Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-07-29

first time in my experience, so that see
clearly my sin. It was, when [ knew that
was loved to suffer it to grow to q passion.
A virtuous woman should check instantly an
absorbing love, but 1t appeared to me in such
q false light that the love | felt and received
could harm no one, not even you. L have be-
lieved untalteringly until o'clock this after
noon, when the heavenly vision dawned upon
me. see now, las never befor, the wrong [ have
done YOU and hasten Immediately to ask YOUR
pardon with penltence so sincere that
hencetoTte, II reason remains, trust me i'm
p]icitly. Oh, my dear Theodore, though your
opinions are not restful or congenlal TO my
soul, yet my own integrity and purity are
sacred and holy things to me. Bless God with
me for Catharlne Gaunt, Tor all sure headings
Of an all-wlse and loving Providence Yes,
now feel quite prepared to renew my mar
| rage VOW with you. to keep it as the Savior
requireth. who looEeth at eye and heart.
| Never before could | bear this when YOU
yearned toward me with true feeling. BE as.
sured OF the tried, purified and restored love.
ELIZABETH.
Mrs. Triton followed the above letter with
these
On, My DEAR HUSBAND: MAY YOU never
need the discipline Of being mlsled by good
women, as l was by good man.
| (No date.) [ would mourn greatly if nv
| life was to be made known to father. His
head would be bowed indeed to the grave.
(No date) Do not think my i'll health is on
account of my sin and it's discovery. MY sins
and life record [ nave carried to nv Savior.
| No, my prO6tratlOn is owing to the suffering
| [ have caused you.
| VA. That about one year after Mrs. Tilton's
confession, and about half year after MIR.
| Don ,fr,> - - I,
G. Woodruff, then total stranger to Titon,
save that he had been presented to her in
company Of friends q few days previous wrote
in The World of Monday, May o. 1871, the
following statement, namely:
know Of one man, public teacher Of emf
nence, who lives IN cOncuDinage with the wife
of another public teacher of almost equal
emnence. All three concur in denouncing
offenses against morality. I shall make it MY
business to analyze some Of these lives.
(Slgned) VICTORIA G. Woodruff.
NEW YORK, May 20, 1871.
On the day of the publication of the above
card in the World, Mr.. Tilton received from
Mrs. Woodruff arequest to call on imperative
| business at her office, and on going thithtr a
copy OF the above card was put into his hand
by Mrs. Woodruff, who said that the parties
referred to therein were Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher and the wife of Theodore Tilton.
| Following this announcement, Mrs. Woodruff
detailed to Mr.. TiltOn, with vehement speech,
| the wicked and injurious story which she pub
lished in the year following. Meanwhile, Til
| ton. desiring to guard against any temptation
| to Mrs. Woodruff to publish the grossly dis
torted version she gave to TiltOn, and which
she afterwards attributed to him, sought, by
many personal services and kindly attentions,
to influence her to such good will toward
himself and family as would remove all
disposition and desire in her to affllct him
with such publication. Tilton's efforts and
association with Mrs. Woodruff ceased in
| April, 1872, and six months afterwards name
ly, November 2, 1872, she published the scan
/ dial which he had labOred to suppress.
Is. That on the third day thereafter Rev
Thos. X. Beecher, of Elmra, n. T., wrote as
| follows:
ELMIRA, Nov Is, 1S72.-Mrs. Woodruff only
carries out Henry's philosophy, against
which 1 recorded my protest twenty years ago
16. That in May, 1878, the publication by
one of Beccher's partners Of a tripartlte coy
enRnt between II. G.. Bowen, H. ". Beecher
and Theodore Tliton. led the press Of the
country to charge that Tilton had committed
against Beecher some helnous wrong, which
Beecher had pardoned, whereas the truth
was the reverse. To remedy this false public
Impression, Moulton requested Beecher to
prepare a suitable card relieving TiltOn of this
injustice. In answer to this request Beeche1
pleaded his emDarra ssnlents, which prevent
ed his saying anything without bringing him.
self under suspicion. TIltOn then proposed
to prepare a card of his own, containing few
| lines from the recently quoted apology. for the
purpose Of showing that Beecher, instead OF
having had occasion to forgive Tilton, had
occasion to be forgiven by him. Bcecher
then wrote a letter to AlOulton, which, on be-
ing shown Hilton. was successful IN appealing
to iltol.'s feelings. Beecher said III it, under
date Sunday morning, June l, 1878
Ny DEAR FRANK: I am determined to
make no more resistance. TheCdOre's tenn
permanent IS such that any further peace, even
| II temporarily earned, would be absolutely
worthless, and render me liable at any hour
or the day TO be obliged to multiply all the
! devices by which We saved ourselves. It is
! only lair he should know that the publication
OF the card which he proposes would leave
him worse off than before. The agreement
| (namely, The Tripartte Covenant) was made
alter my letter through him to you (viz., the
Apology was written. He had had 1t a year
be had abandoned his wife's fault he had
enjoned upon me, with the utmost ea1aest
ness and solemuitv not to betray his wife nor
leave his children tua blight. (Blank) With
| such man as T. T. there is no possible sal.
vation for any that depend upon him. With
| a strong nature, he does not know how tC
govern 1t. (Blank.) There is no use in try
ing further. [ have strong feeling upon
me: and it brings great peace, that [ am
spending my last Sunday. md preaching my
| liSb S0IIlOu.
+! The hopelessness of.spirit which the fore
going letter portrayed on the part OF it's writer
| led Tilton to reconsider the question Of &c
| tending himself at the cost of producing mis-
cry to Beecher, which determination by Tilton
to allow the prevailing calumnies against him.
self to go unanswered, was farther strength
ened by the following note received by him
two days thereafter from the Office of the edl-
tor Of Beecher's journal:
1913 EAST TWELFTH STREET, June 4, 1873
MY DEAR THEODORE May tell you frankly
that when | saw You last you did not seem to
be the noble young man who inspired my
warm affection 50 many years ago. You were
yielding to an act which [ cannot help think
ing would be dishonorable and perfdious,
and although it is easy for me to make every
allowance for the circumstances that had
wrought you to such a frenzy, was dread
fully shocked. Ny dear Theodore, let me, as
an old friend whose heart is wrung by your
terrible suffering and sorrow, tell you that
you were then acting ignobly. and that you
can never have true peace of mind till you
conquer yourself and dismiss all purpose and
thought Of injuring the man who has Wronged
you. OF all promises none are so sacred az
those we make to those who have injured us,
and whom We profess to forgive. You cannot
paint too blackly the wrongs you have.suf
fered. On that point make no plea in abate-