The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-27
Beeohol's Tryinr ordeal,

HHr. BRECnRR Is guilty he has Ger.
tainly eyinced q wonderful amount Of
SelEcommand and courage in the way in
which ho has controlled himself up to this
time. Indeed, whether innocent or guilty,
he has manifested these qualities to a
striking degree. AS the Springfield Re.
publican very truly observes, he has
upon any theory, shown in these last
years, and especially in these last months,
q force, nerve, q quality OF 'selt.controi
that are almost without o parallel. With
this constant anxiety at his heart, he has
been more intellectually active, versatile,
brilliant, than In any happier period Of his
life. II he had only carried this splen.
did courage OF the platform into the rela.
tons Of his private lie, there 10 every
reason to believe that Mr.. Tilton's state
ment would not now be under the eyes
Of the American public and on its way
across the Atlantic. But he lacked the
courage or the perception OF his oppor-
tunity, He allowed his next friends to
go on defending him by making out
Mr.. Tilton all that Is vile and base. He
put himself In the apparent attitude Of
conniving at this VindictiVe warfare.
There could be but one result to all this,
It seems inconceivAble that no could have
been blind to It."
The remarks Of the Republican in re.
gard to Mr.. BEscuER's having failed to
control his friends seem to US to evince a
lack Of appreciation Of his probable cir.
cumstances. How could he control DR..
BACON and 80 many other people, preach.
ers and others, who were bound to express
themselves without subjectlng himself to
their susplcion2 In T1IToN's expose he
Is represented as depicting to friend the
difficult role he had play. His language,
according TO Mr.. Tilton, was as tollwosl
"No man can see the difficulties that
environ me unlees he stands where do.
To say that Ihave q church on my hands
Is simple enough; but TO have the hun
dreds and thousands Of men pressing me
each one with his keen suspicion, or anx.
iety, or zeal; to see the tendencies which,
II not stopped, would break out into
ruinouS defense OF me; to stop them
without seeming to do 1t; to prevent any
one questioning me; to meet and allsy
prejudices against T. which had their be.
ginnings years before; to keep serene as
II / was not alarmed or disturbed; to be
cheerful at home and among friends when
I was suffering the torments Of the
damned; to pass sleepless nights often,
and yet to come up fresh and fair for
Sunday; all this may be talked about, but
the real thing cannot be understood from
the outside, or its wearing and grinding
on the nervous system"
Whether Mr.. BEEcHER ever wrote the
above or not we may well fancy 1t to be,
il he is guilty. q faithful photograph Of
the trying ordeal through which he has
passed and is passing. No man waiting
for a verdict that involved his lie could
be more dreadlully worked up. Who Of
US can have the slightest conception Of the
awful torture that must haunt the man,
if guilty, day and night? And il not
guilty-guilty Of something that he. at
least, esteems serious-why does he not
let the truth come outH As the Troy
Rhig puts 1t:
"If Mr.. Beecher is innocent
OF the guilt imputed to him by Mr.. Tilton
there Is one clear, sensible way to relieve
the public mind at once. Let MIR. Fran
els D. Moulton brand Tilton's statement a
falsehood and his documents in evidence
forgerles. II Mr.. Tilton had falsifed the
facts indeed there was no excuse for Dir.
Moulton's withholding his denial sin.
gle hour. It YVES too important to be de-
lsyed. Mr.. Bsecher's plea that Mr.. Tilton
has hitherto told a different story
Of his wrongs is perfectly true. he
has done go. But his motive is easily
understood in the light OF his first at
tempt to save the good name Of his wife
and children. But the attempt Is now
evidently to be made 10 use this natural
subtertuge against him. Well, 1t Is a
bad business fight for lie or death.
But he who finally falls in this battle
will fall lower than any man Of the pres
ent generation. ...... ~
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