The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-06-26
BEEoHER SCANDAL EXPOSED.
TllIon Tells His Story In the "Golden
the Age''.sHe Alleges tho Truth Of
Worst Suspicious. E fEEfEF

the Age,'.sHe Alleges tho Truth ol
Worst Suspicious. = tffi
Nav YoRK, June 4.-Theodore Tlltou
publishes In The Golden AgS, this after
noon, a seven column article touching the
Beecher scandal. Il Ia a defence Of Tilton
against the charges Of Rev. Leonard
Bacon, moderator Of the late Brooklyn
council, that Tllton has been cowardly
Slanderer Of Bsecher, whose magnaimnity
alone saved him from disgraceiul ex-
posure, Having suffered In silence for
four years, from these and similar mis-
representations, adroitly put before the
public by Plymouth Church, Tilton says
that neither patience or duty will permit
him longer 10 conceal the actual facts
from the public. He then goes on to eAy
that he never slandered Henry Ward
Beecher, but, on the contrary, has sacri-
fed his own reputation 10 suppress
the truth about him, and that he
never has refused 10 appear before the
Church and answer all questions regard.
Ing the scandal that might be put to him.
Tilton gives his reason for severing his
connection with the church, as follows:
"After had been for fifteen years q mem
Der Of Plymouth church, and had become
meanwhile an intimate friend Of the pas
tor, knowledge came to me, in 1870, that
he had committed against me an offense
which l forbear TO mention or character
lie. Prompted by my selt.respect, lin
mediately and forever ceased my attend
ance on his ministry"
he publishes the following as an ex.
tract from a document signed by MIR.
Beecher:
BRooKLYN, January, /, 1871.
81 ask Theodore Tilton's forgiveness
and humble myself before him, as l do
before my God. He would have been a
better man in my circumstances than l
have been. / can ask nothing, except
that he will remember all the other
breasts that would ache, Twill not plead
for myself. l even wish that I were dead.
[Signedl "H. w. BEEcHER."
NEW YoRK, June 25.-Among the doc.
uments which Theodore Tilton includes
In his long open letter TO Rev. Dr. Leonard
Bacon, on what 10 commonly known as
the Beecher and Tilton scandal is the fol.
lowing under the date OF May 1st, 1874:
Henry Ward Beecher:
sIR-Mr. F. B. Carpenter mentions 10
me that you are saying to him that under
certain conditions involving certain dis
approvals BY me, sum Of money would
or could be raised TO send me with my
family to Europe ior term Of years. The
occasion compels me to state explicitly
that 30 long as life and self respect con-
tinue to exist together In my breast shall
be debarred from receiving either direct
ly or indirectly any presents at your
hands. The reason Tor this feeling on my
part you know go well that will spare
you the statement Of 1t. Yours truly.
THEo. TILTON.
Mr.. Tilton follows this with reference
to what he declares the fact that although
be had received from the clerk Of Ply
mouth Church on the 10th Of May. com.
munication announcing that his lTilton's)
offer 10 appear Tor trial had been read by
Rev. Mr.. Halliday, assistant pastor Of Ply.
mouth Church, and submitted 10 an ex-
aiming committee, by whom 1t had been
rejected, Mr.. Halliday had some forty
days afterwards emphatically denied 10
several newspaper reporters that such an
offer had ever been received, and branded
the whole story as false from beginning to
end. Rev. Dr.. Bacon having in hisspeech
characterized Mr.. Bsecher as the most
maguanimous Of men and referred TO MIR.
Tilton as b dog and kuave, leading the
public TO infer that the latter was In some
way creature Of Beecher's bounty, Tillon
states he called Beecher's attention 10
the oftensiveness OF the statement, and in.
sisted on ita correction by either that gen.
tleman or himself. TiltOn closes his let
ter TO Rev. Bacon as follows: "If the
public have heretofore considered my
silence as implication, let my sufficient
motive be now seen in the Just torbesr-
ance which I felt morally bound TO show
toward the man who had seat me writ.
ten and absolute apology. But my duty
to continue this forbearance ceases when
the spirit Of that apology was violated to
my injury by Its author or hia agents.
These violations have been multitudinous,
and they threaten to multiply in the tu.
ture, forcing me 10 protect myself against
them In advance, particularly against the
cunning devices oi the Clerk Of the
Church, who, acting as an attorney, ap-
pears to be conducting this business
against mo as II It were case at law.
Had the fair spirit which had right 10
expect from Plymouth Church, at least
Tor It's pastors sake, been shown toward
me, would have continued to lest In
silence on Mr.. Beecher's apology and
never during the remainder Of my life
would l have permitted any public word
ol mine to allude to the ofense or offend.
er, but the injurious means which the
author Of this apology has since permitted
his church to take against me without
protest on his part, involving great ipjus.
tice to me, which have been greatly ag-
gravated by your writings, have put me
before my countrymen In the character
ofa base and bad man, q character which
trust Is foreign to my nature and life.
Under the accumulating weight OF this
odium upjustly bestowed on me, neither
patience nor charity can demand that1
keep silent. i'-l- 7.. s.a..
Mr., Beecher 10 now on his farm at
Peekskill and to-day the children, teach
ers and friends Of the Plymouth Sunday
school go there to congratulate their pas.
tor on the occurrence Of the 61st anniver.
sary ot his birthday.
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Annual Meeting of Yale Alumni.
NEw HAVEN, CT, June ,e5.-At the an.