Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-08-06
e. d. HOLTON INTERVIEWED.

repute."
e. d. HOLTON INTERVIEWED
MILWAUKEE, July 30.-An inter
view was had with E. d. Holton, Esq.
the president of the Board OF LAX
Underwriters, at the office of tn,
North estern Fire and Marine Insur
ance Company, of which Mr.. Holtol
is the vice president and manager
yesterday morning. Mr.. Holton is
above all things, a man against whom
the breath of SANDER has never beer
raised. His integrity and sincerity
are not TO be questioned. His wore
is as good as his bond. When h.
makes an assertion, it is the deliber
utterance of what he feels or knows
to be the truth. He is friend of Mr.
Beecher, and faithful member Of the
Congregational Church, but would mo-
say one word of untruth to save Mr.
Beecher's life, or preserve the church
from ruin. Among Milwaukee people
where he is known, anything Mr.. Hol
ton deliberately saws is accepted al
once as the whole truth, as he under
stands il.
Accordingly, reporter of the Mil.
waukee Sentinel called upon Mr.. Hol-
ton, with the following result:
Reporter Holton, | see they've
got your name in the papers, in con
nection with this wretched business.
Mr.. Holton-Yes, they have. l am
not too pleased at being dragged into
it. What / know is easily told; since
| have become, somehow or other,
connected with the trouble.
Reporter-Then you really did hear
the conversation reported in the morn
ing papers?
Mr.. Holton-I was present at con.
versation which is probably the one
referred to. | all along thought they
had not taken the right course. Mr..
Tilton, W hen he made the first charges,
ought to have had the chance given
him to prove them; and he ought new
er to have walked out of the church
with nothing settled either way That
is the way felt. | interested myself
in the matter, like good many 9th
ers, and happened to hear things, of
no very great Importance as it seems
to me-in common with others who
were interested.
Reporter-We don't seem to have
any account of your interview. That
is very important. We have a right
to ask you for that. 1t is public mat
ter. You said, just now, the church
ought to have heard Tilton's charges,
squarely and fairly, and have done
with them. The same with yourself.
Uou are face to face with public
matter, iii which they have got your
name mixed up; and the crisis ought
to be faced as you would have had the
church face the trouble in the first
place.
Mr.. Hoton-There is truth in that.
have no desire to screen anybody
If Mr.. Beecher is guilty, let him bear
the burden; but the trouble / see is
that there has been so much written
and said about the thing, the public
are apt to Judge before the evidence
is all in. All these things look con-
elusive till something else is said. One
story is good always till another is
told; and it may turn out to be so in
this instance.
Reporter-In the interview publish
ed you arc reported to have said you
remembered perfectly the interview
with Mr.. Bowen at which Mr.. +. B.
Carpenter assisted.
Mr.. Holton-Yes. But let us go
back and begin with the beginning
You remember how the charges first
arose? The Woodhulls, you know?
Reporter--There wasn't much no.
tice taken of them at the time
Mr.. Holton-The Woodhulls print
ed their story; but it fell quietly fiat
Nobody really believed it at the time.
Then, a year ago last spring, there ap-
peared letter in the Brooklyn Union
i think it was-in which Tilton ad.
dressed Bowen recalling to his recol-
lection charges Bowen had recounted
to him against the purity of Beecher.
You do not remember the letter?
Reporter unless you know the
date. There have been so many let
tiers, one cannot recall them on the in
slant.
Mr.. Holton-The letter was dated
lst of January, 1871, but it was not
published till last year. 1t said in eff
feet that Beecher had been guilty OF
improprieties with number of women;
that he was an unsafe man to be al
lowed to visit the families of the con-
gregation; and variety of things OF
that sort, all of very serious charac
ter, that must have arrested attention
at any time; but, coming as it did
from Tilton, challenging Bowen to de
ny his having made the statements,
and directed against q man of such
prominence as Beecher naturally caus
ed a profound and unusual sensation
| was very much affected by it myself,
and feeling for at least one of them
great esteem and regard. Such a
charge was one to be met openly, and
at once; and it was there Plymouth
Church made its first mistake. Tilton
ought never to have been allowed tc
leave Plymouth Church till he had
proved his authority for the scandal
1t is the most unfortunate thing he
was allowed to leave, with the whole
matter standing where he had brought
it, neither proved nor disproved; and
it was my conviction that such wa
the case, that innocently led me t.
have this slight connection with thu
case. That letter / first saw in Th'