New-York tribune., 1874-08-22

and gave me the rough draft Of letter which he
wrote and sent to Bowen. which letter is here pro-
duced and marked &C."
BEEcHER TO BOWEN. vv "a, :, ,u
Nv Dv.y NJ, powpN. Since saw you last Tuesday
have reason to think that the only eases OF Witch
spoke to you In regard to MT Tton Were G i,nS 70
have anything said, though 1t was Dut tts M Ws,n '
mind IL matter %oin 80 P%dsment IT. and integrity
Greatly rey. and who has tho means OF forming an
opinion better than any Of u.s. hat ne not trUe
ana s6a thc same is the case with other stories 40
not wish any reply to this. ! thought IL 0nIy due !"
justice sind mat should say 81 "''' H. W. BEEoHER
Mr.. Beecber told me that Mrs. Beecher and HIM
soN without knowing of the confession OF Mrs.
Tilton TO her husband, had been expressing great
svmpathy towards Mrs. rilton, and taking an actve
interest with her against her husband. 1 said =" MIR.
Reecber. want that recantation; have come Tor
itp "Well.n said he, "what shall l do without IL =
! replied. 81 don't know; can tell you what VIII
bappen with itn He asked, "What Will you DO IL l
give it to your answered, II VIII keep "S -, ,
keep the confession. If you act honoraoiy wiz
protect it with my life. as would protect the QUIET
with nv life. Mr. Tilton asked for that CONFESSION
this morning, and said. i will never give IL 10
you you shall not have it from my hands until L
have exhausted every effort for peace" MIR.
which now produce in Mrs. Tilton's handwriting,
marked 3D." as follows:
MRS. TILToNs RECLAMATION.
DECEMBER 80, 1870.
weared with Importantly and weakened by sickness,
gave a letter lncupatlDg my friend Henry ward
Reecher under assurances that that would remove all
difficulties between me aud my husoand Inat ,etlsr e
IVW was in weakened state OF mind regret it, and
call all its statements. -, r
desire to say explicitly Mr. Beecher has never offered
any improper solicitations, but has always treated Inc
IN a manner becoming a Christian aud q gentleman
(Signed) ELIZABETH r. TILToN.
Afterward Mr. Tilton left with me another letter.
dated the same night of the recantation. Dec. &c.
bearing on the same topic, to be kept with the pa
pers, which was in his wife's handwriting. 1t is
here produced and marked "E," as follows
MRS. TILToN's RETRACTION OF HER REcANTATIoN.
DECEMBER 80. 1S7o-Midnight.
MY DEAR HUSBAND: desire To leave with You before
going To seep statement that Mr. Henry Ward Beecher
called upon me this evening asked me II would de-
tes and n replied soemnly t6at would in case the
accuser was any other person than my husband III nc
TO be used by against other accuser except
my husband. This letter was designed 10 vindcae MT
was ready TO give him this letter he said with
pain that my letter in your hands addresseu 10 hiln'
dated 49, had struck him dead and ended his Use
Yon and both are pledged to do our best to avoid
publicity God grant speedy end to all further anx-
ieties Affectionately, (signed) ELIZABETH.
When went home with the recantatiOn. found
TIlton there and showed it to him. He expressed
his surprise and qualification that l should have
been able to get it, and then showed him bow very
foolish it would have been in the morning to have
proceeded augrily against Beecher. / made another
appeal for peace, saying that notwithstanding great
difficulties appeared in the way, If they were
properly dealt with they could be beaten out Of the
way He expressed his willingness and desire for
peace
When saw Beecher made an agreement, at his
request, to go and him on Sunday. Jan. /.
went to his house in accordance with the engage
ment. lie took me into his study, and then told me
again of his great surprise that Elizabeth should
have made the confession of his criminal commerce
with her to her husband without letting him (B.)
know anything about it, making his destruction at
any moment possible, and without warning to him.
He expressed his great grief at this wrong which he
had done as minister, and friend to Theodore. and
at his request took pen and paper and he dictated
to me the following paper, all Of which is in my
handwriting except the words, II have trusted this
to Moulton in confidence" and the signature, which
latter are in Mr. Beechers. 1t is here produced aud
marked "F:'
LETTER OF CONTRITIoN.
BROOKLYN. Jan. l, 1871
In trust uiM F. d. Mouiton.
MY DEAR FRIEND MoULToN: osk through you Theo-
Sm Dr' as do before my Cod He would have been
better man In my circumstances than have been.
other hearts that would ache Will not plead for my
self even wish we're dead; but others must 1--we
will die before anv one but myself shall be mpli-
Gated. All my thoughts are running toward my friends
folded hands She guiltess-snned against; bearag
the ransgression OF another Her iorgveness have,
Of her husband TO forgive me.
have trusted this to Houiton in confidence:
(Sgned) H. W. bEEChEh
This was intrusted to me in confidence, to be
shown only to Tilton, which did. 1t had reference
to no other fact or act than the confession of sexual
intercourse between Beecher and Mrs. Tilton, which
he at that interview confessed. and denied not, but
confessed He also at other interviews subsequently
held between in relation to this unfortunate affair
unqualifedly confessed that he had been guilty of
adultery with Mrs. Titon, and always in spirit of
grief and sorrow at the enormity of the crime he
had committed against Mr.. Tltons family. At such
time he would speak with much feeling of the rela-
ton he had sustained toward them as pastor, spirit
ual adviser and trusted friend His self-condemna-
ton at the ruin he had wrought under such cirCum-
stances was full and complete, and at times he was
80 bowed down with grief in consequence of the
wrong he had done that he threatened to put end
to his life. He also gave to me the letter the first
draft Of which, marked "a" is above given.
in reference to which he said that Bowen had
given it to him; that he had told Bowen that
TiltOn must be crazy to write such letter as
that that he did not understand it, and that Bowen
said to him, will be your friend in this matter"
He then made q statement which Tilton had made
to me at my house of the charge that Bowen had
made to him Tilton). said that Bowen had
been very treacherous toward TiltOn. well to-
ward himself, because he Beecher) had had recon
ciliation with Bowen of which he told me the terms
and that Bowen had never in his (Boecher's) pres.
ence spoken Of or referred to any allegation Of crime
or wrong-doing on his part with any woman what