Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-09-02


conceivably full of breaking glory.
Oh, my beloved Frank, / shall
know you then and forever hold
fellowship with you. and look
back and smile at the past.
Your loving II. W. B.
There are intimations that at the
beginning and end of this letter |
felt the approach of death. With
regard to that, i merely refer to
my previous statement concerning
my bodily symptoms, and add that
to this day | felt the symptoms up
on me. The main point is that |
was worried out with the whole
business, and would have been glad
to escape death, of which / had little
dread. l could see no end but
death to the accumulation of tor
ture, but / resolved to stop short
and waste no more time in making
matters worse. | felt that Mr..
Moulton had better stop too, and
let the whole thing come out. |
determined then to make a true
and full statement, which | now
make and leave the result with
God.
Mr.. Tilton had repeatedly urged
me, as stated In my letter, not to
betray his wife, and felt bound
by every sense of honor, In case l
should be pressed by inquiries
from my church or family as to
the foundation to the rnmors which
might reach them, to keep this
promise. BY this promise meant
only that / would not betray the
excessive affection which his wife,
as had been told, had conceived
for me and had confessed to him.
I certainly did not refer to adultery.
If there had been such fact in
existence its betrayal would have
ruined me as well as her, and a
pledge not to destroy myself
would have been too absurd to be
mentioned in this letter.
In reply to this note, which was
calm and reserved rather than
gloomy, Moulton wrote a letter
that same day of three and a bal
sheets of copy paper, in which he
deliberately and twice in succession
reaffirmed his main statement, that
there was nothing in the whole
case on which | could not safely
stand. lie treats my resolution as
born Of such morbid dispair as he
had after reproached me for, anc
urged me strongly to maintain m.
faith in him.
Tilton yielded to his persuasion
and graciously allowed himself tc
be soothed by the publication of
card exonorating him from the
authorship of base lies to which
the tripartite covenant referred
So once more, and this time agans
my calmer judgement, l patched
up hollow peace with him. Tha
l have grievously erred In judge
ment with this perplexed case NJ
one is more conscious than | am
chose the wrong path and except
ed disastrous guidance in the be
ginning and have indeed Travelled
on a rough and ragged edge. Ii
my prolonged efforts to suppress
this scandal, which has at las
spread so much desolation through
the land, / cannot admit that
erred in desiring to keep thes
matters out of sight. In this re
spect / appear to you and to a
Christian men to judge whethe
almost any personal sacrifices ough
not to have been made rather thai
to suffer the morals of the entir
community, especially the youn,
to be corrupted by the filthy de
tails of scandalous falsehoods dal
, ly reiterated and amplified for tn
, qualification of an impur
: curiosity, and the demoralizatio
: of every child that is old enoug
3 to read. The full truth of thi
history requires that one more fac
5 be told, especially as Mr.. Tito
; has invited it. Money has bee
| obtained from me in the course {
t these affairs in considerable sums
: but | did not at first look upon tn
f suggestions that / should contr
e butte to Mr.. Tilton's pecuniar
wants a sovereign of blaclxmai
G This did not occur to me till ha
| paid perhaps $4,000. Afterward
Y / contributed at one time $500
{ After the money had been pal
: over in five $1,000 bills, to raj:
J, which mortgaged the house liy
J. in. | feel very dissatisfied with m.
a self about it. Finally a squai
demand and q threat was made
g me by my confidential friend tht
a if $4,000 more was not paid Il
n Tilton charges would be laid befol
y the public. This l saw at on'
|. was blackmail in its coldest forr
It and never paid a cent of it, b
h challenged and requested the flu
: est exposure.
,. But after the summer of 1873
It became inwardly satisfied that 4
It ton was inherently and inevitably
h ruined man. no longer trustt
l. either his word or his honor.
a came to feel that his kindness WI
G. but a snare, and his professions
$. friendship treacherous. He di
"a not mean well by me, nor by h
90 own household. But l suffered
" the more on this account, as
% had grown up under my inaucn,
n and in nv church, / could new,