, 1874-08-21

j.. w.D.
BoWEN'5 PAPER ON THE BROOKLYN
SCANDAL.
From The Independent, Am. %. !
A year and ten months haYo passed. mono too |
quickly, sfncc'ono WHO has now left tho country
for her country'H good gathered and stirred up |
spattor 1t over shrinking aud horriGcd public. |
Hor journal, fit conduit for slich sewerage, was
for sosnc time its only rocoptaclo; but before |
long it -oyoraowed through kindred channels, |
poisoning tlle alr a,l Injecting tho wlo1o COM
mualty. It has been q grieyous and horrible |
thing, not merely besmoaring those Oh whom or |
by whom 1t was cast, sono innocent and somo |
gully; but 1t has corrupted tho swoot mir Of |
tho taint Of decay, andsproad eEckoiling mlas1n
from whoyo malalla neither hill nor yal1ey could
oscnpo. |
Wo hayo used our best ondeavor to restrain |
we refused to mention Its existeuco, except In 10
far AZ it was necessarily referred to incidentally
In tho reports OF the Drooltlyn Council. Tho
proprietor of this paper, though aamclossly ma
hs;1lod befoto the public IN tho early months Of
tito scandal, waited patiently, knowing that talo
would surely eot him right ~ It has and neither
by word Of mouth, nnr hy cfthor Of tho pnperH ]
which ho tllon controlled flna le allowed a word
to escnpo him which could add ONO broath to tho
scandal, At Inst those who were determined to
drag his namo before tho public wero compelled
to iuyont All interview which WIGS never hold
and put forged words into his motth which wore
nosor spoken. Only sipeo tho prosont invostisa-
ton l1al. been prosecuted l,avo wo onco in two
woo]B it, m eiitorla note briefly ohroDiclod tho
leadin3 features Of tho cnse.
No Hpeak at little groatcr length now only
bocatlto tho cAao appears 10 DO noarly c1oscd
Tho prosecutor haK presented Ills indictment
tin aecuscd Ina uado his defonBo, a'ld tho cAof
evidence III boforo not mcroly Alr. Beec1lor'H Cont
mittee. bitt tint larger conltl!ttoo Of tho wholo
which is tic rcal Jury In tho oaas: Something
more may yot io known. Mr.. Tiltpn Md Mr.
aud documents to exhibit ;1l;. # 20. they will
be met as these hayo boen. Mr. Ttoh lisosonted
his most damaging evidence, probably, When lo
publishca Lis wife'b slgnott confession aud A1r.
o14B other confosaions porhaps eren moro gross.
to Which tho poor woman may favo put hdr
na,llo; but tloy will 10 explained in prpcisofy
tic samo why Oh those which have hcen pub
liHhod. Not much furtscr light Heonl8 likely to
be thrown upon tho caso.
It is no wonder, wien tho ereatcst proachor
OF tho ago WIS charged nut only with filthy
lfc but with tho hypocrisy and nloannosa which
tho story involved. that tho pnblic Mt first ro-
fused to bnlioyo. They hal known only good
Of the man who had stood foremost in patriot
ian, philanthropy, and religion, aud they would
not aud could not think him villain and libor-
tino. Not till months llad nnsHetl by aud no
word Of donial ha!l cotue from his lips did thoY
beg,n to ask themselves II it could be true. For
the scandal was kept well stirred up. A So
called 'tr,,o ato..h .r~'s8on by tllo man rho
was understood to bn tho viz accusor, waa
shown to dozens Of pooplo, talked Of W .sory..
it's revelations nnt do1liel. Mrs. Tiltons own
acknowledgment that sho Ind been improperly
approached by her pastor was public prop
erty. Whom alr. Boochcr first orenod his tips.
it was not to brand NJ falHo the charges against
! him, but to excl1so tho author Of thom. When
ut lust denial was forced from him. it was NJ
| most too late and received lesa credonco than
| could llayo boen wished. Had It then been fol-
closnstical trial Of Dir. Tllton, or any other
! measures which showed TINT tho defeNso was
earnest, it might llayo beon otherwise but such
| was not Mr. Beccher's course. His church
| opened O nov sud oasy door Tor escape fur Mr.
| Iilton. Tho man who, az everybody knew, had
| long boon asserting and showing evidence to
prove that Mr. Daechor had attempted tho soduc-
ton Of hie wife, aud who waB beloved to have
ainco nlado before tile Couamittoo--this MIN
faced AIr. baechcr boforo lis own Church. dared
lin to make charges Of Blader against linn. anu
heard Atr. Beeellor roply TINT he lad no charges
evidence ngainst him, and Ills own action ap-
pcaring to support It, Mr. Doecher 8 bricf word
was hardly sufficient to qucll tho sll'er|nG foar
| TINT tho scandal might be truo. Then followed
| tho Drook]yn Council. meeting whcl it sSas
| impossible to nvoid. rendered absolutely neceH-
aary by tho action Of plymouth Clirtch in rofer-
onro to alr, Triton, and which lo, beon most 111l~
reasonably yllitlod, al il tho m"1 WHO called it
lad no intorost to conserve TO good namo anu
| good order Of the churahos aud wero hctllated
! only by 1uean ioauuBy or tle commanding
! fauo ct brother proac,or and u desire to give
currency to scaudal Which, III fact, thoy took
! pnins not to conslder
But tho efforts u Afr. Dooohor, Of plymouth
Church, of tho alombora Of tho Council, aud all
n1hnr ,.nf,t, msn to bury tho gca1sda. was OF no
avail, 1t lsst alr. Titon published, over his own
nntno. letter charging alr. Bceoher with having
nroof preHsntoi Tho text Of alr. Beeohers hum
bio apology. Mr.. 'l}eeohor could keep silant no
j'nger. fi1o selected slx gentlemen known to
! the public and mombera of Ills church and
aociety, n,sd asked them to mnko the fullest fl1-
brgun by calling Tl,aodoro Tilton, who pnt into
4 moro repuBlyo form than over gossip lad boon
| ready to bolieve Ills Indictment agaiust Mr..
1'coeher. and supported IL by fearful array ot
press las been filled with tho 1opu'H1vo details.
| iu tho exclusion Of almost everything o1no. Dir
1,ecchor and Mrs. Triton mnlo IN:
f4 ST. eeeaor s a%eop"s ~eo sxenora e'a resard As SS
! hin bollneas in demanding tint no evidence
! against him be suppressed md indignantly ra-
| qiiring tho unwilling honltoa to presont tho
documents quoted agalnst hln1. At laat. after q
mont, and nil those who llavc lovod and respect
cd lsltn-ar,d who lna not ?-have at last had oc-
cas!on to iejoce that lso wss abe to present 10
full, 80 ,orenmstantial, aud 80 powerful n de-
touao. IIo lIaR takon palnB to neot at full
longth oycry charge and proof against him, and
not only to explain il aH consistent with hfa iu-
nocenco, but TO hurl back Oh bis acousers ctarycB
which they will til't it worry necessary to 1noot.
| Wo arc heartily glad TINT llo Inns boon ablo to
throw no much light ou this dark caHo; aud it.,
| nj We trunt. hih dctoIso shall commend isaotf to
tho charitable good Hoslao OF tho Christian puu-
ln. which IL unwilling to think evil OF 30 t1Heful
i0fl 3fE