The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-22


wife, about wholly independent matter,
which has nothing 10 do with this contTo
'erSy. II isproduced as marked IN. sIh."
Mr.. HOOKER TO Ills WYE.
FLORENCE, SUNDAY, Nov. 0, 1879.
Ny Precious WEI hope you were
lot panied by what / wrote on Friday
Ibout the Il. W. b. matter. AN getting
much more at peace about the matter,
but cannot look on II In any other light,
md II Is relief 10 me to speak my mind
light out about II, and then let II rest.
wouldn't have been easy till had sworn
4 little The only mitigation Of the con-
,ealmenl OF the thing that l can think OF
g this, aud 1t seems TO me that some ex,
,use or at least explanation may be lound
lCre-yiz:-that consideration oil the
happiness Of both Mr.. Tilton and his vile
rCGiifrd It or seemed TO, and the very |
possible further fact that he preferred TO |
disclose II, but took the advice Of few Of |
bis leading friends 10 the church and was
Dverruled by them, they agreeing 10 take
the responsibility Of the conceslment.
This would take of somewhat from the
hypocrisCy Of the thing, but leaves the
original crime as open to condemnation as
ever. Let me request you 10 keep me In.
formed Of all that occurs, and do not rely
upon my getting the news from the pa.
pers | SEQ by an extract from the Boston
Advertiser that Mrs. Woodruff has
employed two Boston lawyers Qt gives
their names) to bring suit against the Re-
pubIioIH and ROmdnS journal. So that
Il looks as If the exposure Is near OF hand.
| want 10 say one word more, however
Can you not let the report get out after
the II. matter becomes public without be.
ing exactly responsible for III That you
have kept up friendship with Mrs. W. In
the hope Of influencing her not 10 publish
the story, you having learned It's truth,
and that Is substantially the TACT as l have
understood It, and that you gave up going
to Europe with me so as TO be at home
and comfort It when the truth came out, as
you expected 1t TO do during the summer.
This will give the appearance Of SELL
sacrifice to your utilization with her, and
will explain your not coming abroad with
nc, u TACT which has q very unwile'like
look. l know that you will other.
wise be regarded as holding Mrs. Wood.
hull's views, and that we shall be regard.
cd as living in some disCOrd, and prob
ably by many people as practicing her
principles. II would be great relief TO
me 10 have your relations 10 Mrs. Wood
hull explained in this way, so credit.
able to your heart. There is not h6ll
the untruth in that, that there has been
in my pretend approval Of Mrs.
WOOdhull's course. And yet the people
think me an honest man, have lied
enough about that 10 ruin the character
OF Ru average man, and have probably
damned myself by it.
Afer Beecher had seen these let.
tiers Of bis sister, Mrs, Hooker, he
came to nc in trouble and alarm
and handed me all the letters together,
one under date Of November eth, with
the enclosure Of q cut from the Hartford
Times, to which It alluded:
MRS. HOOKER TO BEECHER.
HARTFORD, "WEDNESDAY 81, 1872.
Dfar BrOther-Read the enclosed clip
ped from the Times OF this city last even.
ing. can endure no longer. l must see
you and persuade you to write to yourpeo.
pie, which | will rGad.goiDg alone to your
pulpit, and taking sole charge Of the ser
vices. | leave here on the s A. NJ. train on
Friday morning, and unless you meet me,
at 43d street station. shall 20 10 Mrs.
IS house, opposite the Young Mems
Christian Association No. 90, where l
hope to see you during the day. Mrs. -
kindly said TO me when last in New York,
"My daughter and l are now widows, liv.
ing quietly in our pleasant home, and !
want you to come there without warning
whenever you arc in New York, unless
you have other friends whom you prefer
to visit" SO shall so as lion shop.
ping trip and stay AS long as it seems
best. l would prefer going 10 Mrs
TiltOn's TO anywhere else, but !
hesitate to ask her to receive me.
feel sure, however. that Il the words from
you to her should go into that paper, and
with her consent, l could write as one
commissioned from on high.
Do not lai me, pray you. Meet me
at noon on Friday, as you hope TO meet
your own mother in Heaven. In her
name beseech you, and will take no do.
NAL
Ever YOURS in love unspeakAble,
Signed BELLE.
The enclosure mentioned in the above
letter is rs follows:
Ell Perkins, Of the New York Com
msTc!dl, prominent Republican paper,
has this 10 say: 'Nasrs very bOldness
and his terrible sggressveness is what
challenges admiration and makes Hdr-
PtrS Weekly success"
When l asked him II he did
not think it Il great undertaking
TO attack Mr.. Greeley he said yes, butt
knew he was an old humbug. knew
was right and | knew the right would
win in the end. l was almost alone, too.
The people were fooled with Greeley as
they arc fooled with Beecher, and he will
tumble further than Greeley yet. We
had u talk about Beecher and Tilton and
putting this with other conversation with
her .triends and those OF Tilton and with
men in New York, am salts.
fled that terrible downfall surely awaits
the one who has caused this trouble and
concealed ii. Mr.. Beecher then informed
me OF his apprehension that his sister, in
her anxiety that he should do his duty in
presenting this truth as she under.
stood it, and protecting 5lrs. Woodruff
from the consequence OF having published
the truth, from which she was then suffer.
ing, would go into his pulpit and insist
upon declaring that the Woodruff publ
cation was substantially true, and be de.
sired me 10 do what lay in my power to
prevent such disaster. l suggested TO
him that | should see Mrs. Hooker and
speak TO her kindly, and exhOrL her not
10 take this course, and that TiltOn should
zee her and so lar shake her confidence in
he truth OF the story as 10 induce her to
lOubt whether she would be safe in max.
ng the stalemCn! public. In this course
3eccher agreed, and such arguments and
Inducements were brought to bear upon
Mrs. Hooker, as it were in the power Of all |
hree OLus, TO prevent her from doing |
hat which would have certainly brought |
m an exposure Of the whole business.
During the consultations between Beech.
r and myself as to the means Of meeting
hrs. Hooker's intentions, no suggestion
Tas ever made on the part OF BeeChGr
hat his sister was then or had been al
ny other time insane. All three letters
received from Beecher, and they arc
hose to which he sludes in his commu-
iication Of the 4th inst as the letters OF
lis sister and brother delivered 10 me,
nd which did NOT believe that could
IOnorably give him up because ! thought
nd submit to the committee that was
ight in so thinking, they form part of
hIa rnnlrnYnrsv and Nnrn mi % hn |