Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-08-01

Beecher's apology as having been
written because he had offended |
Tilton by engaging his wife in the |
project of a separation from her
husband, is false, and will be seen
by the following letter written on
" three days after the date of the
apology:
MRS. T1LToN TO MR. MoULToN.
No. 147 I1v1xesTON STREET. BROOKLYN,
Jan. 4. 1871.
Mr. FRANCIS D. MoULToS:
Ny DEAR FRIEND: In regard to
your question whether L have ever
sought a separation from my hus-
band, l Indignantly deny tftot such
uas euer tho tact. as have denied
il a hundred times before. The sto-
nv that wanted q separation was a
deliberate falsehood, coined by my
moor mother, who said she would
! bear the responsibility of this and of
other statements she might make,
and communicated to my husbands
enemy, Mrs. IT. W. Beecher, and by
her communicated to Mr.. Bowen. I
feel outraged by the whole proceed
ing, and am now suffering in conse-
quenee more than l am able to bear.
am yours, very truly.
ELIZABETH R. TnroN.
XIX. That during the first week in
January, 1871, few days after the
apology was written, Beecher COM
municated to Tilton through Moul-
ton, an earnest wish that he Mr..
Tilton) would take his family to
Europe and reside there for a term
of years, at Beeeher's expense. Simi-
lar offers have since been repeated
by Beeeher to Tilton, through the
same channel. A message of kin
dred tenor was brought from Beech
er to Tlton, last Summer, by F. B.
Carpenter, as will appear from the
following affidavit:
HOMER, n. Y. July IS, 1874
On Sunday, June, l, 1873, two
days after the surruptitious publica-
ton of the tripartite covenant be-
tween 81. W. Beecher, Fl. G. Bowen,
and Theodore Tilton, I walked with
Beecher from Plymouth Church to
the residence of F. D. Moulton, in
Remsen street. On the way to
Moulton's house, Beecher said to
me that if Tilton would stand by
him. he would share his fame, his
| fortune, and everything he posses
ses, with him (Tilton).
FRANCIS B. CARPENTER
Sworn and described before me,
this 18th day of July 1874.
WILLIAM t. H1coK, Notary Public.
Mr.. Carpenter, in communicating
| to Tilton the above afidavits, says
| in a letter accompany it:
81 have no hesitation in giving
the statement, as l understood at
the time that it was for me to re-
peat in substance to you, and did
SO repeat it. 1t was at this inter
view Beecher spoke to me of his
apology to you"
The charge that Tllton ever at
tempted to levy black-mail on
Beecher is false; on the contrary,
Tilton has always resented every at
tempt by Beecher to put him under
pecuniary obligation.
Xxx. Not long after the scandal be-
came public Mrs. Tilton wrote on
slip of paper, and left it on her hus-
bands writing desk the following
words:
'sNow that the exposure has come
nv whole nature revolts to join
with you or standing with you"
Through the influence of Beecher's
friends, the opinion has long been
diligently propagated that the scan
| dal was due to Tilton, and that the
| alleged facts were malicious inven-
tions by him to revenge himself for
supposed and imaginary wrongs
done to him by Beecher. Many
words were spoken from time to
time by Mrs. Tilton to the praise
and eulogy of Beecher, which being
extensively quoted through his con-
gregation, heightened the impression
| that Tilton was Beecher's SANDER,
Mrs. Tilton being herself the author
ity of the statement; in this way
she and one of her relatives, have
been the chief causes of the great
difficulty of suppressing the scandal.
They have had a habit of saying;
clifton believes such and such
things;" and their naming of these
things by way of denial has been a
mischievous way of circulating them
broadcast. In this Tilton has been
made to appear defamer, whereas
he has made every effort in his pow
er to suppress the injurious tales
which he has been charged with |
propagating. On all occasions he
has Systematically referred to his |
wife in terms favorable to her char
acter. Further, Tilton would have
communicated TO the committee the |
facts contained in this statement,
except for the perverse course of |
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and |
Mrs. E. R. Tilton, to degrade and
destroy him In the public estlma-
ton.
XXI. That one evening, about two
weeks after the publication of Til
toms letter to DIR. Bacon, Mrs. Tilton, |
on coming home at late hour, in
formed her husband that she had
been visited at a friends house by a
committee of investigation, and had
given sweeping evidence acquitting
Mr.. Beecher of every charge. This
was the first intimation which Til
ton received that any such commit
tee was then in existence. Further
more, Mrs. Tilton stated that she
had done this by advice of lawyer,
whom Beecher had sent to her, and
who, in advance of her appearing
before the committee, arranged with
her the questions and answers which
were to constitute her testimony in
Beecher's behalf. On the next day,
after giving this untrue testimony
before the committee, she spent ma
ny hours of extreme suffering from
pangs of conscience at having testi-
fed falsely. She expressed to her
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