Connecticut western news., 1874-09-11
 THE BEECHER.TILTON CASE.

Report Of the Investigating Committee
 --It Declares Henry Ward Beeoher not
 Guilty--Mr. Beecher's Church sus-
 tains the Verdict Of the Committee.
 The report of the Committee ap-
 pointed to investigate the charges made
 against the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
 was presented to Plymouth Church.
 By the report MT. Beecher is declared
 not guilty of the charges preferred
 against him, and the church, by an al-
 most unanimous rising, voted acqui.
 essence in the decision of the commit.
 tee.
 The Examining Committee beg leave
 to report that, in consequence of the
 publication of certain statements by
 Theodore Hilton, the committee was
 requested by the pastor of the church
 to authorize an investigation by a sub-
 committee into the imputations made
 against his character. On July 6, 1874,
 the committee accordingly appointed
 brothers Fl. W. Sage and H. M. Cleve-
 land such committee, and requested
 them to associate with themselves
 Messrs. Claflin, Winslow, Storrs, and
 White, who are not members of the
 Examining Committee. No charges
 having been proved to the Church or
 to the Examining Committee against
 our pastor, it was the duty of the Sub-
 Committee simply to ascertain whether
 there was any foundation in fact for the charges and 8 trial before the
 body of the Church. The Sub, Con-
 mittee has, in our judgment, faithfully
 and impartially discharged it's duties.
 The Investigating committees report follows. It is lengthy document, oc-
 cupying an hour and quarter in de-
 livering. Tho committee say they can u not refrain from referring to the inex-
 pressible regret which they in common
 with all good men feel, that uncon-
 necessary to discuss in the most public manner the unhappy scandal which is the subject of the present inquiry.
 found it when we entered upon the high and solemn trust thus imposed, we have been profoundly impressed from the beginning with the great importance of the work before us.
 They say that most of the persons summoned before them have appeared. The most notable exception is Carpen- ter, the artist. Referring to the letter of Hilton requesting Beecher to resign, they say that on or about 1863 MT. Til ton began to urge MT. Beecher to visit his (Tilton's) house, and he became more intimately acquainted with MT. Tilton's family. He urged him to do much of his editorial writing in his study, as it was more convenient to | write there than at the office of the Z1a- dependent. Mir. Beecher visited his house, and friendly relation sprang up between the wife and family of MT. | Hilton and Mir. Beecher, which con- tinued down to December in 1870. 1 They then refer to Titon's opinions, which caused the establishment in | Chicago of an opposition paper to the | Independent, which Tlton then edited, | and the trouble and anxiety this change | caused to MT. Hilton, extending even to 8 separation between the two, caus- ing the sending of the letter referred to. Mir. Beecher, on reading this letter, expressed his astonishment at the re- ceipt of such 8 letter, and denounced its author. MT. Bowen then derided the letter, and gave him some account of the reasons why he had reduced Til ton from the editorship of the Zsade- pendent to the subordinate position of contributor.
 . The committee say that MT. Hilton, before the committee, referring in time to December, 1870, states his grievance and cause of complaint of MT. Beecher touching Tilton's business relations with MT. Bowen in these words That he (Mr. Beecher) then participated in conspiracy to degrade Theodore Hilton before the publicly loss of place, business, and repute." It is clear that on the 29th day of December, when the so-called memorandum of confession was procured from Mrs. Hilton, the chief melting cause of that step on Til toms part was his belief that MT. Beecher had caused him "loss of place, business and repute."
 After referring to the distress which Beecher felt at being the cause of this trouble to Hilton, the committee go on to analyze the charges made. The first thing is Beecher's letter of apology to Hilton. They say
 This paper, which is dated Jan. 1, 1871, was intrusted by Mir. Beecher to Mir. Moulton's keeping without reading it, nor was it read to him. This paper sometimes called the apology, and sometimes the confession-is in no proper sense MT. Beecher's production, or correct report of what he said. No man will believe, for instance, that MT. Beecher said: T humble myself be- fore him (TiltoR) as l do before my God Another sentence, Her forgive ness have, MT. Beecher states that it was not said, nor the semblance of it. Pausing here, very important ques- tion arises in this connection. To what does the apology referP It declares Mrs. Hilton 'guiltless,' and yet Hilton says it refers to adultery, which MT. Beecher denies. Without now consid- ering the weight of credit to which the respective parties are entitled where there is conflict between them, we be- ieve, and propose to show from the evidence, that the original charge was improper advances, and that as time passed, and the conspiracy deepened, it was enlarged into adultery. s- "That the so-called apology was not for the main offence Hilton himself in his cross examination clearly proves. Mark his words He says that the day after it was procured he was in Moul- tons room and there met Mir. Beecher. when the following scene occurred: He (Beecher) burst out in an expression of great sorrow to me, and said he hoped the communication which he had sent to me, by MT. Moulton was satisfactory to me. He then and there told MT. Moulton' he hsd done wrong not so much as some others had (referring to his wife, who had made statements to MT. Bowen that ought to be unmade); and he there volunteered to write a letter to MT. Bowen concerning the facts which he had misstated.' Here is clear light as to what the apology does not refer to. It disposes of the apology forever as paper referring to adultery. It refers to nothing of the