Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-10

difficulties could be settled without such papers.
and that Mr.. Beecher ought 10 give up the one he
had. He (MOultonl made no threats but dis
PLAYED q pistol and laid II on the bureau near
which he stood. The paper was given up.
Mr.. Beecher saw the peril Of being even falsely
accused. While IN a morbid state of mind pro-
duCed by these distressing difficulties NoulTo1
again called on him, and. though his manner was
kind and conciliatOTy, pro1essed 10 believe that
Mr. Beecher had been seeking Mr. TiltOn's down
fall: had leagIed with Mr.. Bowen against him.
Mr.. Beecher expressed many regrets AZ the mis-
fortunes of Mr. Tilton' : family. and Mr.. MoultOn
caught up some OF these expressions and wrote
them down saving that il Tilton could see them
there would be no trouble in procuring recon
citation. This paper which i dated Jan /
1871. was intrusIed by Mr.. Beecher TO Noulrons
keeping. without reading il. nor was i read TO
him. This paper. sometimes called the apollo
gy.-' and sometimes the confession i in no
proper sense Mr.. Beecher> production or . cor
rect report of what he said. No man Will be-
lieve for instance. thai BeeCher said: - hum
bic myself before him (Tiltonl Is I Go before my
God" Another sentence: Her forgiveness I
have Mr.. Beecher states IL was not il, nor the
semblance of it.
The committee now proceed 10 show from the
evidence before them that the original charge was
improper advances. and that as time passed and
the conspiracy deepened II was enlarged into
adultery. The statement thar the charge in the
first instance was adultery and thar Mrs. Tiltons
original confession 10 that effect. * denied
bv Mr.. Beecher and Mrs Tilton. The statement
that Mr.. Beecher confessed the TACT OF adultery IS
also denied. and such alleged confession i IncOn-
sistent with Mrs. Tiltons written retractiOn
given TO Mr.. Beecher. II Mr.. Beecher had already
confessed 10 the charge of adultery. what service
could the TetractiOn do him. and why procure one
at all: The TetraCtiOu procured referred 10 i'm
proper advances and nothing else. Is il likely,
if the main ofense had been charged. Mr.. Beecher
would have been satisfied with anything short of
q reJraction of that:
The committee say further on this point that
Mr.. Tilton in the last four years has many times
said. verbally and in writing, that the charge was
the lesser ofense. This i important under the
rule that where a complainant has made different
ana IconSls tent SIatSt:eiIte % an oLtll>e WILCn
he alleges. his credIblllty Is damaged. andsIn
most cases destroyed. In manuscript prepared
by Mr.. TiltOn which he called the true story
and which he was in the habit OF reading TO
newspaper men. personal friends. and to Others.
without. it would seem. much discrimination.
considering how anxious he protested himself 10
be not TO make known his secret. the otense was
stated to be improper advances. The further TACT
that TilJon treated the matter during four years
as an Offense which could be properly apoIOglZed
for and forgiven Is wholly inconsistent with the
charge in It's present form. Mr.. Tilton. in his
written statement. complains that Mr.. Beecher
abused his clifton - forgiveness 1t is believed
that no of adultery on record can be pro-
duced where an injured husband upon learning
of his wife intidelity. kept the fact TO himself
for six months and then, after private complaint
to the offending party, received ana accepted an
apology for the offenSe and declared it forgiven.
and this followed by a restoration of courtesies
ana of friendship. That the so-called apol-
oGy was not for the main ofense OF adultery
the committee say Tilton clearly proves in
his CrOsS-eXaminatiOn when he states that
the day after the apology was procured,
when he met Mr.. Beecher at Mr.. MOultOn's room,
he (Beecher) burst out in expression of great
sorrow to me and said he hoped the communica-
ton which he had sent me by by Mr.. Moulton
was satisfactory to He then ana there
told Mr.. Moulton he had done wrong, but not so
much as some others had-reterring to his wife,
who had made statements TO Mr.. Bowen that
ought TO be unmade-and he there volunteered 10
write a letter TO Mr. Bowen correcting the facts
which he had miSstared. Here, say the commit
tee, is clear light as TO what the apology does not
refer to. 1t disposeS Of the apology forever as
paper referring TO adultery. II refers to nothing
Of the kind. If the wrong done to which Nh.
