The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-08-27


| adding the terrible exposure of a lawsuit. Will
You implore silence on her part against any in
dignation which she may feel against him-for
the only ray of light and hope in this midnight
gloom is his entire sympathy and cooperation IN
nv behalf!''
Mr.. Mouton here gives statement Of account
of the girls school expenses, and says ali these
Gums paid by Mr.. Beecher and he (Moulton)
forwarded the money to settle them through Mrs
Tilton, sent money directly to the principal of
the school at her request.
Mr.. Mouton SAYS: Mr. Beecher was anxious
to ascertain Mr.. Tiltons feeling toward him, and
to get a statement in writing that would seem to
| free him QBeecher) from imputation thereafter
and letter is given. dated Feb. Z, 1871. from Mr.
Tilton to Mr.. Moulton, in which Mr.. T. writes:
-" / say, therefore. very cheerfuly that, nOtwith-
standing the great suffering he has caused Eliza
beth ana myself bear hlm no malice, snail do
him no wrong. shall discountenance every project
by whomsoever proposed. for any exposure of his
secret to the publici and. if know myself at ALL
shall endeavor to act toward Mr.. Beeeher l
would have him in similar circumstances act to-
ward me-
Mr.. Moulton says he had known Mrs. Tilton
well and had had no suspicious of infdelity on
the part of either her or her husband toward the
other up To the time of the reading of her original
confession. On the 3lst of December 1871 he
received letter from Mrs. Tilton asking that he
bring TO her, that they might be destroyed, her
letters. the one he {Montan) had and the one she
had given Mr. Beecher ut f,is dictatien the even.
ing before. Mr.. NJ did not acccde to this request
because = | had pledged myself to Beecher that
her reraction on the one side and her confession
to Tilton on the other (Which the papers she
refers TO as my letter which you have and the
one ! gave Mr.. BeecherO should not be given up.
but should be held for the protection of either
against the other
a letter is given by Mr.. Moulton. written to
him by Mrs. Tilton Jan. 4. 1871 lbut dated by
mistake 1870. in which she emphatically and in
dignantly denies that she had ever sought sep
araton from her husband The story that
she wanted separation deliberate
fasehood carried by my poor mother who said
she would bear the responsibility of this and
other statements she might make, and communi-
Gated to my husband ) enemy Mrs. ii. W. Beech
er and by her communicated to Mr.. Bowen
Another letter of Mrs. Tilton is also given to
show that the story that she desired separation
| from her husband did not emanate from her, and
was not in accordance with her feelings at that
| time, Jan. I3, 1871.
| Mr.. Moulton says he had as necessary preeau-
tion to the peace Of the family and parties inter
ested interdicted all parties from having com
muncation with each other except husband and
wife, unless that communication was known TO
! him, and the letters sent through him shown
4 to him. Mr.. Tilton and Mr.. Beecher both faith
/ fully complied with their promise in that regard
| 40 far as he knew but on his return from Florida
! in the spring of 1871 MIR. Beechcr placed i'll his
hand the following unsigned letter from Mrs
| Tlton, in her handwriting undated but Marked
in mis- handwriting, = Received March s."
/ s'WEDNEsDAY.
my DEAR FRIEND-Does your heart bound
! toward all as ii used? SO does mine. | am my
self again. did not dare to tell YOU till | was
sure. hut the bird has sung in my heart these
/
never again to leave. Spring has come
Because thought it would gladden. you to know
this, and not to trouble nor embarrass You in any
| way, now write. OF course | should like to
share with you my joy, but wait for the
| beyond, when, dear Frank says, may once 90 to
old Plymouth. will thank the dear Father.
lie did not show this letter to. Mr.. Tilton, or in
| form him of its existence. On the 2lst of April,
| 1871, Mr. Beecher received another letter, un-
| signed, from Mrs. Tilton, saying: AS Mr..
Moulton has returned, will you use your ntu-
ence to have the papers in his possession de
stroyed? My heart blceds night and day at the
injustice Of their existence Mr.. Moulton could
this second letter to Mr.. 1ilton, call Mrs. I. s
attention to it, On the Sd Of May Mr.. Beechcr
! handed him still another letter, unsigned. but in
Mrs. T. handwriting, and reading as follows:
BROOKLYN, y. Y, May 3, 1871.
= Mr.. BEEcHER-My future either for life or
death, would be happier could but feel that you
forgaye, while you forget me III all the sad com
plieations of the past year. My endeavor was TO
| entirely keep from you all suffering, TO bear my
self alone leaving you forever ignorant Oft. Ny
weapons were love, large, untirin@ generosity.
and nest-hiding. That | failed utterly we both
I know but now ask forgiveness"
Mr.. Moulton says the contents of this letter
were so remarkable that quericd within my
own mind whether | ought not to show it TO Til
! ton; but as was assured by Beecher, and verify
/ believed and now believe, that they were unan-
swered by him. thought it best 10 retain il in my
! own possession. as | have done until now; but
from the hour of its reception what remained OF
| faith in Mrs Tiltons character for truth or pro-
priety of conduct was wholly lost and from that
| time forth had no thought care for her repu-
tation, only far as ii affected that OF her chill
dren.
