Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-30

each and all of them | shall not hesitate
to do so. Suffice 1t for my purpose now
that | reply to one or more. of the most
glazing charges.
l. Touching the feigned sorrow Of my
! husbands compulsory revelations L
| solemnly avow that long before the
| Woodruff publication knew him by in
| situation and direct statement to have
repeated to my very near relatives and
| friends the substance of these accusa-
tions which shock the moral sense of the
entire community this day. Many times
when hearing that certain persons had
| spoken i'll Of him he has sent me to chide
! them for so doing, and then and there |
! learned he had been before me with his
calumnies against myself, so that | was
! SsseechleSS-
2. The reiteratiOn in his statement that
/ he had DersiStently striven to hide these
! so-calIed facts is utterly false, as his
! hatred to Mr.. Beecher has existed these
many wears, and the determination to
ruin Mr.. Beecher has been the one aim of
his life. Again, the perfdy with
which the hottest love "a wife ever
offered has been recklessly discov-
cred in this publication reaches well
nigh to sacrilege, and added to this the
endeavor, Like the early scandal of Mrs.
| Woodruff, to make my own words con-
denim me, has no parallel; most conspic-
uously my letter quoting the reading of
"Griffith Gaunt" Had Mr. Tilton read
the pure character of Catherine he would
have seen that | lifted myself beside it
as near as amy human may affect an ideal 4:
but it was her character and not the in
cidents of fiction surrounding it to which
| referred. Here was no sin of criminal
act or thought A like confession with
hers had made to Mr. Tilton in telling
of my love ito my friend and pastor one
year before, and | now add that, notwith-
standing all misrepresentation and
anguish of soul, | owe to my acquaint-
ance and friendship with Mr.. Beecher, as
to no other instrumentalIty, that en-
couragement of my mental life and that
growth toward the Divine nature which
enable me to walk daily in a lively hope
of the life beyond the grave.
3. The shameless charges in articles
seven, eight and nine are fearfully false
in each and every particular. The letter
referred to in Mr.. Tilton's tenth para
graph was obtained from me by impor-
tunity, and by representations that it
was necessary for him to use in his then
pending difficulties with Mr.. Bowen.
suffered miscarriage only four days be
fore. / signed whatever he required,
without knowing or understanding its
import. The paper | have never seen,
and do not know what statements it con-
tanned. In charge eighteen is a letter Of
mine addressed to Mr. F. Moulton, quoted
to prove that | had never desired sep
aratiOn or was advised by Mr.. or Mrs.
BeeCher to leave my husband. | reply,
the letter was of Mr. TiltOn's own con
cocting, which he induced me to copy
and sign as my own, an act which, in my
weakness and mistaken thought to help
him, | have done too often during these
unhappy years.
4. The implication that harmony of
home was unbroken till Mr.. Beecher en-
tered it as frequent guest and friend is
a lamentable satire upon the household
where he himself, years before, laid
the cornerstone of free love and desc
Grated its sacred affairs up to the time
of my departure, SO that the atmosphere
was not only goddess, but impure for my
children, and in this effort and thrOe of
agony | would fain liftmy daughters and
all WOmanhOod from the inSidious and
diabolical teaching of these latter days
His frequent efforts to prove me insane,
presence all rank in the category of
heartlessness, selfishness and falsehood,
having its climax in his present endeavor
to convince the world that l am or ever
have been unable to distinguish between
an innocent or a guilty love. In sum-
ming up the whole matter, | affirm my
self before God to be innocent of the
crimes laid upon me; that never have
been guilty Of adultery with Henry
Ward Beecher in thought or deed, nor
has he ever offered to me an indecorous
or improper proposal.
To the further charge that | was led
away from my home by Mr.. Beecher's
friends and by the advice OF lawyer
whom Mr.. Beecher had sent to me, who
in advance of my appearing before the
committee arranged with me the ques-
tiOns and answers which were to consti-
tute my testimony in Mr. Beeeher's be
half, | answer that this is again untrue,
having never seen the lawyer until intro
duced to him a few moments before the
arrival of the committee, by my step
father, Judge Morse; and in further re-
ply / submit the following statement of
my action before the committee and my
separation from my husband:
s. The publication of Mr.. TiltOn's
letter in answer to Dr. Bacon [
had not known nor suspected
when on Wednesday evening he
brought home the Golden Age, handing it
to me to read Looking down its col
umns saw well nigh with binding eyes
that he had put into execution the al
most daily threat of his life-that she
lived to crush out Mr.. Beecher; that the
God of battles was with him; he had
always been Mr.. Beecher's superior, and
all that lay in his path-wifc. children or
reputation, if need be-shOuld fall before
this purpose" | did not read it. | saw
enough without reading. My spirit rose
within me as never before. Theodore"
| said, "tell me what means this quota
ton from Mr. Beecher? Two years ago
you came to me at midnight saying:
Elizabeth, all letters and papers con-
corning my difficulties with Mr.. Beecher
and Mr. Bowen are burned, destroyed.
Now don't you betray me, for | have
nothing to defend myself with" Did
you believe all that" said he. Il GER
tainly did, implicitly" l said. We'll,
let me tell you they all live. Not one is
destroyed"
If this was said to intimidate me it
had quite the contrary effect; had
never been so fearless nor seen so clear
! ~ before with whom | was dealing.
Coming to me a little later: " | want you
to read it. You will find it avindication
of yourself You have not stood before
the community for five years as you now