The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1874-09-17
The Beecher Investigations
MIR. Beecher Vindicafed.

We have refralned from sayln;
anything further in regard to Mr.
Beechers case until we could have tim
to read and weigh more carefully tn
statements" of Mr.. Tilton, Mrs. Til
Ton and Mr.. Moulton, together will
Mr.. Beecher's reply, and the repor
of the Investigating Committee o
Plymouth Church, who were request
ed by Mr. Beecher to make a ful
and thorough examination of Mr.
Tiltons charges against him.
The main points of all these docu
ments have been published in on,
columns, in order that our readers
might be able. to form their own con
clusions from the facts before them
1t seems to ussthesr publication wa
justified by the deep and genera
interest which the people OF oul
country, and not Of ourcountry alone
have felt in the good name and rep
utation of Mr.. Beecher, whose fame
as a successful preacher and author
is worldwide, and whose influence as
public teacher of morality and re-
ligion has perhaps been greater THAI
that of any other man of his day
The character of such man is in one
sense the eproperty of the nation, and his
downfall would be a calamity not on
ly to himself but to his country and
the world. It is no wonder, then, that
his thousands of friends and admir-.
ers have waited patiently and hope
fully, though anxiously. for the re-
suit of the investigation which he de
manded, and no wonder they rejoice,
that after all the evidence his accusers
have been able to bring against him
was carefully weighed and sifted, a
unanimous verdict has been render
ed, of ''Not Guilty"
We think no candid and unpreju
diced mind can come to any other
conclusion after calm and deliber-
ate reading of all the testimony, than
that which was reached by the Inves-
tigating Committee. Mr.. Beecher is
shown to have acted unwisely, and
perhaps imprudently, in his relations
with the Tiltons and with the treach-
erous mutual friend" Moulton, but
there is no proof of his ever having
been guilty of any criminal conduct
with Mrs. Tilton, or of his having even
cherished an impure thought towards
her. And while his own character is
thus indicated, that of Tilton him.
self, his accuser, is proved beyond
doubt, to be vile and despicable.
He is shown to have been himself
guilty of the very crime with which
he charges Beecher, and to have
treated his weak and foolish, but
loving and faithful wife, like an in
human monster. He is shown to
have repeatedly falsified in regard to
his accusation against Beecher-at
one time stating it to be one thing,
and at another, another, until nc
credit can be given to anything he
saws. He is shown to have received
thousands of dollars from Beecher
and to have accepted the money
if his own story be true) as the price
of his wife and his own dishonor!
Such being the character of Mr.
Beecher's accuser, and in the entire
absence of any proof the charges
against him, are we not justified il
accepting his previous unblemished
reputation, his long and useful life
his solemn denial of the charges, anc
the unanimous verdict of the investi
eating committee of the church, as
triumphant vindication of his char
acter?
It may be possible that we are mis-
taken, and that in the legal investiga
ton which lis said is soon to be made
in the courts, evidence may be produc
ed which has notyet been brought tt
light, tending to raise doubts o
Mr.. Beecher's innocence, or to estab
lish his guilt, but we do not believ'
any such evidence exists, and until i
is brought forward we shall stead
fastly adhere to our belief that h'
has been most wickedly calumniated
and. deserves the sympathy, love ant
confidence of all good men and VIC
men, whether in or out of the church