Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-14
BEECHER,s srArEAESr.
His story Of TIItcn's Fall from High
Estate.

His Story of TIItcn's Fall from High
Estate.
Four years ago Theodore Tilton fell from
one of the proudest editorial chairs IN
America, where he represented the cause
Of religion, humanity and prosperity, and
in few months thereafter became the as
sOciate and representative of Victoria y.
Woodruff and the friend Of her strange
cause. By his follies he was bankrupt IN
reputation, in occupation, andia resources
The interior history of which am now 10
giyea brief outline, is history OF his AZ
tempt 20 so employ me as to reinstzte him
in business, restore his reputation, ana
place him again upon. the eminence from
which he had fallen. Ii is a sad history, 10
the llmeaning of which have but re-
Gently awakened. Entangied in
A wilderness Of Complications,
| followed until lately, false theory and a
delusive hope, believing that the friend
who assured me Of his determination and
ability 10 control the PASSIONATE S4garies oi
Mr.. Tilton to restore his household, to re
build his fortunes and TO vindicate me,
would he equal TO that promise his self
confessed failure hasmade clear to me what
for long time dld not stlspect, the rial
motion of Mr.. Triton. My narration does
not represent a single standpoint, only as
regards my opinion Of Theodore Iilton,
and il begins at my cordial intimacy with
him in his early career; shows my lamenta-
tions and sorrowful, but hopeful affection
for him during the period Of his initial
Wanderings from truth and virtue. IL de-
Scribes -t}rttt. ltEGF.
Ny Repentance
over evils Detailing him of which / was
made to believe myself the cause, my per
severing and friendly despairing efforts to
save him and his family by any sacrifice of
myself not absolutely dishOnOrable, and my
growing conviction that his perpetual fol-
lies and blunders rendered his recovery i'm
possible. l can now see that be is and has
been from the beginning of this difficulty a
selfish and reckless sehemer pursuing plan
Of mingled good and hatred and weaving
about me at net work of suspicious misun-
derstanding.
Plots and Lies,
10 which my own innocent words and acts,
nav even my thoughts of kindness towards
him have been made TO contribute. These
successive views of him must be kept in
view to explain my course through the last
four wears. That | was blind So long TO
the real motive Of the intrigue going on
around me, was due partly to my own
overwhelming public engagements; partly
to
Ny Complete Surrender
of this affair. and all papers and questions
connected with it, into the hands Of MIR.
Moulton, who was intensely confident that
be could manage it successfully suf-
fered much, but | inquired little. Mr..
MOulton was chary Of Mr.. Tilton'S coz
fidence to him, reporting to me OccIsion-
ally in a general way MIR. TiltOGs words
and outbreaks of passion only as elements
Of trouble which he was able
TO control, and as additional proofs
of the wisdom OF leaving il TO him.
His comment of the situation seemed to
me q. the time complete. Immersed as l
was in incessant cares and duties, and only
too glad to be relieved from considering
the details OF and wretched complications,
the origin aud the fact of which remain IN
spite of all friendly Intervention a perpe-
tual burden to my soul, would not read
in the papers about il. l woald not talk
about it. | made A0ulton fer a long
period
NY Confident
and my only channel of information.
From time TO time suspicious were aroused
in me by indications that Mr.. Tilton was
acting the part Of an enemy, but suspicious
were rapidly allayed by his own behavior
toward me in other moods and by the as
surances of Mr.. MoultOn, who ascribed
the circumstances TO a misunderstood
ing or TO malice on the part OF
Others. 1t is PLAIN TO me that il was
not until Tilton had fallen into disgrace
and lost his salary, that he thought it neceS-
sary to assail me with the charges which
he pretended to have had in mind for six
months. The domestic offence which he
alleged was very quietly and easily put
aside, but yet in such way as TO keep my
| feelings stirred up in order that L might,
through my friends, be used to extract from
Mr.. Bowen.
seven Thousand Dollars,
| the amount of a claim in dispute between
them. With a check for that sum in hand,
Mr.. rilton signed an agreement Of peace
and concord, not drawn by me but accepted
| by me as sincere. The Golden Age had been
started. lie had the capital to eary il on
! for while. He was TO head great social
| revolution. With returning prosperity he
| had apparently no griefs which could not be
| covered by his signature to the articles OF
peace. Yet changes in the covenant were
made by him before signing it, and repTe-
| scented to Inc rs necessary to relieve him
| from the imputstion of having originated
| il. and that his complete restoration 10
| public standing and household happiness
| was reporation justly required of me, and
| the only one which | could make. But
with peculiar genius for blunders he fell
at almost every step into new complica
tions and difficulties and in every such III
stance it was his pOli,y to bring
| Coercion
to bear upon my honor, my conscience ant
my affections for the purpose Of procuring
his extTicatiOn at my expense. Theodore
Tilton knew me well. lie has said agaiI
and again to his friends that if they wished
TO gam an influence over me they mus
work upon the sympathetic sid,
of nv nature. To this he has address
ed himself steadily for four years
using as a lease without scruple of my
attachment to my friends, To my fam
ily, to his own household, and Il
even my old affection for him
self, and circulating certain old and
shameless ISLANDERS about me that ver'
really made, as now appears, to leave hin
free for future operations on me and agalnS
me. So long as he was, or thought he was
on the road to a new success, his conduc
towards me was as friendly as he knew
how to make il. His assumption OF supe
riority and magnanimity, and
His Pat 'OnizIng Manner
we've trifles al which | could afford q
smile, and which / bore with the create
humility since | still retained tn
profound impression upon me, as ex
planned in the following narrative, that
had been a cause Of overwhelming disaste
to him, not blind to his faults hut resolves
10 look on him rs fayorably and hOpetuH
rs possible, aud ignorant of his deepe
malice. laIored earnestly. even desperate
" fof his salvation. For four years | hay
been trying to
Feea the Unsuitable EgOtisnI.
to make the man as great as he cOnceIye'
himself to be, TO restore prosperity am
public confidence TO one who, in IN
midst of my efforts in his behalf. patron
lied disTeputable people and doctrines; re
fused when beSought him TO separate him
self from them, and ascribed Ia my agenc
the increasing ruin which he was persist
emily bringing on himself. and which wa
doing my utmost 10 avert. Ii was bar
10 do anything for such a man. l mlgh
rs we'll have tried to fill a sley
with yEafnr IN 10 {