The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-07-02
THE REEcHER,r1IroH SCANDAL.

The story of Henry Ward Beecher's guilt,
so terribly confirmed by the letter in the
Golden Age, will fill the whole country with
unspeakable grief. Prepared as We were, by
many months OF hints and insinuation, the
truth, as revealed by Mr.. Tilton, Is neverthe-
less too rank to be expected by any one.
There can 70 longer lie any doubt as to the
substantial correctness of the Woodhulls
scandal. The cry of agonizing confession
Il will plead for myself. even wish were
dead"-proves it beyond a con trOversy:
But the original sin was comparatively
small matter. 1t was the after-crimes Of
prevarication and falsehOOd, to save HIM
sell. of SANDER and insinuatiOn to lnJure Ill
ton, finally of an attempt to rid the country
of the witnesses against him. that will do
most for Beecher's hurt. 1t is the moral
depravitv that four years of persistent and
suJerlatively wicked deceit must indicate
that will shock his admirers more than all
the rest. Such turpitude in man who
has stood 80 high, who has breathed 80 many
glowing words Of truth, will be hard to be-
lieve in. But it seems it does exist.
And now, although it hardly seems Deces-
sarr, the formal trial and conviction must
come. Mr. Beecher must atone the Offend
ed law. Ii lie does it like a man, confessing
openly his fault and striving earnestly for a
reformation, there are those who Will still
aid him. Iii he does not, then is he fallen
forevcr-Uicago Post and Mall
What new phase OF this scandal does Ill
TONS letter develop, that should cause the
Pos. and Nail to take the matter 80 seriously
to heart? Ever since Mrs Woodruff laid
this matter before the public, in all its de-
tails, nearly two years ago, We had supposed
that the thinking people OF the country
were, with but very few exceptions, fully
convinced that Mr. Beecher and Mrs. Tilton
had habitually tempered with the seventh
commandment, during period OF ten years
or more, and il seems, also, 10 have been
conceded by common consent, that the mat
ter was one to he settled by the Beechers
and Tiltons among themselves and was
none Of the public's business. But now, after
the lapse Of so long a time-after the matter
had quoted down, and to a great extent
Withdrawn itself from before the public-it
is impossible for us to conceive OF provo
cation sufficiently strong to cause Mr.. Tilton
to @bust out" again, in the same old place,
for certainly, of all the men in the world,
Theodore Tilton should he the last to feel
like dragging this affair again before the
public.
After the relations which had 50 long eN-
listed between Mrs Tilton and her pastor be-
came known 10 her husband and the church,
Mr.. Beecher wrote to Mr.. Tilton, in spirit
of the deepest humility, confessed his wrong,
and asked forgiveness ur. Tilton accepted
the letter in the sDirit 10 which it was writ
ten and granted &C. parsnn aSkra md then
permitted Mrs. wCoIhai s..,., statement
had been made upon his authority-tO lie in
Jail under 4 charge OF libel, rather than ap-
pear and testify against Mr.. Beecher. Now,
three wears after he had forgiven the ofiense,
he comes before the public, retracts this for
giveness, and violates the sanctity OF 50
sacred correspondence, for the miserable
purpose, in his own words, of showing that
Mr.. Beecher is "the creature" ef his mag
nanimity,' and not he Of Mr.. Beecher's
''magnanimity," this exasperating imputa-
ton having been put upon him, he it OBJ
served, not by Mr.. Beecher at all, but by
the Rev. Or. Bacon and other eminent
divines, who seems to have no other aim or
object in life than the weaving of net
wherewith to capture and destroy Henry
Ward Beecher.
Eut there is much to be said in paliation
of Mr.. Tilton's conduct. While his course
seems TO us imprudent in the extreme, it
must be remembered that surrounded by
such circumstances As have surrounded him
for the past three years, he is liable to be
driven to acts of indiscretion and rashness
that he would not otherwise commit.
We are Of the opinion that the people Of
the country will continue to treat this affair
Just as they have treated it thus far-the
supplemented will not believe it, while
those who are better acquainted with the
WAYS of the world and understand human
nature, without doubling its truth, will SIM
PLY say "what OF it,"