Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-07-29

handwriting a suitable paper for him to use
to clear himself before council OF ministers.
Mrs. IiltOn having kept no copy OF this paper,
her husband asked her to make distinct state
nent in writing Of her design and meaning
giving it. Whereupon she wrote the fol-
lowing:
DEC. so. 1970-Mondav night.
My DEAR HUSBAND Il desire to leave you,
before gong to bed. a statement that III. W.
Beecher called upon ne this evening, and
asked me it I would defend him against any
accusation in council Of ministers, and [
replied solemnly that I would IN case the
accuser was anv other person than my hus-
band. He (H. W. Beecher) dictated a letter
whieh [ copied as my own, TO be used by him
as against any other accuser except my nus
band. This letter was designed to vndicate
Mr.. Beecher against all other lersons, say
only yourself. was ready to give him this
letter, because he said with pain that my let
ter in your hands, addressed to him, dated
Dec. %, had struck him dead and ended his
usefulness. You and L are pledged to do our
best to avoid publicity. God grant speedy
end to all further anxeties.
Afectlonately, ELIZABETH.
On the next day, namely, Dec. 81. 1870, Mr..
Moulton, on being informed of the above
named transaction by Mr.. Tilton, called on
HIM (Beecher) at his residence and told him
that the reconciliation seemed suddenly made
impossible by MIR. Beecher's netarious act in
procuring letter which Mrs. Tllton had thus
been improperly persuaded to make falsely
Mr.. Beecher promptly, through Mr.. Moulton,
returned the letter to Mr.. Tllton with an eX-
preston Of shame and sorrow for having pro-
cured it III the manner he did. The letter
was as follows
DECEMBER 80, 1870.
Wearied with importantly, and weakened
by sickness, [ gave the letter duplicating my
friend, Henry Ward Beecher, under the assu-
RANGES that that would remove all difficulties
between by NE ana my husband. That let
ter | now revoke. l was persuaded to it,
almost forced, when [ was in a weakened
state Of mind. regret it, and recall its state
ments.
l desire to say explicitly that Mr.. Beecher
has never offered any improper solicitation,
but uas always treated me il a manner be-
coming Christian and a gentleman.
ELIZABETH R. TILToN.
At the time Of Mr.. Beecher's returning the
above document to Triton, through, Moulton,
Mr. Beecher requested MOulton to call at his
residence on the next day, which he dlu on
the evening of January l, 1871. A long inter-
view then ensued. IN which Mr.. Beecher ex-
pressed to Mr.. Mouiton great contrition and
remorse for his criminality with Mrs. Tlton
! taking to himself blame for having misused
his sacred office as clergyman to corrupt
her mind, expressing determination to kill
himself in case OF an exposure, and begging
Moulton TO take a pen to receive from his
(Beecher's) lips an apology to be conveyed to
Tilton. in hopes that such an appeal would
secure 1lltons forgiveness. The apology
which Mr.. Beecher dictated to MIR. MOulton Is
as follows:
In trust with F. D. Moulton.
My DEAR FRIEND MoULToN Il ask, through
you, Theodore TlltOn's forgiveness. and hum
BILE myself before him as | do before my God.
He would have been better man in my CIR
cumstances than | have been. [ can ask moth
ing except that he will remember all the 9th
er breasts that would ache. | will not plead
for myself. | even wish that l were dead.
Others must live to suffer. ! will die before
anyone except myself shall be inculpated. All
my thoughts are rurnir out toward my
friends and toward the poor child lying there
and praying, with her folded hands. She Is
guiltlecs. slnned against bearing the trans
Sressions OF another, Her forgiveness have.
[ humbly pray God to put it into the heart OF
her husband 10 forgive me. [ have trusted
this TO Mr.. Moulton in confidence.
.. II. W. BEECHER.
In the above document the last sentence
and signature are III the handwriting of Hen
~ Ward Beecher.
II. That Mrs. Tllton wrote the following
letter to d friend:
174 LIVINGSTONE ST., BROOKLYN, n. Y,
January 5, 1871.
DEAR FRIEND: cruel cons piracy has beer
formed against my husband, in which my
mother and Mr.. Beecher have been the chief
actors. Yours truly ELIZABETH r. TILToN.
r. That in the following month, Moulton,
wishing to bind Iilton and Beecher by mutual
expressions of good spirit, elected from them
the following correspondence:
BROOKLYN. Feb. 7, 1871.
Ny DEAR FRIEND: In several conversations
with you. you have asked about my feelings
towards Beecher, ana yesterday you said the
ho1 hoy, IA
from me an eXureselon OF this kind in writing.
| say, therefore, very cheerfully, that notwlth
standing the great suffering which he has
caused TO Elizabeth and myself, [ bear him no
malice. shall do him no wrong, shall discount
tenance any project, by whomsoever proposed,
for any exposure Of his secret to the public,
and it [ know myself at all, shall endeavor to
act toward MIR. Beecher as would have him
in similar circumstances toward me. | ought
to add that your own good offices iii this case
have led me to a higher moral feeling than
might otherwise have reached Ever yours
aff6ctOnatelv, IHEO. TlLTON.
To Frank MoultOn.
On the same day Beecher wrote to Moulton
the following
FEBRUARY 7, 1871.
My DEAR FRIEND MoULT0N: [ am glad to
send you book, etc. Many, many friends
has God raised up to me, but to none of them
has ne ever given opportunity and wisdom SO
to serve me as you nave. You have also
proved Theodore's friend and Elizabeth's.
Does God look down from heaven on three
unhappier creatures that need friend than
these Is it not an intima ton of Gods intent
Of mercy to all that each one Of these has in
you q tried and precious friend? But only in
you are we thus united. Would to God who
orders all hearts, that by his mediation Theo-
dore, Elizabeth and could be made friends.
Theodore will have the hardest task in such a
case, but has be not proved himself capable
Of the noblest things? L wonder if Elizabeth
knows how generously he has carried himself
toward me? Of course [ can never speak
with her again without her permission, and
l do not know that even then it would be
best
Mr.. Moulton, the same day, asked Tilton if
he would permit Beecher to address letter
to Mrs. Tilton. and Tilton replied in the af-
firmative, whereupon Mr.. Beecher wrote as
follows
BROOKLYN, Feb. Z, 1871.
My DEAR MRS. TILToN when | saw you
last did not expect ever to see you again, or
to be alive many days. God was kinder to
me than were my own thoughts. The friend
whom God sent to me (Moulton) has proved
above all friends that I ever had, able
and willing to help me IN this terrible emer-
gency OF my life. His hand it was that tied
up the storm that was ready to burst on our