Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-08-05
THE BEECHER SCANDAL.
Something from Both the TfItons

On the 3lst of July, W. II. Sage, chairman OF
the Beecher investigating committee, wrote q
letter TO Theodore Tilton requesting the latter
TO place in possession of the committee al OF
| the additional documentary evidence In his Gus
| tody. on Tuesday last Mr.. Titon replied IN a
long letter, declining the terms OF the request.
| De says:
My counsel, TO whom L have Just shown
your note, instructs me TO lay no dOcu-
ments, papers, or remaining testimony before
your committee, nor 10 hold any further CON-
| nunication with you in any form, except %
send you this present and final letter containing
the reasons for this step. These reasons are the
| following:
First You are q committee of Mr.. Beechers
friends, appointed by himself, expected 20 act
In his behalf, assisted by attorneys employed
exclusively for his vindica;iOn, holding secret
sessions Inaccessible TO the public, having no
power to compel witnesses, giving no oppoTtu-
Eity for the opposite side 20 cross examine such
as voluntarily appear, publishing or suppress
ing their testimony as you see ut, and, 80 tar
my own experience goes, asking me- no ques-
and emitting TO publish in your imperfect aud
unjust report Of my testimony gil that WAS most
| pertinent 10 my own side Of the controversy.
| Secord The daily papers OF Brooklyn and
| New York have been artfully fed day by day
| with the crumbs OF fictitious evidence against
| my own character, as if not Mr.. Beecher, but
| alone we're the man on trial; and though have
little right, perhaps, TO hold your committee re-
sponsible for this daily msreprese NATION which
| may come through the malice Of others, yet the
| result is the same 10 me n you deliberately
designed it, and that result is this, namely: /
| expect 10 justice from your tribupal-since YOU
cannot ComIel witnesses 90 testity-nOr from
| your reporters, since they do not give impartial
| reports.
| Third. cannot resist the conviction, though
mean no offense in expressing it, that Your COM
mittee has come at last TO be little s4tisfacto-
~ TO the pubic TO myself, and that Your YER
dict, If you render one, could not possibly be
| based On full facts, since You have no power %
| compel witnesses, nor TO verify their testimony
by oath, nor to slit n by croSs-eNaainatiOn.
For these reasons, which ought TO have moved
me earlier, baye At last Instructed my counsel
TO proceed al once, at his discretion TO carry nv
| case from your Jurisdiction 70 a court OF law,
and, in view or this instruction from me, he has
| in turn Instructed me to hold no further cOmmu-
| nicauon with Your committee except this pres
ent letter Of courtesy, in which have the honor
| TO bid you farewell, in doing which allow me to
| add that the respect which 1 am unable 20 en-
terrain for your committee as a tribunal, 1 can
not help expressing tor you each and all as indi
| Viduals. Yours, truly,
| THEODORE TILroS."
MRS. TILToN's TESTIMONY
| before the PlymOuth church investigating com
| mIttee Will be published O-day. The following
IL brief synopsis, embracing all that is OF iu-
teTest and not heretofore published. The eK-
animation begins with an apparent purpose 10
show that Mr.. Iiiton neglected his wife from a
very early period OF their married life. Mrs.
| Tilton stated that she was frequently sick, and
Der ply sicisn said there was care and trouble
on her mind, which he could net cure with ned
| iciDe.
Question.-whst was the trouble in point Of
men, think, would have cared for my family
as much as Theodore did; 1 was left entirely
with my servants, and they were very poor ser
wants; could not have my mother with me- be-
cause it was impossible for her to live with IA.
on account Of disagreement with Mr.. TlltOn.
Mr.. 1ilton was dissatisfied with his home aud
his wlfe's management, and Was harsh in his
criticisms.
Q. When did be begin to talk 10 you, if at all,
in regard 10 your association with and friendship
Tor Mr.. Beecher? A. L think L had visits
from Mr.. Beecber before 1850; that is the frst
remember seeing him very much.
q. What was the criticism in regard 10
Beecher and yourself which TiltOn made? \.
