Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-09-10

| Mr.. Beccher expressed many regrets at the mis-
| fortunes OF Mr.. Til;on's family and Mr.. Moulton
caught up some of these expressions and wrote
them down. saying that if Tilton could zee them
| there would be no trouble in procuring recon-
| 1871, was intrusted by Mr. Beechcr to Moulton's
keeping without reading 1t. nor was it read 10
him, This paper, sometimes called 1.-THE apollo
gy,'' and sometimes the confession,n is in no
proper sense Mr.. Beechers production or cor
RECT report of what he said No man will be-
lieve, for instance that Beecher said: 4" hum
Bile myself before him C1ilton) as do before my
| God" Another sentence Her forgiveness
have" Mr.. Beecher states II was not ii, nor the
semblance Of it.
The committee now proceed to show from the
evidence before them that the original charge
was improper advances, and that as time passed
and the conspiracy deepened 1t was enlarged int
| adultery. The statement that the charge IN the
original confession was TO that effect, is denied
by Mr.. Bcecher and Mrs. Tilton. The statement
that Mr.. Beeeher confessed the fact of adultery Is
also denied, and such alleged confession is
inconsistent with Mrs Tiltons written re-
traction given to Mr. Beecher. If Mr..
Beecher had already confessed To the charge of
adultery, what service could the .retraction do
him. aud why procure one at all. The retraction
procured referred 10 improper advances and
nothing else. Is II likely, II the main oense had
been charged, Mr.. Beecher would have been
satisfied with anything short of a retraction of
that?
The committee say further on this point that
Mr.. Tilton in the last four years has many times
was the lesser ofiense. This is important under
the rule that where complainant has made diff
ferent and inconsistent statements of an otfense
which he alleges, his credibility is damaged and
in most cases destroyed In manuscript pre-
pared by Mr.. Tilton, which he called the . true
story" and which he was in the habit
Of reading, to newspaper men, personal
friends, and to Others, without, 1t would
seem, much discrimination, considering
how anxious he professed himself to be not to
make known his secret, the ofense was stated to
1st Inn, Thn thaF fu0f hQf
ton treated the matter during four years as an
ofense which could be properly apologized for
and forgiven Is wholly inconsistent WITT the
charge in its present form. Mr.. Tilton, in his
written statement, complains that Mr.. Beecher
abused his Crilton's) forgiveness. 1t Is believed
that no case of adultery on record can be pro-
duced where an injured husband. upon learning
of his wife's inhdelity, kept the fact to himself
for ak months and then, after private complaint
to the offending party. received and accepted an
apology for the offense and declared It forgiven,
and this followed by a restoration of courtesies
and of friendship. That the so-caed
apology was not for the main o M,,I
clearly proves in his ss-examination when
he states that the day after the apology was pro-
cured, when he met Mr.. Beecher at Mr. Moulton's
room, he (Beecher) burst our in an expression
of great sorrow to me and said he hoped the COM
munication which he had sent me by Mr.. Moul-
ton wac satisfactory to me. He then and there
told Mr.. Moulton he had done wrong. but not so
much as some others had-referring to his wife,
who had made statements to Mr.. Bowen that
ought to be unmade-and he there volunteered to
write letter to Mr.. Bowen correcting the facts
which he had misstated." Here, say the
committee, is clear light to what the
apology does not refer to- 1t disposes OF the
apology forever as paper referring TO adultery.
1t refers TO nothing of the kind. If the wrong
done to which Mr. Beechcr refers was adultery.
how could these words be used in reference to II:
8 He had done wrong not so much as some 9th
ers.'' Those words and the apology are suscepti-
Bile of but cons.ructlon-they refer, as Mr..
Bcecher says, to his deep regret for statements
which he and his wife had, under certain inior
nation, few days before made to Mr. Bowen
which led him to execute purpose already enter
tanned of removing 1'ton from the Brooklyn
Union and the Independem. It appears also
that the next day Mr. Beecher did write letter
to Mr. Bowen, which Tilton says he volunteered
to write, and which is referred to in Tilton bust
ness troubles with Bowen. Next consider Mou-
toms course with view of still further testing
what was in his mind, as well as i'll 1iton's, as TO
the character of the otfense. If Moulton under
stood the charge to be adultery then he ia emit
ss me sGa be the OF apology
a ready forgiveness Cancellation on the part of
the offender and the injured husband. That
Moulton did not believe or understand that the
offense was adultery is shown by the same class
of evidence that has been stated in reference to
Tilton.
In reply to Mr.. Beecher's letter Of June 1, 1878,
In which he says his mind was clear and that he
would bear the light Of the Judgment day MI.
Moult0n first wrote these words: "If the truth
must be spoken, let 1t be. know You can stand
Apparently fearing this might rather tend to de-
termine Mr.. Beecher to publish tho whole case
than otherwise. he crossed out these and other
this new effort on the same paper these words
occur: You can stand If the whole case were
published tomorrow"
The committee say Moulton was right in this
statement, and that the pity is that Mr.. Beechsr
did not publish such statement at once.
The committee here state their conclusion that,
IN view of the facts and circumstances before
them, the original charge of impure advances
was false, though 1t had been dropped by the &C.
cusers and adultery had been substituted as an
afterthought The committee brand this per-
torrance az fraud that ought to end all con.
troyersy as to the innocence OF Mr.. Beecher
Mr.. Beecher believed that for reasons Of malice
and revenge MT. Tilton was preparing to make q
duty to prevent it by all possible honorable
means. Moulton protested to deprecate Tilton's
purpose. and declared If Mr.. Beeeher
would trust him he could and would prevent it, and
so now began series of letters and steps. under
the direction and advice of the diplomatic and
mutual friend, having for their object, as Mr..
Beecher believed, the suppression OF the scandal
and the restoration in some measure. il nracti.
cable, of Tilton to position of employment.
speaking OF Mr.. Beecher. letters the commit.
zee say mnch has been said. and not without
some justice, OF their extraordinary words and
tenor, but In interpreting the letters It must he
remembered that Mr.. Beecher, under the excite
mens OF deep ieeilng, uses strong words and emo
he was dealing with Mr.. Tilto.l, who had shown
himself at times tickle, malicious, revengeful and
mercenary. liz the light Of these facts there r.
not letter from MI Beecher nor an act of his.
however Ill judged, through these four years OF
anxiety and grief that cannot be Accounted for
upon the plain theory that he was nghtine to
suppress an outrageous scandal, which Consisted
OF false accusation against him, made by q rem
utable woman; and further, that he MA endear
oring to help man whom he felt he had undulv
injured in business matters upon representation
which he Was made to believe, chiefly hy Ioui.
ton. were not well founded.
The committee here alluded to the fact that
Mrs. Tilton AZ her domestic troubles came on. be-
gan to look more than ever to her pastor for SYM
patty and advice. and consider 1t not unlikely
that her feelings toward Mr.. Beecher became so