The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-07-22
The Beginning Of the End.
Triton CONCLUDES TO DROP .JUD

|
TLToN CONCLUDES TO DROP fJUDI-
| c1oUs HErIcENcE" AND TELL Us
ALL lie KNOWS.
NEW YoRK. July 13.-Mr. Beech
cr s letter to the committee Of six
church members requesting them to
investigate his character, against
Mr.. Tilton's aHusion to an offence
and apology in his Bacon letter, has
elected the following in reply by
Mr.. Tilton. It Is addressed as Mr..
Beechers was to the committee,
Brooklyn:
JULY 13, 1874.-To the Investi-
eating Committee-Gents: When
on Friday last | met you at your
invitation, the appointment of your
committee had not then been made
known to the public. You sat in a
private capacity. Moreover, one of
| your legal advisers had previously
given me hope that if on my APP
pearance before you l could pre-
serve
A JUDICIoUs RETIcENcE
concerning the worst aspects of the
case I might thereby facilitate
through you such moderate public
presentation of Mr.. Beecher's of.
fence and apology as would close
rather than prolong the existing
scandal. | rejoiced in this hope
and promptly reciprecated the kind
/ ly feeling which was reported to me
as shared by you all toward myself
and family. Accordingly when /
met you in conference, my brief
statement was in substance the two
following points,
1. That my letter to DR.. Bacon
was written not as an act of aggres-
sion, but Of self-defenee, arising.
as therein set forth. from the great
and grevous provocation by your
pastor. your church, the Brooklyn
| council and the ex-AIoderator' 5 crit
icisms on my supposed conduct,
all uniting to defame me before the
world and toinfict upon me an unjust
punishment for acts done by an
other.
2. That having by that letter de
Tended myself SO far as I thought
the occasion required me to carry
my reply, felt unwilling to proceed
further against Mr.. Beecher without
further public provocation or other
necessity. Such . necessity is now
laid upon me by MIR. Beeeher him
self in the provoeation of direct re-
quest by him to you to inquire Of
ficially into his character as affected
by his offence and apology to which
I referred. He thus offered to me a
direct challenge not only before your
committee, but before the public
which I hereby accept. / therefore
give you notice that / shall prepare
A FULL AND DETAILED STATEMENT,
in accordance with the terms Of your
committees invitation to me to fur
nlsh such facts as are within my
knowledge, touching matters which
compromise the character of Rev.
| Henry Ward Beecher. I shall be
ready to lay this before you within a
week or ten days, or as soon there
after as / shall find myself able to
set the numerous facts and eviden-
ces in such strict array as that / can
cover them. each and all, with my
oath to their exact truth, sworn be-
fore q magistrate. await the ap-
| pointment by you Of . day mutually
convenient for my presentation OF
| this statement in person before your
committee. Meanwhile ! shall make
public my present note to you. be-
cause Mr.. Beechers letter. to which
this is & preliminary response, has
been made public By him. With great
respect. / am truly yours,
THEODORE TILToN.
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