Beecher refers was adultery. how could these
words be used in reference to it: - He had done
wrong, not so much as some others:' Those
words and the apology are susceptible of but one
construction-uhey refer, as Mr. Beechcr says, TO
his deep regret for statements which he
and his wife had, under certain informa-
ton, few days before made TO Mr.. Bowen
which led him to execute purpose already en-
tertMned of removing Tilton from the Brook yn
Union and the IndeD6Hdent. 1t appears also that
the next day Mr.. Beecher did write letter to
Mr.. Bowen, which Tilton says he volunteered to
write, and which is referred to in TiltOns bust
ness troubles with Bowen. Next consider Moul-
tons course with view of still further testing
what was in his mind, we'll as in TitOn's.
to the character of the offense If Moulton
derstood the charge to be adultery, then he is en-
titled to the credit of invention or discovery that
this crime could be the subject of an apology and
a ready forgiveness or Cancellation the part
of the offender and the injured husband. That
Moulton did not believe or understand that the
offense was adultery is shown by the same class
of evidence that has been stated in reference to
TiltOn.
In reply to Mr.. Beecher's letter of June 1. 1873,
in which he says his mind was clear and that he
should write, for the public a statement that
would bear the light of the judgment day Mr..
Moulton first wrote these words: : If the truth
must be spoken, let it be. know you can stand
if the whole case published tomorrow"
Apparently fearing this might rather tend TO de-
termine Mr.. Beecher to publish the whole case
than otherwise, he crossed out these and other
lines with a pencil and commenced anew. In
this effort the same paper these words
occur: :. You can stand if the whole case were
published Tomorrow
The committee say MoultOn was right in this
statement. and that the pity is that Mr.. Beecher
did not publish such statement at once.
The committee here state their conclusion that.
view Of the facts and circumstances before
them. the original charge of impure advances
was false, though it had been dropped by the
cusers and adultery had been substituted as an
aiterthought. Tine committee brand this perform
anCe a fraud that ought to end all controversy
as to the innocence of Mr.. Beecher.
Mr.. Beecher believed that for reasons of malice
and revenge Mr.. Tilton was preparing to make
deadly assault upon him, and it was his supreme
duty to prevent it by all possible honorable
means. MOUltOn professed to deDrecate TiltOn's
purpose and declared if Mr.. Beecher would trust
him he could and would prevent it, and so now
began series of letters and steps under the di-
rcction and advice of the diplomatic and mutual
friend, having for their object, as Mr.. Beecher be-
lieved, the suppression of the scandal and the
restoration in some measure, if practicable, of
lllIOl 10 Il position OF CllplONIn6uI.
Speaking of Mr.. Beecher's letters the commit
tee say much has been said, and not without
some justice. of their extraordinary words and
enOr but in interpreting the letters it must be
remembered that Mr.. Beecher. under the excite
ment of deep feeling. uses strong words and emo
tiOnal expressions and that, in this sore trouble,
he was dealing with Mr.. Tilton. who had shown
himself at times tickle, malicious, revengeful and
mercenarv In the light of these facts there is
not a letter from Mr.. Beecher nor an act OF his.
however llEjudged. through these four years of
Tf.rr- = HI ri
upon the plain theory that he was fighting to sup
press outrageous scandal which consisted of
false accusation against him, made by a reputa-
Die woman; and further. that he was endeavorlng
to help 4 man whom he felt he had undulv injured
in business matters upon representations which
he was made to believe, chiefly by Moulton, were
not well founded.
The committee here alluded TO the fact that
Mrs. TitOn. as her domestic troubles came on. be-
gan to look more than ever TO her pastor for sym
pathY and advice. and consider II not unlikely
that her feelings toward Mr.. Beecher became so
strong TO diminish the proper influence that
belongs to every good husband.
The committee express regret at two errors
into which il is apparent Mr.. Beecher fell. They
feel that in his threatened troubles the pastor
should have sought counsel from Christian men
OF his own brotherhood rather than rely upon
the counsel of a man of whom he knew so little.
and whose character, a. the sequel proved, he so
sadly misiUdged They also think that in view
of tFe surrounding circumstances Mr.. Beecher
guarding so closely his relations
with re family of Mr.. Tilton that there could
he no possibility for fear in his own mind
even of an undue affection by Mrs Tilton for him
through any needless friendship agency of his.
The committee allude TO Mr.. Tilton's statement
before them that his home was one OF unusual
harmony. and say that on his cross-cxamination
ii clearly appears that it was anything but happy
or harmonious home. They then cite Mrs. Tilt0ns
evidence on this point and say her account Of the
domestic misery in the Tflton family i cOrrObO-
rated by the testimony OF several witnesses. and
very fully bv Miss Elizabeth 4. Turner. who is
now twentv-three wears Of age and was an inmate
of the family eight years.
The committee then ask: viii innocent men.