Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-27


munlcatlon with each other except husband and
wife, unless that communication was known TO
him. and the letters sent through him or shown
to him. Mr.. TlltOn and Mr.. Beecher both faith
fully complied with their promise in that regard
so far as he knew, but on his return from Florida
in the spring of 1871 Mr.. Beecher placed in his
hand the following unsigned letter from Mrs.
Iiton. in her handwriting, undated. but marked,
in his handwriting, Received March s.
d" "WEDNESDAY. --.
my DEAR FR1ExD-Does your heart bound
! toward all it used? So does mine. l am my
self again. did not dare to tell you till was
sure but the bird has sung in nv heart these
four wee5<S, and he has COvenanted with me
never again TO leave. Spring has come
because l thought ii would gladden. you to know
this, and not to trouble nor embarrass you in any
way, now write. OF course l should like TO
share with you my JOY, but can wait for the
| beyond, when, dear Frank says, may once go 10
old Plymouth. | will thank the dear Father.
He did not show this letter to Mr.. Tilton, or in
form him of its existence. On the 21st of April
1871, Mr.. Beecher received another letter, IN
signed, from Mrs. Tilton, saying: AS Mr.
Moulton has returned, will you use your lnfu-
ence to have the papers in his possession de-
stroyed? My heart bleeds night and day at the
injustice of their existence Mr. MoultOn could
this second letter to Mr.. TiltOn call Mrs. t.
attention to it. On the Sd of May Mr.. Beecher
handed him still another letter, unsigned, but in
Mrs. It's handwriting, and reading as follows:
BROOKLYN, n. Y, May 3, 1871.
q Mr.. BEECHER-My future, either for life or
death, would be happier could l but feel that you
forgave, while you forget me in all the sad com
plications of the past year. My endeavOr was to
entirely keep from You all suffering, to bear my
self alone, leaving you forever ignorant Oft. MY
weapons were love, large, untiring generosity,
and nest-hiding. That / failed utterly we both
know. but now I ask forgiveness"
Mr. Moulton says the contents of this letter
were so remarkable that = queried within my
own mind whether l ought not to show ii 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 to retain 1t in my
own possession, as / have done until now; but
from the hour Of its reception what remained of
faith in Mrs. TitOn's character for truth or pro
priety of conduct wholly lost, and from that
time forth had no thought or care for her repu-
taton only so far it affected that of her chill
dren.
Mr.. Moulton having learned that Mrs. TiltOn
had been making declarations which were sully-
ing the reputation of her husband, and giving 1t
to be understood that her home not 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
busvbodies 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 a 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 cOnyersing with others
to the shadowing of Theodore she became his
enemy, and that it was her who had hIndered the
! says: | have not been equal to the great work
of the past year. I have done much to cause the
husband Mr.. B., my dear children"
After the signing of the "tripartite cove
nant' Mr.. Tilton desired the return to him of his
Wife's confession. to relieve her anxiety to its
possible falling into wrong hands. Mr.. Moulton
gave up the document, which Mr.. TiltOn subse-
! quently informed him his wife had destroyed and
She also confirmed the statement. Some time af-
ter this Mr.. Moulton learned from Mr. Beecher
| that Mrs. TiltOn had told him that when she
made her confession to her husband of her inn
| deity with him (Beecher) her husband had made
| a lntideltIpS
part with other women. Mr.. Moulton never hav-
ing heard Mrs. I. claim that her husband had
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 had
ever made any such confession, or that
his wife ever claimed that he had. They
then had 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 of
nfdelty on his part. Then in the presence of Mr..
Tilton imediatey afterward she said she could
not have understood Mr.. MoUton's question re-
atipg to this matter, adding: Because it isn't
true that Theodore ever made such confession,
and didn't state it to Beecher because it is not
true"
The next morning Mr.. Moult1h received the
following letter from Mrs. Tilton, without date,
but it was after the tripartite covenant:
DEAR FRANCIs-I did tell you two falsehoods
at 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 | inteligently 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 to
me of himself, but developments as to per
sons. When you then asked for your own salts
faction, Was it so? l told my second lie. After
you had left / said to t., You know
I was obliged to lie to Frank and
now say, rather than make others
suffer as now do, must lie for it is a physical
impossibilitv for me to tell the truth yet / do
think, Francis had not t. g angry, troubled face
been before me, would have told you the truth.
1 am perfect coward in his presence, not from
any fault of his, perhaps but from long years OF
imidity. implore you, as this Is slde-lssue, to
be careful not to lead me into further temptation
You may show this to 7. or Mr.. B. or any one as
(SignedJ "EIIzABETH."
After the publication on the I'd of November,
~. in WO0dhuLEce CEGfin'S Weekly of the story
OF Iliton ana Beechefs concuct IN reIatlon 10
Mrs. TiltOn, Mr.. MOulton was continually asked
if such story was true and he found 1t quite diff
icult in making an answer. In some cases
he doubted not inquircrs supposed he denied the
truth of the charge, but upon that point he was
very careful not directly to commit himself.
Finding that his silence was working injury to
the cause of the suppression of the scandal, he
told Tilton that he wished to be authorized by his
wife to deny it. Soon. after he received q paper
without date from Mrs. TiltOn, in which she said
= For my husbands sake and my childrens L
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 a
early affection for him still burns with its maiden
flame, all the more for what he has borne for my
sake. both private and public wrongs. Having
had the power to strike others, he has fOrborne
to use it. and allowed himself to be injured in
stead / bless him every day for his faith in me,
which swerves not, and for standing my cham
pion against all my accusers."
Upon the strength of this paper he then after
ward said Mrs. TiitOn denied the story.
About the 10Th of December, 1872, Mr.. Carpen-
ter and DR.. Storrs undertook to look up the re-
ports with the intention of advising some public
statement, or as being concerned in some lnyest1-
cation of the matter, and Mrs. Tilton wrote for
them the paper bearing that date, as follows
"DECEMBER 16, 1872
ssIn July. 1870 prompted by my duty, in
formed nv husband that Mr.. II. W. Beecher. my
friend and pastor had solicited me to be wife to
him. together with all that this implied. Six
months afterward my husband felt impelled
by the circumstances of a conspiracy against
part to have an interview with Mr.. Beecher, IN
order that Mr.. B. might know exactly what L had
said to my husband / wrote brief statement,
l have forgotten in what words, which my nus
band showed to Mr. Beecher. Late the the same
evening Mr.. B. came to me, lying very sick at the
time and filed with distress, saying L had
ruined him, and wanting TO know II l meant 10
appear against him. This | certainly dId not
mean to do. and the thought was agonlzlng 10 me.
l then signGI paper which he wrote 70 CIear
him in case of a trial In this instance; as IN
most Others when absorbed by one great interest
or feeling the harmony OF my nina was eHtIS!!y
disturbed, and l found on reflection that Lhls
paper was so drawn as to place me most uHJ uS5,,y