The Portland daily press., 1874-08-03
From the Brooklyn Eagle.]
The Reecher Letters.
The Most Plausible Explanation Of Them
Vet Presented.

l.
er, whose name we withhold, presented the
case in the following light, to-day: Judging
from my personal knowledge of certain persons
involved, and from a careful study of the cross
examination of Mr.. Tilton, I think correct
understanding of Mr.. Beecher's apolegetic let
ter may be arrived at.
Let it be remembered that Mrs. Tilton made
confident of Mrs. Beecher, relating all her
sorrows and her husbands infidelity to his mar
riage vows and treatment of her; that from the
representations of his wife, and what he learned
from Mrs. Tilton, Mr.. Beecher did advise
separation unless she thought she could reform
him; that Mrs. Beecher, who is very decided
character, took the matter in hand. Through
her instrumentality, and from information
CO.. coming from her concerning Mr.: Tlton, and
the opinions of Mr.. Beecher about the matter,
MIR: Tilton was displaced from the Independent
and Brooklyn DailyjUnion. Mr.. Tilton was
highly. indignant at his wife, who was called
home from the country. His rage and abuse
caused her sickness and miscarriage. She
wrote from her sick bed note to Mr.. Beecher
by Mr.. Moulton, seeking to reconcile matters.
This note appears to have been lost.
Overcome with grief and sorrow at the family
rupture and disaster, Mr. Beecher spoke burn
ing words of sorrow and contrition to Mr..
Moulton. 1t was then dusk, and Mr.. Meulton
took down some of them to give to Mr. Tilton.
In perfect trust and good faith, Mr. Beecher
signed his name, without reading what had
been taken down, some distance away from the
close OF the notes taken by Moulton, who took
it to Mr.. Tilton. Now, in view of this above
facts, how easy of explanation is the apology:
MY Dear Friend Moulton ask, through you,
Theodore Tiltons forgiveness, and humble
myself before him as / do before God. He
would have been better man in my crcum-
stances stances -. than have been. lean ask nothing
except that he would remember all the other
hearts that would ache,'' that is, if Tilton's
family were broken up by the divorce threat
ened against him by his wife, at that time a
well-known fact. II will not plead for myself
even wish were dead" that is, in view of
with Mrs. Beecher, in the Bowen difficulty,
which seemed now about to result in the ruin
OF Mr.. Tilton's family. "But others must live
TO suffer: !! will die before anyone else than
myself my rs shall be inculpated,' that is, his wife
ming cut toward my friends, and toward the
poor child lying there and praying with her
folded hands. She is guiltless, sinned against,
bearing the transgression of another" That
is, the interference of Mrs. Beecher and him
self, which resulted in Mr.. Tilton's deposition,
the ruDtura in his family, and his dear friends
tMrs. Iilton's) sickness untosdeath. "Her for
giveness have. 1 humbly pray God to put it
into the heart of her husband to forgive me-
Now, in view Of all the facts in this case, is
there anything so very wonderful in the apol-
ogy, except that it was more than the occasion
called for? Yet let it be remembered that Mrs
TlltOn was sick unto death, and that his heart
bled for her and her threatened family. and
that Mr.: Beecher had set himself to bind up
and heal the wounds of the broken family.
And now we can understand another remark
able letter to Moulton, designed to reconcile
and heal the discord which threatened the ruin
OF dearly loved family: "MaHy friends has
God raised up to me, but to no one of them has
he ever given the opportunity and wisdom to
Theodore friend and Elizabeths. Does God
look down from Heaven on three unhappier
creatures that more need friend than these?
Is it not an intimation of Gods intent of mer-
ccy to ALL that each one cf these has in you a
tried and proved friend? But only in YOU are
we thus united. Would to God, Who orders ali
hearts, that, by his kind mediation, Theodore
Elizabeth and could be made friends again.
Theodore will have the hardest task in such a
case; but has he not proved himself capable of
the noblest things? wonder if Elizabeth
knows how generously he has carried himself
towards me? Of course 1 can never speak
with her again, without his permission, and
do not know that even then it would be best y
that is, in order that there may be no further
complaints from Mrs. Tilton concerning her
husband. -
In view of this, Mr.. Til.on wrote to Mr..
MoultOn:
"My Dear Friend:-In several conversations
with you you have asked about my feelings to-
ward MI Beecher, and yesterday you said the
time had come when you would like to receive
I - >PASS'iOA, VI Wis hiho Al WIitiHSs
! say, therefore, very cheerfully, notwithstand-
ing the great suffering which he has caused to
Elizabeth and myself, bear him no malice,
shall do him no wrong, shall discountenance
every project (by whomsoever proposed )for any
exposure OF his secret to the public, and (if
know myself at all) shall endeavor to act to-
ward Mr.. Beecher as l would have him, in SIM
liar circumstances, act toward me. ought to
add that your good offices in this case have led
me to higher moral feeling than 1 might 9th
erwise have reached"
That the matter had to do with the Bowen
trouble, and not adultery, vile lie afterwards
trumped up. is evident from Mr.. Tilton's own
words in the cross-examination. He says in
referring to meeting Mr.. Beecher at the house
of Mr.. Moulton: HE (Mr. Beecher) burst out
in an expression of great sorrow to me, and
said that he hoped the communication which
he had sent to me by Mr.. Moulton was satis-
factory to me. He then and there told Mr.
Moulton that he had done wrong, not so much
as some others had (referring to bis wife, who
had made statements to Mr.. Bowen that ought
to be unmade,) and he there volunteered to
write aletter to Mr.. Bowen concerning the
facts which he had mlsstated." Let any one
read these letters in view of the real facts of
the case and of Theodore's own statement,
and he will perceive that adultery had nothing
10 do with the matter.