Mr.. Mouton having learned that Mrs. Tilton
| had been making declarations which were sully-
| ing the reputation of her husband, and giving il
| to be understood that her home was not Il happy
one. because of the want of religious sympathy
| between herself and husband. and sometimes
speaking OF her unhappIness without defining
specially the cause thus leaving for the
busy bodies and Intermediates to infer causes OF
unhappiness which she did not state, he called
upon her and cautioned her in this respect and
| subsequently, received letter from her dated
Feb. II, 1872, in which she says that until he had
called her attention to the fact she had not seen
nor felt that whenever in conversing with Others
| to the shadowing of Theodore she became his
| enemy. and that il was her who had hIndered the
| reconciliation more than any one else. She
says: = have not been equal TO the great work
of the past year. l have done much TO cause the
utter misery of those | love best-my mother,
husband, Mr. b., my dear children,
| After the signing of the "tripartite cove
nant." Mr.. Tilton desired the return to him of his
wiles confession to relieve her anxiety az to its
possible falling into wrong hands Mr.. Moulton
| gave up the document. which Mr.. Illton subse.
auently informed him his wife had destroyed. and
! she also confirmed the statement Some Tune ar
ter this Mr.. Moulton learned from Mr.. BeecheI
! that Mrs. Tilton had told him that when she
| made her confession to her husband Of her inf
deity with him (Beecherl her husband had made
a like confession to her of infdelities on his
part with other women. Mr.. Moulton never hav.
1
! made any such confession, although she had
| freely admitted her own transgressions with Mr.
| b. brought the matter to the attention OF Mr.
| Tilton, who promptly denied that he hat
ever made any such confession, or that
his wife claimed that he had. They
then had an interview with Mrs. Tilton
who then, in the presence of Mr.. Moulton alone
acknowledged that she had told Mr.. Beecher that
her husband had made the alleged confession o
infdcliy on his part: Then, in the presence of Mr.
Tilton. imediately afterward, she said she coult
| bovu uud Mr.
lating to this matter, adding: Because 1t ism
true that Theodore made such confession
and didn't state it to Beecher because 1t is no
| true.
The next morning Mr.. Mouton received th'
| following letter from Mrs. Titon. without date
but it after the tripartite covenant:
DEAR FRANoIs-I did tell you two falsehood
| nj your last visit. At first l entirely misunder
stood your question, thinking you had reference
to the interview at your house the day before
but when intellgenty replied to you replied
| falsely / will now put myself on record truth
fully told Mr.. Beecher that. at the time of my
confession, T. had made similar confessions t
me of himself. but no developments as to per
sons. When you then asked for your own salts
faction, Was it soy told my second lie. Afte
YOU had left | said to T., You know
was obliged to lie to Frank ant
suffer as now do, must lie, for it is a physica
impossblity for me to tell the truth: yet d.
think, Francis, had not T.'s angry, troubled face
been before me, would have told you the truth
am perfect coward in his presence, not from
| any fault of his, perhaps but from long years Q
timidity. | implore you, this is side-issue, Il
be careful not to lead me into further temptation
You may show this to I. or Mr.. b. or any one a
an effort made for truth. Wretchedly,
(Signedy ELIZABETH
After the publication on the I'd of November
~ in JToodhuiit CtaHn's Weekly OF the stor.
| of Tilfons and Beecher's conduct in relation Il
Mrs Tilton. Mr.. Mouton was continually asket
if such story was true. and he found it quite diff
fcult in making answer. In some case
he doubted not inquirers supposed he denied tn
truth of the charge, but upon that point he wa
very careful not directly to commit himself
Finding that his silence was working injury L
the cause of the suppression of the scandal h
told Titon that he wished to be authorized by hi
wife to deny it. Soon after he received pape
without date from Mrs. Tilton in which she said
For my husbands sake and my children $,
hereby testify with all my womans soul that
| am innocent of the crime of impure conduct al
legged against me. have been to my husband
true wife in his love. wish to live and die N
early affection for him still burns with its maide
flame, all the more for what he has borne for m
sake, both private and public wrongs. Havin
had the power to strike Others he has forborn
to use it, and allowed himself to be injured IL
stead. bless him every day for his faith III mt
which swerves not, and for standing my cham
pion against all my accusers.
Upon the strength of this paper he then aftel
ward said Mrs. Tilton denied the story:
About the 18th of December, 1872. Mr.. Carper
| ter and DIR. Storrs undertook to look mp the r.
| ports with the intention of advising some publ
statement, or as being concerned in some invest
CATION of the matter, and Mrs. 1llton wrote 10
them the paper bearing that date, as follows:
"DEcEMsER 16, 1872.
formed E%i NV husband n M that Mr.. II. W. Beecher. m
friend and pastor. had solicited me to be wife I
him, together with ali that this implied 81
months afterward my husband felt impelle
nv the circumstances OF conspiracy agains
| ~ in,