Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-14

A4g pclSlelcut sell odCfllct- MI. MOuutOu
came TO me isrt as a school mate and
friend Of Mr.. TiltOn determined to rein
seate him. always suspected without re-
gard to my interests, but on farther ac-
quaintanee with me, be under
stood and promised to serve his friend
without doing wrong 10 me. He said he
saw clearly how this was to be done so rs
70 restore peace and harmony TO MIR. Til
tons home and bring a happy end Of all
my misunderstanding. Many things
but / never doubted his professed friend
ship for ME. After friendship had grown
up between us, whatever he wished me to
do did unless II seemed TO me wrong.
My confidence in him was the
in this confusion Of torment
ing perplexities. To him 1 wrote
fully in this troublous time while l felt
that secret Vaccinations were going on
around me and echoes Of the vilest ISLANDERS
concerning me were heard from unexpected
quarters. When some Of my near rela-
lions were set against me and the tale OF
crowd of malicious women hostile to US on
other grounds was borne to my ears, when
had lost the last remnant of faith in The
odoTe or hope for him, when / heard with
unspeakabie remorse that everything had
done to stay his destruction had made mat
tiers worse and worse, and that my attempt
Keep Him from Public Trial
involving such flow Of scandal as has now
been let loose; that he had been used by
him 10 bring up new troubles; that his un-
happy wife was under his dictation signing
Raper and recantations, and know not
What; that, in short, everything was break
ing up, and the destruction from which |
had sought to save the family was likely
to be
EmptIed ON other Families,
the church and the community with infinite
herrors of war for me; that my own limo
eence was buried under heaps and heaps Of
rubbish. and nobody but my prOfeSsed
friend (eyen he) could save us--tO his as
surance that he could still do 80 | gave at
least so iuuch faith as to maintain under
these terrible trials the silence which be
enioined. Not till Mr.. TiltOn attempted
through Frank Carpenter 70 raise money
from my friends and openly assaulted me In
letter TO DR.. Bacon did 1 break thet
silence, save by simple denial Of the
slandrOus TumOrs asaist me year before.
tack from Mr.. TiltOn, / Immediately, with
out consulting MOultOn, called for a thor
Ough investigation with a committee of nv
church. am rot responsible for the de-
Law, the publicity or the details of that III
vestigatiOn. All the points which l have
so long dreaded and have so earnestly
strisen to avoid have come to pass. could |
not further prevent it without a fun sur-
a -rrf1 or,1 h laa he
arrived when l can freely speak in vindica-
ton Of myself. labor
Under Great Disadvantages
in making a statement. Ny memory Of
the status of my mind Is clear and tena-
cious, better than my memory of dates and
details during four troubled years, In all OF
which | have been singularly burdened
with public labor, having established and
conducted the ChYiaiGH Union, delivered !
courses Of lectures, preaching before the
III, illogical seminary Of ] ale College. writ /
ten the life Of Christ. delivered each winter
lyceum lectures in all the North and West.
All these duties with the care OF
az reat church. aud its outlying schools,
and chapels, and miscellaneous business,
which falls upon 4 clergyman more than
any other public man, | have kept in re-
planning actions and letters resulting from
the complex influences apparent al the
time, | find myself in I position where i
know innOceDce
without Being Able 90 Prove It
with detailed explanations. 1 am one up
on whom trouble works, making me OUT
warily silent, but reyeberating in the
chambers Of my soul, and when at length
/ do speak it is pent-up flood, and pOurs
without measure or moderation. inherit
A Tendency Co Sadness
The remains within me of positive hypo-
chOndria. in my father and grandfather,
and in certain moods of reaction, the world
becomes black and see very despairingly.
In / were, in such a mood, To speak As /
feel. should give false cOlOrs and exag-
gerated proportions to everything. With
this manifestation is such a contrast
with the hOpefulneSs and courage which
| experienced in ordinary times that but
those intimate with me would suspect one
so full of oyerfOwing spirit and eager glad
sOmeness 10 have within him a care of
gloom. Some Of my letters to MoultOn re-
| fiecf this morbid feeling. He understood
it and at times earnestly reproved me for
INDUCING it.
| CThiS preliminary statement indicates the
nature and temper of the lengthy narrative
| upon which Mr.. Beecher enters, detailing
! his acquaintance with TiltOn from the first
| time he met him as reporter for the Netg
York ObSerrer. The full narrative would
/ OCCUPY dozen of our. columns, without
| the crlss-examinatiOn, and there is no pos,
/ sibilily Of its coming over the wires tc-
night. We therefore give such points "a
seem to have a bearing on the case that
reach us before We close
TiltOn would often speak in eXtTayagant
terms of his wife's esteem and affection for
me. After began TO visit his house, he
sought TO make il attractive. He urged
me to bring my papers down there, and
use the study to do my writing in, as il
was not pleasant to write 1t the office ofthe
| Independent.
Never by sign or word did Mr.. Tilton coin
plain ofmy visits in his family till after be
began to feel that the Independent would
be taken from him. Nor did he break out
into violence until the evening of his dis
position from blth papers. "The hide
pendent and the Brooklyn URiOH," owned
BIZ Mr.. Bowen.
In no interview which ever took place
between Mrs. TiltOn and myself did any
! tllfg Occult WHICH lOJ have
with perfect prOpriety between a brother
and sister, between a father and child. be-
tween 4 man of honor and the wife of his
dearest friend, nor did anything ever hap
pen which she or | sought TO conceal from
her husband.
Beeeher details how TiltOn's loose enun-
Citations about marriage and flee love in
iured the Independent and alarmed its pro
prietOr Mr.. Bowen. Our report is not con-
nected, but TiltOn seems TO have written a
threatening letter to Beecher Of what he
would do if he was displaced, Beecher pro
CeedS:
II now appears that on the 29th of De
cember. 1870, MIR. JiltOn having learned
THAI l replied 20 his threatening letter, by
expressing such an opinion of him as TO
set Mr.. Bowen finally against hin, and
bring him face to face with immediate ruin,
extorted from his wife, suffering from Sc
we're illness, document in eliminating me,
and prepared an elaborate attack upon
The Meeting af NIOuItOn's-
Oua Tuesday evening Of December,
| 1870. abOut = O'Clock. Francis ID. Mention
called at nv house, and with intense earn
| cSiness said: II wish you 10 80 with me To
see Mr. Tiiton.- | replied that l could
not then. as was just going to my prayer
meeting. With positive manner he sand:
| " - - g,.,,,ahodv else will take