The Portland daily press., 1874-07-27
;. Did you consider that statement salts

| pescuer. one OF the doors was frequently
locked We could go into the bedroom through
| the folding door out Of the reception room.
ihere was door leading into the rooms into
ehe nail way. L had no suspicion of anything
eng wrong at that time.
Q-Have you any evidence of any improper
s,'ouuucG on the part of Mr.. Beecher?
III Al have none whatever, except the evil
ehce OF Mrs. Tilton, the confession she mace
| to me.
1iiton's Testimony to the Committee.
The Beecher investigating committee has
gwen out for publication, the entire cross-ex-
animation of Theodore Tilton. 1t makes ten
columns OF the New York Tribune.
| =, MI. sage In communication accompanying
| tbe document, says: Mr.. Tilton's direct testI-
| mony having been published without the
hnowiedge or consent of the committee of in
vestlgation and fragmentary ana inaccuraee re-
| ports or MS testimony under cross examination
having been published by means unknown to
| Tue committee, and without its consent, where
oy IL IS said Mr.. Tilton feels that injustice has
Deer done to him, it is believed that in fairness
10 al, parties the whole of Tilton's testimony
should be made public at once.
Inc document shows that after the discovery
| alleged offence of Mr.. Beecher, Mr.. Bowen ex-
pressed wish for Tilton to say more in the
| independent about Plymouth Church. He re-
| Piled that there was personal and domestic
| reason why he could not go there constantly
| with self-respect; that Beecher had been I'M
handsome IN approaches to his wife. That was
the sum ana substance of all he (Tilton) ever
sa'd on TINS subject to few people to whom
he had spoken about it. This was the occasion
| upon which he agreed upon the letter demand
| ing Mr.. Beecher to leave the pulpit.
Being asked when he first learned that Mr.
and Mrs Beecher had in any way commune
Gated which influenced him in the matter of his
| (Tilton's) dismissal, witness said he learned
| that from Beecher himself on the day after the
| apology was written. The I'd, possibly the Sd
of January. 1t was in Moalton's room, and
| Beecher came in. 1t was an unexpected meet
| ing. Mr.. Beecher burst out in an expression of
| great sorrow. and said he hoped the commune
cation he sent witness by Mouton was satisfac-
| tory. He then and there told Muuton he had
done wrong, not so much as some others fhad,
(referring to his wife, who bad made state
ments to Bowen that ought to be unmade and
volunteered to write letter to Bowen concern
| ing the facts he had misstated)' Mrs Tilton
| had told witness of the visits Mrs Beecher
made her and of testimony they wanted to get
Mrs. Tilton spoke a number of times of the en-
nifty which Mrs. Beecher had for Mrs. Tilton's
mother. There was conspiracy between Mrs
Beecher and Mrs. Morse before September The
truth is Mrs. Tilton's confe ,son was made also
to her mother, and the mother naturally want
| ed to protect the daughter and she made kind
of alliance with Mr.. Beecher, aud Mrs. Beech
| er took part in it. There was desire on their
part to protect Elizabeth
Mrs. Tilton thought witness retirement from
| the papers was due in some way to Mr. and
| Mrs. Be9cher, and as witness was very indg-
nant against Bowen that unless there was some
reconciliation between Beecher and her hus-
band her secret would be exposed. She begged
| witness to hove an interview with Beecher and
wrote a note to that effect. The sole purpose
of that interview was that Mrs. Titon felt that
Beecher and witness were in danger of COLI
| sion. For her sake and at her request it took
place. Tilton's dismissal from the Union was
| two days after that interview. The interview
| had nothing to do with it.
Vsarrv asked WIN the difficulty with Rowan
would involve the exposure ct his family Sc
| cret, which he obtained from Mrs. Tlton six
months before. witness said it was not through
| fear of my exposing il Mrs. Morse and
| Beecher were sometimes IN collision and Mrs,
| Titon always made me believe that Mr. Beech
| er knew this secret till in December, when she
| told me. L took it for granted all summer
| long that she had told him what she had told
| me, and what she had told her mother aud
supposed Mrs Beecher was cooperating with
| Mrs. Morse.
Odd you not complain of Mr. Beecher
| for not aiding you to remain in the Indepen-
dent?
