Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-07-30

before made, and of her wish and
prayer for reconciliation and peace
between her pastor and her husband
| This paper furnished to Beecher the
| first knowledge which he had as yet
received that Mrs. Titon had made
such confession. At this interview
between Beecher and Tilton permits
sion was sought by Beecher to consult
with Mrs. Tilton on that same even
ing. This permission being granted,
Beecher departed from Mr.. Moulton's
house, ard in about half an hour re
turned thither, expressing his remorse
and shame, and declaring that his life
and work seemed brought to a sudden
end. Later in the same evening, Til
ton, returning to his house, found his
wife weeping, and in great distress,
saying that what she had meant for
peace aad only given pain and an
guish, that Beecher had just called
on her declaring that she had slain
him, and that he would probably be
tried before council of ministers un.
less she would give him written pa
per for his protection; whereupon she
said he dictated to her, and she copied
in her own handwriting, suitable
paper Tor him to use to clear himself
before council of ministers. Mrs.
Tilton having kept no copy of this
paper, her husband asked her to make
a distinct statement in writing of her
design and meaning in giving it;
whereupon she wrote as follows:
DEP. 80, lS70-Midnight.
My Dear Husband desire to leave with you
before going to bed a statement that Henry
| Ward Beecher called upon me this evening,
and asked me if l would defend him against any
| accusation in a council of ministers, and | res
piled solemnly that would in case the accuser
was any other person than my husband He
| (H, W. b. dictated letter, which copied as
| my own, to be used by him as against any 9th
err accuser except my husband. This letter
was designed to vindicate Mr.. Beecher against
all other persons save only yourself | was
ready to give him this letter, because, he said
| with pain, that my letter in your hands ad-
| dressed to him, dated Dec 20, "had struck him
| dead and ended his usefulness" You and
| are pledged to do our best to avoid publicity.
God grant speedy end to all further anxietles.
Affectonately, ELIZABETH
| MRS. TILToNs LETTER EXoNERATING
BEECHER.
The next day, namely, Dec. 81,
1870, Moulton, on being informed by
Tilton of the above-named transaction
by Beecher, called on him (Beecher)
at his residence, and told him that rec
onciliation seemed suddenly made i'm
possible by Beecher's nefarious act in
procuring the letter which Mrs. Til
ton had thus been improperly persuad-
ed to make falsely. Beecher prompt
ly, through Moulton, returned the let
ter to Titon, with an expression Of
shame and sorrow for having procured
1t In the manner he did. The letter
was as follows:
Dec. 80. 1870.
Wearried with importantly and weakened
by sickness, gave the letter duplicating my
friend Henry Ward Beecher, under assurance
that that would remove all difficulties between
me and my husband. That letter | now re-
woke. l was persuaded into-almost forced
when / was in weakened state of mind. I
regret it, and recall all its statements.
f. r. Triton.
i
has never offered any improper solicitation,
but has always treated me in manner becom-
ing Christian and a gentleman.
ELIZABETH R. TMroS.
BRECHERs APOLOGY.
At the time of Beecher's returning
the above document to Tilton through
Moulton, Beecher requested Moulton
to call at his residence in Columbia
street on the next day, which he did
in the evening of Jan. l, 1871. A long
interview then ensued, in which
Beecher, expressed TO Moulton great
contriton and remose for his previous
criminality with Mrs Tilton taking
to himself shame for having misused
his sacred Office as a clergymen to
corrupt her mind; expressing a de-
termination to kill himself in case of
exposure, and begging Moulton to
take a pen and receive from his
(Beechers) lips an apology to be con-
veyed to Tllton, in the hope that such
appeal would secure Tilton's forgiv-
eness. The apology which Beecher
dictated to Moulton was as follows:
In trust with F. D. Moulton:
MY DEAR FRIEND MoULToN: / ask, through
YOU, Theodore Titon's FORGIVENESS, and hum
| BILE myself before him as | do before my God.
| He would have been a better man IN my cir
cumstance than l have been. can ask moth
| ing except that he will remember all the other
breasts that would ache | will not plead for
myself | even wish that l were dead, But
others must live to suffer / will die before
b,,t, hall ha
nv thoughts are running out toward my friends
| and toward the poor child lying there and pray
| ing with her folded hands. She is guiltless
sinned against; bearing the transgression of
another. Her forgiveness l have. l bumbly
pray to God to put it in the heart of her hus~
| band to forgive me.
/ have trusted this to Moulton in confidence.
H. W. BEEcHER.
In the above document the last SEN
tence and signature are in the hand
writing of the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher.
| ANOTHER LETTER FROM MRS. MoULToM.
EieUcnth That Mrs. Tilton wrote
the following letter to friend
174 LIVINGSTONE STREET,
| Brooklyn, JAN s, 1917
| DEAR FRIEND: A cruel conspiracy has been
formed against my husband, in which my
mother and Mrs. Beecher have been the chief
actors.
Yours truly, ELIzABErH R. TrLroS.
| MoULToN AS MEDIATOR.
Toelfth That in the following
month Moulton, wishing to bind Ill
ton and Beecher by mutual express
sions of good spirit, elected from them
the following correspondence:
| BROOKLYN, Feb. Z, 1871
| Ny DEAR FRIEND: In several conversations
with you, you have asked about my feelings
toward Beecher, and yesterday you said the
time had come when you would like to receive
from me an expression of this kind in writing
| say, therefore, very cheerfully, that notwith-
standing the great suffering which ne mas
| caused TO Elizabeth and myself. bear him no
malice, shall do him no wrong, shall discoun
tenance every project by whomsoever, proposed
| for any exposure of his secret to the public
and, if know myself at all, shall endeavor &c
act toward Mr. Beecher as would have hlm II
l arH ma I nuCnf