St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-24
The Beecher--Tilton Affair.

= New York Sunday paper prints
What purp"rtS to he the statement of
Samuel Wilkcr>on before the BccchrI
Investigation committee. The sub
stance. Of il is HAT in March. l-12. Mr.
Iiltom came to his (Wilkcr>nmS) office
and taking from his pocket Il worn
proof press of Il letter said he proposed
to publish it in the next issue of the
Golden Age unless Rev. Henry Ward
Brcclrr did him Justice. The letter.
which WAS dated january !. ISL. WAS
addressed to Henry &. Bowen. IN it
allu>ini * made to the breaking of his
(TiltOn'>l editorial connection with the
independent and the lbIooklNn nion
after which the writer rc-haShcS all the
foul charges said to have been made 10y
Bowen against Mr.. Bcechcr's character.
and which the Woodhull first made
public. Mr.. WilkcrSum adds WAS
shocked ut the miSchicNou>ncSS of the
matter he threatened to publish. and
demonstrated with him against its pub
LEGATION. \ discussion rUSucd. on his
part passionate and noisy. He com
planned. first. that Henry -. Bowen
had. without cauSc, dismissed him from
the sditor>hip of the independent and
of the brooklyn mon. and ruined him
in fame. prospects and estate that he
had crowned this wrong 10y refusing to
pay him Il large debt for editorial ser
vices. of which he WAS in pressing need.
and compelling him to bring IL suit to
collect the amount. He complained
that Mr.. Bccchcr. while he WIS living
crushed under the mi>lortuncS of losing
his positions on the two papers. the
l>oS. in II word. of the entire Storcd-up
capital for his litc-carccr. when he
had such power that with his little fin
ger he could have lifted him up and re
inStatcd him. s;Iw him in his agony ami
ruin. and passed by in silence and in
difference. ON the other side of the way.
Rising int" dramatic rage. and tramp
ING my room from corner to corner, and
speaking with intense passion. he de-
| clarcd, X will have revenge D'n him
will pursue him into his grave :. 1t
WAS clear rs me, saNS MI. w IlkcrSons
that " hat Mr.. Tilton wanted WAS mon
cN. and that his purpose i'll coming t'S
me WAS t" raise mOni'ys He left my
office calm and happy, i'll the prospect
of an arrangement ! outlined that
should Immediately give him in hand,
without the delays of IL contested law
suit. the money Mr.. Bowen owed hinrs
that would restore his old relations with
! Mr.. Bccchcr and Mr.. Bowen. procure
for him rcparativc and tlattcling men
ton in the editorial columns of the In
dcpcndcnt, and cause to he inserted
cditorially in the Christian Union Il
| handsome notice of his newspaper en-
| tcrpIiSc. Mr.. Bowen agreed to pay Mr..
! Tilton forthwith the amount of unpaid
salary for which he had brought suit
He likewise promised to publish IL re-
paratory card in the independent. On
the night of the ID of April, 1872, when
the tripartitc agreement was ready for
signature, Mr.. Tilton was in IL happy
frame of mind.
Mr.. WilkeSon gives the terms of the
agreement as originally drafted The
paper WAS read ut meeting of four
gentlemen. of whom Mr.. Tilton was one,
at house in Brooklyn. He was more
than satisfied with the paragraph con-
corning himself. He was charmed with
if. He said he could conScicntiolsly
and heartily subscribe his name to every
word of it. He said he would sign it
twelve times over. if that would induce
Mr.. Bowen to sign it ut once ; and in
his cagcrneS> he took up Il pen to sign.
But he was restrained by the suggestion
of a wise and influential party to the
conference that Mr.. Bowen might he
less willing to sign the paper if Mr..
TiIton should sign first. 1t was carried
AWAY without Mr.. Tilton's signature.
In "A full and kind conversation between
me and Mr.. Tilton. after the meeting
on the night of April , broke up, he
replied to a clcar-cut question ! put to
him. that the only wrong MIR. Bccchcr
had ever done him had been to address
improper language to his wife, and that
for that he held in his hands an ample
and satisfactory written apology.
n The next morning, Mr.. Tilt"n came t"
NV office, flushed and sullen. There