Early in 1855 Mr. Tiiton's mind was tainted with
susplciOrs of MIR. Beecher, and be used TO talk
with me continually about his wrong dOngs
with ladies, stories of which were told by mir
-, (name not gtven) When Mr.. Beecher
came TO zee me Mr.. TiltOn began to be sus-
picious, and that might be perfectly transpa-
parent with my husband with respect 70 my
interviews with AIR. Beecher alone. I used to
charge my mind with cur conversations and re-
peat them TO SIR. TiltOn.
Mrs. TiliOn continues: She was continually
questioned by MIR. TiltOn concerning these con-
versatiOns in the most Jealous manner; she wa<
afterwerd told, with anger, that she conce6led
something that she didn't mean 10 tell; that she
lied. For three years she tried to repeat every
thing that was said, but found Mr.. Tilton more
suspicious than ever. He had no confidence in
her, and she suffered a great deal Tlis state
of things lasted to the present day. although she
bad rot felt 70 badly for the last two years.
Mr.. Tiltons criticisms 70 her took the form Of
accusations. In the winter OF 1853, when he
began to assume that she had done a criminal
wrorg with Mr.. Beecher, she met the charges
sometimes with anger, sometimes with calm
ness or silence, but invariably denied criminal
intimacy. She had denied il in letters to Mr.
Tilton, but they were lost. He seemed to use
all bis influence to make her acknowledge the
wrong, and talked so much OF IL she thought be
was morbid. He told her once he saw her sit
ting on BeecheT's lap in our parlor, and she
replied, "You didn't" This morbid jealoasy
bad a wearing and sickening effect on her. He
never named any definite time or place OF any
criminal act with Mr. Beecher; never pretended
she was guilty OF any Improperly at Mr..
Beecher's house. She went there twice or
thrice to consult with Mr.. Beecber about a sick
person. Never met him at any other place by
cTiminalty based upon any admission by her.
Itwas not true that she confessed in July, 1870,
any act Of improperly with Mr.. Beecher. The
story eff CathAriDe Gaunt she had not read
through when she wrote her Scohsrie letter.
Being impressed with the story al certain point
she wrote the letter 10 her husband. She had
no reference TO adultery or thought OF it in the
letter.
Mrs. Tilton was asked, what did you refer to?
ard replied: viii try to answer that question.
The one absorbing feeling of my whole life has
been Theodore Ttiton. Neither Sir. Beecher, 1
assure you, nor any human being has ever
taken away from me that one fact, my love for
him. But i must say that / felt very great
helpfulness in my own soul from having had
the friendship OF Mr.. Bee ,her, and also Of other
people, az many women rs men.
On the subject OF the alleged confession by
comparison with the character OF Catherine
Gaunt, Mrs. Tilton said that the confession wa.
made in the summer Of $50, but not at any one
time. MIR. TiIton gathered from all their talks
that summer that she really found In Mr.. Bee
cher what she did not find in her husband. She
gave him that impression, but she told him II
he would give to her what be gave to others she
would probably fnd in him what she found in
Mr.. Beecher. When she spoke OF her "sin" in
the Schoharie letter she meant that she had
done Mr.. Triton wrong by taking anyone else
in his place in any way, though she did not
know but she would do the same thing again
because IL had been 50 much to her soul.
Mr.. Tilton frequently talked to her aceusingly
Of the sensual effect OF her presence upon gem
tlemen. His accusations were hard to live
under. He seemed to be ashamed Of her ap-
pearance, dress and bearing. On one occasion
In o company OF his friends he told her he would
give $500 II abe was not 1t his side. In hotels
and public places on several occasions he said
to her, 81 wish you would not keep near me-
1t was evident 70 her that he did not want COM
parieons made between them-it hurt her very
much. In 1870 she had Q conversation with Mr..
Tilton regarding his own habits and assocaa-
tons, in which he confessed crtminAlity with
other women. She did not confess adultery to
him; IL wa the other way. He confessed 20 i'm
proper relations with several women, and told
her he wished her to understand that when he