Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-07-24

Theodore IItOn : statement 10 tue l ~ |
mouth Church Investigating Committee |
was made puolic ON Tuesday, aud nils sew |
eral columns OF fine print in the daily pa |
pcrs. 1t is by no means agreeable reading, |
aud for the piesent it is enough to say OF it |
that it explicitly charges Mr.. Beechcr with |
seducihg Mrs. Tilion, and contains a great
mass Of documentary evidence bearing on
the subject. The New York Times in
speaking Of the matter cditorialy touches
as follows upon the main puint1 of the
statement
Many of Mr.. Tlton's statements arc Of
too loose character To stand the scrutiny
OF court of ldw--and Mr.. Beecher Is clear
ly entitled to have his case tested by the
legal rules of evidence. But several Of
them are explicit enough TO demand the
most conclusive kind OF disprooL Mr..
Tilton specifies the evening Of Oct. 10, loGS
"a Saturday evening-"or theTeahouts,'
| as the beginning of the alleged guilty in
tercourse between his wife and Mr.. Beech
err. The place is said TO have been MIR.
| Beeeher's own home, whittier Mrs. TiitOn
had repaired to seek pastoral comfort in
| her sorrow uvct the recent cath and burial
of young child. There is something SO
| revolving about an otIeuse such as is al
| legged, occurring under such circumstances,
| that the verdict upon il must either RUIN
| the character Of tie man who makes the
| charge, or that Of The man against whom il
| il made. The oflpnse is said to have been
| renewed at Mr.. 1iilOn's house on the eve
| ming Of Saturday, Oct. II, 1868, as also on
various other occasions between the Au-
tumn OF 1868 and the spring Of 1870 the date
of which are not more particularly speci-
fed.
The first letters quoted which hear upon
these alleged olipnscs bear date the eve
| ming Of Friday, December 30, 1870. Both
| are signed by Mrs. Tilton, aud both arose
| out of confession said to have been made
by her to her husband in the spring OF
| 1870, in regard 10 an Illicit intimacy with
| Mr.. Beecher. That confession is said IN
have been subsequently put in writing by
Mrs. Tilton and placed in the hands of Mr..
| Moulton for the purpose of bringing about
reconciliation between her Pastor and
her husband. 1t would appear that this
| paper conveyed to Mr.. Beecher the first in
timation Of any confession duplicating his
character having been made by Mrs. Til
ton. According to letter signed by Mrs
| Tilton, and forming part of the printed
statement, Mr.. Beecher called upon her
asking whether she would defend hin
against any accusation in a Council o
Minister'S tribunal which the growing
| proportions of the scandal even at that dat
| led Mr.. Beecher to apprehend. Mrs. Til
ton said she would defend Mr., Beecho
against any other accuser but her husband
| and gave him a letter-written, it is said
| from his own dictatinn-"explicitly stat
| ing that Mr. Beecher bad never offered he
| any improper solicitation, but bad Away
| behaved to her"in manner becoming
| Christian and a gentleman As prelim
mary to this letter, Mrs Tlton revoked al
!, the statements of her previous confession
/, Mr.. Beecher's reply to this statemen
will be ready in the course Of day or two
5 and until this has been presented and tn
committee have had an opportunity to si
and consider all the testimony, judsmer
in the matter must be suspended. As re
I, CARDS the reliance to be placed on tho ev
C dence Of a man like Tilton, the New Yor
World well says :-"Nothing can be enter
tanned, nothing can be believed, nothin
= can be affirmed or denied oA the evdcnC
:. ola man who oxults TO show that with hil
II nothing is sacred, neither his plighted woI
q nor his protested religion, uor his selir
9 spect as a man, nor the nuptial chamber
d his welded wife.
! The papers to-day, Thursday, contain
brief statement from Mr.. Beecher, in whiC
he says that his full vindication must con
4 from the investigating committee, but
lie which he gives an explicit and unqualiiC
1t denial of the charges of immortality again
g. himself aud against Mrs. Gilton. NJ
|: Beecher says that he has known Mrs. III
as | ton from childhood, and when Mr.. TilC
IS first began TO run after Mrs. Woodhr
es and other strange women, his wife naturs
n ly went to Mrs. Beecher for advice. III
as "apology" about which so much has be-
OF said, arose simply from the spontaneo
it feeling of Mr.. Beecher's heart, when
q, found that his advice and course in t
10 matter was like 10 cause the Iilton lami
v to be broken up and scattered. Mr.. Beec
o. er's statement bears the Impress Of tru
and candor, and, will, we believe, be ful
verified The following are its closi
words:-
re My publishes correspondence on I'll
s. subject comprises but two elements, vi
H. the expression of my grief, and that OF n
desire to shield the honor OF pure and /
" nocent woman. do not propose 10 co
" test at this time the extraordinary paper
K Mr.. Tilton, but there are two allegatio
"A which l cannot permit TO pass withU
49, special notice; they refer 10 the only II
~ incidents which Mr.. Tilton prelends
an have witnessed personally; the one an
bt legged scene in my house while looking ov
- engravings and the other chamber see
u in his own house. Ills statements co
be corning these are absolutely false. Not
to ing of the kind ever occurred, nor al
o. semblance Of any such thing. They q
now brought to my notice for the first tim
D. To every statement which connects
he dishonorably with Mrs. Elizabeth II. 7
-it ton. or which would In any wise impui
the honor of this beloved Christian womi
. / give the most explicit, comprehend
a"u So'0Ni' UpNp1, WAN BEFcHFR,