The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-19

The three great disasters over which
the north is grieving just now are the
destructive CONGREGATIONS In Chicago,
the dam bursting in Massachusetts, and
'rilton. The first Of these has struck
down with u mighty blow the wonder
ful energies of one of their most PROS
porous cities, and brought fear
and trembling among Che mon
ey bags of Wall street; the see
ond has lald waste some of the fair
est fields of the sell-thought "chosen
seed of Adams race" anu the third
has brought CONSERVATION and terror
to the minds of the upper-ten saints of
that devout region, rs it threatens to
tear their great light, Beecher down
from his pedestal of demi-godism and
expose him in the market place with
all the stains of common humanity
upon him. We know that in APP
preaching this suhject--the Beecher-
'rilton scandal--we are leading upon
ground on which journalists generally
decline to enter. We are fully aware
of the disgusting loathsomeness of the
whole case. But as it is one of he
subjects that Is claiming the largest
measure of attention from the metro
politan press, we would perhaps be
derelict not to keep our readers posted
ON its various phases.
We propose only tosketch briefly the
history of the case, and to show the
various stages through which it has
passed, and the condition In which II
now stands.
BE IL remembered, then, that some
thing more than two years ago Mrs.
Woodruff, the female Brigham Young
of America, and the bosom friend of
both Beecher and Tilton, felt moved
by the spirit to publish n long, circum-
stantial and filthy account of the rela-
tions existing between the Rev. Henry
and Mrs. Tilton, showing that Beecher
had wronged his trusting friend in a
way that there is no pardon nor for
giveness for. The people of New York
and Brooklyn were Mortified by the
shamelessness of the exposure, turned
.
from it with righteous indignation,
threw the authorof it into prison on the
charge of sending obscene matter
through the mail, and at the
same time paid MS high as
five dollars for n single copy of
the paper, so as to gloat over the de-
tails on the sly. To this publication
Beecher made II brief and dgniiied re-
ply, denying in general and in particu-
lar all the allegations therein con-
tanned. Efforts Were made to get from
Tilton some disclaimer of the truth of
the statements made by Mrs. Wood
hull, but without avail; he maintained
u studied silence.
This position of Tilton, being quasi
endorsement of Woodhulps statement,
raised the ire of the high cockalorums
of Beecher's church, who maintained
that Tilton ought TO make the small
sacrifice of his manhood and truth, to
keep immaculate hegarments of their
great preacher Hunting around for
some cause on which to proceed against
him, they suddenly recollected that he,
Tilton, had for years absented himself
from the ordinances of the church; in
fact that he had ceased to attend upop
Beechers ministry about the time of
the offence alleged to have been COM
mitted against him, and they, there
fore, organized council and sum-
moned Tilton before it for trial on the
charge of neglecting his church duties.
rilton replied to the summons by stat
ing that he had dissolved his connec.
ton with Plymouth church years be-
fore; that he did not recognize their
over him, and that they
might all politely go to-the residence
Of his satanic majesty. The council
nevertheless proceeded to take cogni-
lance of the case, and in their judy
nent pronounced the thunders of the
'hurch against the stubborn offender.
All this was not sufficient to goad Til
on into n defense of himself. He still
emained quiet.
Then the Rev. DR.. Bacon, ex-presi-
ent of the council, published letter
everely denunciatory Of Tilton, maxi