Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-06-26
THE BEECHER SCANDAL.
Theodore TfltOn's Latest U.eftey

In yesterdays STAR we published an abstrac
by telegraph OF the letter written by Theodor,
Tilton to Rev. Leonard Bacon, moderator O
the Congregational council recently held IN
brooklyn, in reply to certain misrepresenta
Tons, whlch he says were Intentionally m ade b,
that gentleman on his character In his address
az New haven on the Brooklyn council. TX
explain the situation more fully we print below
TIE following resume of the most materia
points in the letter referred to- MIR. Tilton set.
out by saying:
flymouth Church, and had become meauwhile
an intimate friend of the pastor, knowle Toe
came to me in 1870 that ks had committei
against me an offence which I forbear to name
Ir , Unafsesesze: Prompted by my self-respect
anee on his ministry. informed him of this
ueterminatlon as early as January, 1871, in the
pIesence Of a mutual friend, Mr.. Francis d.
Mouiton. The rules OF Plymouth Church
aforded me choice between two methods OF
retire ment-one, to ask q formal letter of dis
mssal the other, to dismiss myself less for maIly
by prolonged absence. L chose the latter. At
length after many calumnicus whisperings, a
weekly paper in New York in November,
1872, published wicked and horrible scandal
church ignorantly attributed in its origin
and animus to me; whereas I had pre-
slonsiy spent many months in constant
In August, ISIS Mr. William f. . ws s1ppaes msm.
Der OF Plymouth church, hitherto q stranger to
me, came to my residence accompanied lat his
re9uest) by my friend, Mr.. F. b. Carpenter, and
otq me that when the summer vacation was
chur6e lMr; West) meant to cite nae before the
against9n the charge Of circulating scandals
presence fRastor, declaring in Mr.. Carpenters
reported scanNr. Beecher had acted as il the
false, and ureifspe tales were true rather than
the Truth to go fofet owed it to myself and
witness in an inyeetig4 and become q willing
clined to join Mr.. West Y. peremptorily de-
and at their urgent desire, re- acknowledge
accept q copy OF the charges add, declining 70
member, on the ground that hsdd to me as
church. Next, growing out of the church = the
gular proceedings in this case, came the CD
gTegati0nal Council.
the following startling paragraph appeared In
the Brooklyn Union of Saturday, March %, 1874:
NIB. sHRARMAN ON THE SITUATION.
AT the close OF the ser vices Union reporter
approached Mr.. Beecher for the purpose OF get
ng his views as to the Council, but he declined
TO he interviewed MIR. Sherman, the clerk Of
Ihe CT urch, however, was communicative. He
said he had received 10 intimation as vet what
course the Council would pursue. In regard to
the scandal on Mr.. Beecher he said SO far as
Triton was concerned he (Tilton) was out of his
mind, OF his balance, and did not act ressOsa
ply. AS for Mrs. Tilton, she had oecasioned the
whole trouble while in q half-craZed condition
She had mediumistic fits, and while under the
strange power that possessed her often spoke Of
The most incredible things, declared things pos
sible that were impossible, and among the rest
had slandered MIR. Beecher. Mr.. TIltOn himself
toid him In her mediumistic trance were false
and impossible; then why, asked Mr.. Shear.
man, should the scandal on Mr.: Beecher be the
cnly u ruth In her crazy Words"
The above named calumny which Mr.. T. G..
SheeImen retracted is but one OF several simi-
lar falsehoots against my wife and myself
which have been fostered by interested parties
to explain the action Of Plymouth church;
faisehoode which IN some instances have been
corrected in the same way, and which In Others
sun await to be corrected either in this way or
You ask, when did MIR. Tilton cease to be
responsible to the Plymouth Church?, L an
swer that first ceased my responsibility to that
church when L terminated my membership four
years ago. afterwards re bewed nv RESPONSE
bility TO Plymouth Church. as will appear by
the following correspondence:
Rer. Henry Ward Beecher, Pastor Of P,yr,o.ts
CHURCH; Rec. s. b. Halliday, associate Pastor,
ard Hr. Thomas G.. SAedrmIn, Clerk.
GKNTLsMgE: 1 address through you, to the
church OF which you are Officers, the folio wing
stare ment, which you are at liberty to commu-
n!cate TO the church through the examining
public.
The Rev. Lenord Bacon, d. d., LII d., mod
orator OF the recent Congregational Council,
has seen tt, since the aGjournme Mt of that BODY
10 proclaim, publish aud reiterate with sigma
emphasis and With the weight OF something like
efheial authority, grave declaration which ]
ait was for the Plymouth Church, he saws,
TO indicate its pastor against q damaging i'm
putatiCn from one OF its members. But with
great alacrity-the pastor himself consenting-
It threw sy the Opportunity of vindicatiofs.n
This declaration. SO emphatically repeated
by the chief mouth piece Of the Council, and
ru. ioIh ~ him apparently a. an exposition Of
Ialty 10 the controversy, TO choose between two
alternatives. One OF these is to remain oon-
tentedly In the dishonorabls position of a man
VINO oenies TO his former pastor an opportunity
Tor the vlndication OF that pastors character
an ofense the more heinous because an unsul-
.e0 character and reputation are requisite to his
sacred ofhce. The other alternative is for me to
restore TO bis church their lost opportunity for
nus indication by presenting myself voluntarily
ior the same trial to which the church would
nave power to summon me il were q mem
Der-a suggestion which Judging from my past
experfence) will subject me Afresh to the un-
just imputation Of reyiving a scandal for the
suppression Of which 1 have made more escri-
noes than all other persons. Between these two
alternatives, which are all that the moderator
leaves to me, and which are both equally re.
rhugnsnt 70 my feelings, duty requires me to
authorize you Qf such be your pleasure) to
cite me at any time within the next thirty days
trial on the charge heretofore made against me.
namely, that OF "circulating and promotins
scandals derogatory to the christian integrity Of
the pastor and injurious to the reputation Of the
My only stipulation concerning the trial is that
IT shall not be held with closed DOORS nor in the
absence nS OF the pastor. -
TO the above communication l received the
following reply from the clerk Of the church:
BROOKLYN, May 10, 1874.
DEAR SlR:-Your note OF the 4th instant, in
closing letter addressed to Mr.. Beecher, Mr.
Halliday, and myself, was duly received.
Ihis letter has been read by Mr.. Halliday,
with whose concurrence 1t has been submitted
10 the examining committee, and we all deem
It's contents to present question which should
be decided by that committee, and which should
not be submitted TO the pastor Of the church, to
whom, therefore, the letter has not been shown,
though he has been advised Of its substance,
Having consulted the members OF the commit
zee, am informed BY them that they see no
reason for accepting your proposition, or even
for laying 1t before the church.
Yours, truly. THOMAS G. SHRARMAN.
Mr.. Theodore TSlton.
1t now remains for me to give Won some
reasons why have been prompted, after years
OF redcence, to lay before you the grave matters
contained In this communication
The church, at Q public meeting, on Frid AZ
evening, October 81, 1873, by an onhcial docu-
ment which was published the next morning in
every leading journal In New York, gave the
public falsely TO understand that 1 had becn
cited to answer charges, when had really been
requested not to answer them. Mr.. Beecher's
Journal, the Christian Union, published this
omcial falsehood to Q vide circle Of readers
and took no notice Of the correction which IL
addressed at the time in Q brief note to the
council. During the council, and when there
seemed o probability that Plymouth church