my hands, lie
me remind you of the circumstances whicl
call this statement forth. In my recen
letter to DR.. Bacon alluded to an offence
and apology by Rev. Henry Ward Beech
er 10 WhOmsOevor else this allusior
seemed indefinite, to Mr. Beecher it was
PLAN. The offence was committed by him
and the apology was made by him. Both
acts were his own and were among the
most momentous of his life OF all men
in Plymouth church or in the world Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher was the one man
who was best informed concerning these
offences and apology, and the one man who
least needed to inquire into either New
ertheless, while possessing perfect know
ledge Of both these acts done by himself,
he has chosen to put on a public atfecta
ton of ignorance and innocence concern
ing them and has conspicuously appointed
a committee Of six of the ablest men of
his church together with two attorneys, to
inquire into what he leaves you to regard
as the
UNACCOuNTABLE MYSTERY,
this offence and apology, as if he had
neither committed one nor offered the 9TH
er, but as if both were merely the tigment
Of another mans imagination, thus
adroitly prompting the public to draw the
deduction that | am person under some
hallucination or deluslon, living in dream,
and
FORCING A FRAUD.
Furthermore, in order to cast over this
explanation delicate glamour which al
ways lends charm to the defence of wo-
mans honor, Mrs. Elizabeth X. Tilton, late
y my wife, has been prompted away from
her home to reside among Mr.. Beecher $
friends and to cooperate with him in his
ostensbly honest and honorable inquiry
into facts, concerning which she too, as
well as he, has for years past had perfect
and equal knowledge with himself This
investigation, therefore, has been publicly
pressed upon me by Beecher, seconded by
Mrs. Tilton, both ofwhom in so doing have
united in assuming before the public the
non existence Of grave and solemn facts
into which they have conspired to investi
gate for the purpose, not OF elicitlng, but
Of denying the truth This joint assump-
ton by them, which has seemed to your
committee to be in good faith, has naturally
led you into an examination into which
you expect to find on their part nothing but
innocence and on my part
NOTHING But ISLANDER.
1t is now my unhappy duty, from which
| have in vain hitherto sought earnestly to
be delivered, to give you facts and evidence
for reversing your opinion on this subject.
Ia doing this painful duty | may say my
heartrending duty, the responsibility for
making the grave disclosures which | am
about to lay before you belongs not to me
but to Beecher, who has prompted you to
this examination, and next to Mrs. Iilton
who has joined in conspiracy which can.
not fail to be full of peril and wretched-
ness to many hearts. call you to witness
that 10 my first brief examination by your
committee / begged and implorcd you not
to inquire into the facts OF this case, but
rather seek to bury them beyond all posi-
BILE revelation. Happy for all concerned
had this entreaty been needed. 1t is now
too late, The last opportunity for recon-
citation and settlement has passed This
investigation, undertaken by you in ignor-
ance of dangers against which Beecher
should have warned you in advance, will
shortly prove itseltto your surprise to have
been the act OF
WANTON, WICKED FOLLY,
for which Rey. Henry Ward Beecher, as
its originator and public sponsor, will here
after find no space for repentance though
he seek it carefully and with tears. This
desperate man must hold himself only and
not me, accountable for the wretchedncss
these disclosures will carry to his own
home and hearth as they have already
brought to mine. | will add that the orig
inal documents referred to in the ensuing
sworn statement are for the most part in
my possession but the apology and few
other papers are in the hands of Francis
ID. Mouton. Truly yours,
(Signedl THEODORE TILToN.
TTLTON's SWORN STATEMENT.
WHEREAS, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
has instgated the appointment OF a com
mittee consisting of six members of his
church and society to inquire and report
upon the alleged aspersiOns upon his char
acter by Theodore Tilton; and
WHEREAS, Mrs Elizabeth X. Tilton, wife
of Theodore Tilton, has deserted his home
in order to cooperate with Beecher in Or
der to overthrow the credit and good rep
utation of her late husband as man and
citizen therefore
Theodore Tilton, being thus authorized
and required by the published demand
made upon him by Beecher, and being now
and hereafter released by the act of Mrs.
Tilton from further responsibility for the
concealment of the truth touching her re-
lations with Beecher, therefore, Theodore
1ilton hereby sets forth under solemn oath
the following facts and testimony:
|. That on the I'd of October, lSj0, at
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, a marriage
between Theodore Tilton aud Elizabeth NJ.
Richards was performed by Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher, which marriage, thirteen
years afterwa-d. was
.1-.. DIsHoNORED AND VIOLATED
by this clergyman through the criminal Sc
duction OF this wife and mother as herein
after set forth.
. That for a period of about fifteen
years, extending both before and after this
marriage, an intIHate friendship existed be-
tween Theodore Tilton and Rev Henry w.
Beecher, which friendship was cemented
10 such degree that ia consequence there
of the subsequent dishonor by Beecher of
his wife was crime of uncommon wrong
fulness and perhdy.
2 That about nine wears ago Rev Henry