Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-08-07
The Beecier-TiIton Scandal.

This affair continues to occupy large
share OF the space of our exchanges, but
the evidence before the Examingng Com
mittee developes little that has not been
anticipated
Carpenter now refuses to appear, SO does
DR.. Storrs, but the latter writes letter
that he had seen the statement signed by
Mrs. Tilton> and referred to in Mr.. Car
penter's statements and in Mrs. Tilton's
testimony Of Friday evening, which con-
tanned grave charge, in these words =
''On certain occasion Mr.. Beecher SOlic-
tied me to becomes wife to him with all
that IS impl ed in this relation. This prop
osition I communicated to my husband"
Mr.. Tilton has written a letter to Mr..
Sage, Chairman of the Investigating Com
mittee, in response to one from Mr.. Sage,
calling for certain papers i'll which he de-
clares that he has already procured the
papers before the committee, but was pre-
vented from reading them. He charges
that the investigation is one-sided affair.
That the Committee is composed of
Beechers friends, and expected to act al
together in his behalf, and that the press
has been only furnished with crumbs of
fictitious eviderce damaging to his own
character. He declines to furnish the
NoCuuiNiluo ny GUY iCC VI COiIoCI. L hO AoI
lowing synopsis embraces an interest in
Mrs. Tilton's testimony not heretofore
published. The examination begins with
an apparent purpose to show that Illton
neglected his wife from a very early period
of their marriage. Mrs. Tilton stated that
she~was frequently sick, and her physician
said there was care and trouble on her
mind, which medicine could not curs. He
WAS dissatisfied with his home and with
his Wife's management, and was harsh i'll
his criticisms. She had no visits from
Beecher before 1866. Early i'll 1865 Tllton's
mind was tainted with suspicion Of Beech
er, and used to talk with Mrs. Tilton con-
tinually of his Wrong-doings with ladies,
stories of which were told him (Tilton) by
MI. -. "When Beecher came to see me
MI. TiltOn began to he suspicious, and
that [ might be perfectly transparent to
my husband with respect to my interviews
with Beecler alone [ used to charge my
mind with our conversations and repeat
them to Mr. Tilton." Mr.. Tilton Often
charged her with concealing something she
did not intend to tell and the more she
tried to disabuSe his mind, the more suS-
picious he became. In 1869 he began to
assume that She had been criminally init
mate with Beecher This she invariably
denied. He endeavored 20 use all his in
tluence to make her acknowledge wrong
! and told her orce that he saw her sitting
! on Beecher's lap in our parlor, and She
replied ''You didn't" This morbid
jealousy had wearing and sickening eff
feet on her. She went to Beecher's twice
OF thrice to consult with Mr.. Beecher
about sick person, but never met him by
appointment at any other place. Tilton
never accused her OF criminalty based upon
any admission by her. 1t was not true
that she confessed in July, 1870, to any act
of improperly with Mr.. Beecher. When
she spoke of her ''sin" in the Schoharie let
ter she meant that she had done Mr.. Til
ton a wrong by taking anyone else in his
place in any way, though she did not know
but she would do the same ching again
because it had been so much to her SOUL
The sin was that she hurt her husband S
pride by allowing any one else to enter
into her life at all. The wifely feeling she
gave to her husband was pure. She gave
to Mr.. Beecher nothing more than conf
dence and respect. She thought that if
her daughters gave their husbands what
she had given to hers they would do
enough.