A.-No sir; would have seorned it. Tilton
| continued: He never told Samuel W:lkeson
| that Beecher had not befriended him in that
| matter, bat for being unjust TO him and saying
| he ought TO be turned out.
In further testimony, witness sal! he &C
| cepted the apology of Beecher made aud for
| give the offence with as much largeness as he
| thought it possible for Christian man to as
| sumo. His relations, thereafter, with Beecher
were not friendly. but not hostile. They were
| relations which Moulton forced with an ironed
| hand. Witness had taken pains to have il app
| pear in all quarters that Beecher and himself
| were not in hostility, and suppressed his self
| respect many times i'll doing it. He never
stated the offence of Mr. Beecher to DR..
| Storrs He showed DR.. Storrs a letter which
| Elizabeth and himself wrote, and which he
| still preserved. He did not charge Beecher
| with aLy offence at alb
To the question how was the offence started,
| Tilton replied it began In this way; That ON a
| certain day, in summer of 1870. she had in
| formed her husband that Mr. Beechar had
| asked her 70 be a VIE TO him, together with all
| that this implies. She was very solicitous to
make it appear that she did not accept his prop
| ostion, and happily on reading it, those who
| saw it naturally inferred that she did not &C.
cept his proposition. was perfectly correct
| statement
| Witness read the statement to Beecher, who
| objected to it, and witness made no further use
Of it. He, however, prepared adVisement on his
| relations to Bowen, in which Elizabeth's letter,
| 1t was stated as well as the letter of apology
| which he put in, not wishing to make the
| offence more than that, being socitious not to
| have the worst of the case known. This was
| also read to DR.. Storrs, to whom witness went
| in great distress wanting counsel.
Q,-And so to get correct counsel you mis-
| stated the case?
| A-Yes, it was Statements necessary to ba
out of town and the thiHg had filled the county,
| and Beecher had taken no notice of it, 1t was
seven or eight days cid, and went to DR..
| Storrs for counsel He asked me about the
| story. j said, do not ask me for that. He said
| give me some facts by which can Judge. Give
| me that which can be proved. So gave an ac-
| count of my affairs very largely about Mrs
| Woodruff, and soon the origin of the document
was seeking for something that would put be-
| fore the public plausible answer to the Wood
| hull tale, aud L conceived that by chain of
| facts we might perhaps explain it away. / read
| it to Mr. Beecher and he burst into long SIGH
| and saw that he would not, or could not
| stand upod it, and Elizabeth burned or tore it
| to pieces.
| Q,-Why did you abandon the document.
| A-Because there was no success in il.
| Q.-Have you not frequently asserted the
| purity of your wife?
| A.-No, have always had a strange tech
| meal use OF words. L have always used W r5s
that conveyed that impression. have taken
| pains to say that she was devoted Christian
woman That necessarily carried the other.
| Q,-Have not you stated she was pure?
| Q.-Have you not stated that she was pure as
| an angel?
| A.-No l have sought to give Elizabeth
| good character have always wanted to do
| So / think she deserves good character. l
| think that she is better than most of uS-bet-
| ter than L am. | do not believe in point of ac-
tual moral goodness, barring some drawbacks
that there is ia this company SO white soul
as Elizabeth Tilton's.
Odd not you state that in substance to
one or more of the gentlemen with whom you
| were lunching?
AIN substance yes, and l state it now that
| did not use the phrase that she had never
| violated her chastity.
| Odd you not use expressions which you
intended to be understood as meaning the
| purity OF the woman?
Al did exactly There are many ways in
which You can produce such Impressions
Tiiton was next examined in relation to
| Wlkeson's statement, and explicitly contra
| dcted several points therein, stating the con-
| servation between him aud Wilkinson was
about Bowen whose charges against Beecher it
was denied should be Withdrawn. Witness ex-
pressed gladness to have this done, for he
thought every charge against Beecher endan.
| gercd his wife. But when the paper was
brought him TO sign, it was compliment to
| Beecher, IN which witness was to look up to
Beecher with filial respect. He said WONT
sign that to the end of the world and cut out q
few lines and would not use them. If Wilkin
son gave the impression that witness ever
wanted money from Beecher it is false.
| Beecher has communicated through Moulton' S