The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-16

committee without his (Tiltons) knowl.
eye, and called to his mind something that
had happened in November, 1872, in re.
gard to revelations that Titon had made 10
t.him in confidence as to the Woodruff story.
when Mr.. Woodruff and myself were pre-.
sent Tilton prefacing them with the state
ment; I" You are to receive certain conf
dences; but if you do, will you feel your
self at liberty to act as the counsel of
Beecher If we ever come into collision ?" to
which he replied, "Certainly not | said.
MI. Tracy, Tilton thinks now your being
counsel for Beecher is a violation of that
| promise, and will undoubted use severe
language in regard TO it. But since the in
terests you have at heart and we are now
in charge of are so grave, you had better
endeavor TO concilate him and not return
his dcnunciatons if he INDUCES in them.
Appeal as strongly as you can to the great
love ] know he still retains for his wife
and try to rouse the pride which he has in
her ana his family"
Mr.. Tracy came to the interview, as |
had arranged, and met as | had expected
the denunciations of Tilton, but received
them with great forbearance. and then,
with strength and pathos of language, with
tears flowing down his cheeks, he made so
eloquent and manly an appeal to Tilton,
picturing with great force his wfe's ten
derness and gentleness and apparent truth
fulness before the committee, and her hirh
eulogy of her husband, that Tilton was
greatly moved and pacified Herewith, and
seemed DESTROYS for reconciliation and re-
newcd peace for his wifc's sake. Tracy
said to him also that as the committee. to
his knowledge, felt that there was an of
Tense committed by Beecher against him,
they would undoubtedly make any report
that he (rilton) could suggest upon the
basis of almost any offense this side of adul-
| tery-indeed that he could quite guarantee
they would
In consequence of the assurances in this
conversation Tilton, who, as he informed
us, had left his home never intending to 90
back to it., did go back, as he afterward
told me, and there had reconciliation
with his wife, which is thus described in the
statement of Mrs Tilton TO the commit
tee
The midnight following was awakened
by my husband standing by my bed. In a
very tender, kind voice he said he wished
to see me- ! arose instantly, followed him
into his room, and sitting on the bedside he
drew me into his lap, said he was proud of
me. loved me; that nothing ever gave him
such real peace and satisfaction as to hear
me well spoken of; that, meeting men,
Der OF the committee, he had learned that
he had been mistaken as to my motive in
seeing the committee. and had fastened to
assure me that he had been thoroughly
wretched since his rash treatment of me,
night before, etc.
Then and there we covenanted acredly our
hearts and lives-I most utterly renewing
my trust in the one human heart | loved.
The next day, how happy we were
When Tilton left my house, that night,
he said that he would go home, and, with
Elizabeth, agree upon Il report to be made
by the committee which would be satisfac-
tory to them. This fact is confirmed by
Mrs. Tilton in her statement, as follows:
Theodore wrote statement to present
to the committee when they should call
upon him, to all of which / heartily
acceded.
Mrs. Tilton evidently did not understand
that the report was one to be made 6y the
committee, but to the committee by Tilton.
He returned, the next day, with such re-
port, which he had copied out as follows,
and which is marked B:
The undersigned, constituting the com
mittec of Plymouth church, to whom were
referred certain recent publications of Dr.
Leonard Bacon and Theodore Tilton, here
by present their unanimous report.
The committe sought and obtained a
personal interview with each of the three
following named persons, to wit Mi
Tilton, Mrs Tilton and the pastor, all of
whom responded to the searching questions
of the committee with freedom and candor.
Documents, letters, and papers pertaining
to the case were carefully considered. A
multiplicity Of details, needing to be duly
weighed, occasioned somewhat protracted
investigation. The committee hope that
the apparent hardness of their report will
be compensated to the parties by rectifying
an erroneous public sentiment under which
they have all suffered misrepresentation.
l. The committees first interview was
with Mrs. Elizabeth r. Tilton, whose testi-
mony was given with a modesty and touch
ing sincerity that deeply moved those who
listened to it. Her straightforward nara
tive was an unconscious yindication of her
innocence and purity of character and
confirmed by evidences in the documents.
She replied with warm feeling the idea that
her husband was the author of calumniOus
statements against her, or had ever treated
her with other than chivalrous considera-
tion and protection. She paid high tri-
butte to his character and also to the for,i-
tude with which he had borne prolonged
injustice.
2. The committee further find that Mr..
Tilton, in his relations with the pastor, had
Just cause of offense, and had received
voluntary apology. Mr.. Tilton declined to
characterize the offense for the following
reasons: First, because the necessary eyi.
dence which should accompany any state
ment would include the names of persons
who had happily escaped thus far the
tongue OF public gossip; next, that the
apology was designed to cover compli-
Gated transaction, its details difficult of ex-
act or just statement; and last, that no
possible good could arise from satisfying
the public curiosity ON that point Mr..
1iltOn, after concluding his testimony, re-
spectfully called the attention of the com
mlttee to the fact that the clerk of the
church had spoken calumniousy of Mrs.
lilton during the late council, and had
since unqualifiedly contradicted and re-
tracted ms statements as untrue and unjust.
and he CIllton) requested the committee to
riatiiy and confirm that apology, making
honorable record of the same in their report
which is hereby cheerfully DONE
.. The committee further find that the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's evidence cor
roborated the statements of Mr. and Mrs.
Tilton. lie also said the church action of
which Mr.. Tilton had complained had not
been inspired by the pastor, but had been
taken independently by the church; that
the popular impression that Mr. Tilton had
been in the habit of speaking against him
was unjust to Mr.. r., and was owing
mainly to the unwelcome introduction into
the church of charges against Mr.. r. by
mere handful of persons, who.
in SO doing, had received no coun-
tpnnnrp from tha e Al,
CATION or from the pastor. He said ihat
the apology had been invested by the pub
lie press with an undue mystery that
after having been led by his own preclpi, |
fancy and folly into wrong, he saw no
singularlty of behavior in Christian man
particularly clergyman acknowledging
his offense. lie bad always preached this |
doctrine to others, and would not shrink
from applying it to himself
The committee, after hearing the three
witnesses already referred to, felt unani- |