The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-07-30
The Great Scandal !
TILToN.s STATEMENT.

Plymouth Church appointed by
Beecher and made a circumstantial
statement, under oath, of the offences
and outrages of which he alleges Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher has been guilty.
The document with its accompanying
letters. is very lengthy, occupying six
columns of small type In the daily
papers of Wednesday of last week.
The statement is of very damaging
character to Mr.. Beecher, and seems,
from the letters and circumstances, to
be pretty fully authenticated. The
extreme length of the document pre-
cludes our publishing it, if we desired
to do so, but the following extract
will give the reader some idea of its
damaging character:
Third-That about nine years ago
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher began, aud
thereafter continued friendship with
Mrs. Elizabeth r. Tilton, for whose
native delicacy and extreme religious
sensibility, he often expressed to her
husband a high admiration, visiting
the year 1870, when, from reasons
hereinafter stated, he ceased such Wis
its; during such period, by many to-
kens and attentions he won the affee-
tionate love of Mrs. Tilton. whereby,
after long moral resistance by her, and
after repeated assaults upon her mind
with overmasteriBg arguments, ac-
complished the possession OF her per-
-, hoF
ward, during the period hereinafter
stated, the relation called criminal in
tercourse, this relation being regarded
by her during that period as not GRIM
inalIy or morally wrong. Such had
been the power of his arguments, as a
cIergyInan, to satisfy iier religious
scrnples against such violation OF viz
tue and honor.
October 10, 1868, or thereabouts,
Mrs. Elizabeth TiIton held an inter
view with Beecher at his residence,
she being then in a tender state OF
mind, owing to the recent death of a
Young child, and during this inter-
view am act OF crinina! commerce
took place between the pastor and this
parishioner, the matter on her part
being, as hereinbefore stated, not re-
Oy iiCA AS ttAO t4AAAOs NAS VI 4AA4AA4chl
or wrong, which act was followed by
a similar act of criminality between
these same parties at Tilton's house
during a pastoraIyisit by Beeeher to
her on the subsequent Saturday eve
ming, followed also by similar acts on
various occasions, from the autumn of
1868 to the spring of 1870, the places
being the two residences, and occa-
81 Of 0fh rllo To which l7n4.
pastor would invite and accompany
her, and at which he would meet her
by previous appointments. These acts
of wrong being on her part, from
first to last, not Wanton or conscious
ly wicked, but arising through blind
ing ber morality by powerful infiu-
ence exerted on her mind at that time
to this end by Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher, as her trusted religious pas
tor and guide; that pastoral visits
made by Rev. III. w. Beecher to Mrs
Tilton during the year 1868 became SO
frequent as 10 excite comment, being
in marked contrast with his known
habit of making few pastoral calls on
his parishioners, which frequency in
Mrs. Tilton's case, is shown i'll letters
written to her husband during his abb
sence.
These letters giving evidence that
during period of five or six weeks,
twelve different pastoral calls were
made by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
which calls became noticeable on Til
toms return to his home. That pre-
vious 10 the aforesaid criminal init
macy, one of the reasons which Mrs.
Tilton alleged for her encouragement
of such exceptional attentions from
Rev. I'll. Ward BeecheP, was the fact
that she had been much distressed
with rumors against his morality and
wished to convince him that she could
receive his Kindness and yet resist his
solicitations and that she could inspire
in him by her purity and fidelity an
increased respect for the chaste dig
nifty of womanhood. Previous to the
autumn of 1868 she maintained with
Christian firmness toward her pastor,
this position of resistance, always re-
fusing his amorous pleas, which were
strong and oft repeated, and in letter
to her husband, dated February 81,
1868. she wrote as follows: ITO love
is praiseWo orthy, but to abuse the gift
is a sin. Here [ am strong. No dem
onstrations or destinations could cause
me to yield my womanheod.p The
first suspicion which sein the mind
of Theodore Tilton that Rev. Ell. w.
Beecher was abusing the reverence
which Mrs. Titton bore toward her
pastor, was an improper caress given
by Beecher to Mrs. Tilton while seat
ed by her side on the floor of the IL
brary, overlooking engravings, Mr..
Tilton shortly after asked of his wife
an explanation of her permission of
such liberties, when she at first denied
the fact, and then confessed, aad said
she had spoken chidingly TO Beecher
about it. On another OCCASION, TiIton
after leaving the house in the early
morning, returned to it in the fore
noon, and on going to his bedcnamber
found the door locked, and when on
knocking the door was opened by
Mrs. Tilton, Beecher was seen in the
apartment confused and exhibiting a
flushed face. Mrs. Tilton afterwards
made plausible explanation, which,
from the confidence held in her by
her husband, was by him deemed sat
That in the spring of 1870,
on Tilton's return from his winters
absence. he noticed in his wife. such
evidence of absorption of her mind
in Beecher, that in a short time an es-
arrangement took place between her
husband and herself, in consequence
of which she went into the country
earlier than usual for soiourn. After
an absence of several weeks, she vol
returned to her home in
Brooklyn on the evening of July Sd,
1870, and then and there, within a few
hours after arrival and exacting from
her husband a solemn promise that
he would do no violence TO Henry
Ward Beecher, nor harm mol commu-
nicate to him what she was about TO
say, she made circumstantial confess
ion to her husband of the criminal
facts hereinbefore stated accompanied |
-. l..... A..