Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-12-03
The B0WenS and the Beecher
Scandal.
One Of the Lies Put to Rest.

commenting upon the acQuittal Of
Mr.. Barnes, the editor of the Brook
lyn Argus, inoicted for libelous Ian.
guage against the dead wife of Henry
G. Bowen; the Brooklyn Eaqle of
Nov. 21st says: The earliest and
worst of the ''Beecher scandals was
taken out of the category of reports
and innuendoes yestarday, aod put
into the limbo of lies. Not to put a
fine point on it, the slander disposed of
was just this: That Henry Ward
Bcecher was criminally intimate with
the first and late wife of Henry G.
Bowen, and that lady so confessed to
her family on her death bed. From
one cause or another, body and cur
rency were given to this statement,
and III laundering moment il got
substantially printed, a few months
ago, In newspaper of Brooklyn, after
having been lin the air for years.
In court, yestarday. Mr. Henry c.
Bowen and his sons opposed their
Oaths to this moustrous concoction.
ana deprived it of the only support it
has hitherto had-their complete and
embarrassing silence. Had this denial
been earlier, it had been better. 1t
dlsposes. however tardilv, of the di-
rect fabrication itself, and it is further
significant IN the fact that, being the
first and worst of the scandals, its
complete destruction at the touch Of
law Is prophetic Of the tate of the
others, which, however bad, are less
atrocious that this one, and which in
various ways proceeded out of this one.
Much might be written upon the un-
ortunate neglect by the Bowens not to
have smashed this lie in the egg, in
stead of having waited to kill it when
1t had attained some growth. But
what might thus be written goes with
out saying, and it is salutary, however
tardy, that at last the lie is disposed of
beyond revival. The EagIe has stead
lily labored to diminish the vnlume and
expose the falsity of all these cognate
scandals. 1t wonlI have unafectedly
rejoiced any day for years back to ad-
minister the retutation TO that one Of
them which it administered yesterday
Mr.. Bowen has chosen a remote time;
1t was his business to choose the time,
however, and what would have been
better done long ago was well enough
done yesterday.
There are other branches ofthe scan
dal which Mr. Bowen touched on ves-
terday. lie denied ''having written
letter from Woodstock to Mr.. Til
ton indicting Mr.. Beecher." MIR Til
ton S account now is to Mr.. Bowen
and the public, to overthrow the lat
ter's testimony. on the reverse of
which he has industriously indicted
Mr.. Beecher. Mr.. Moulton also in
dustriously draws on Mr. Bowen as his
authority for many and tho worst al
legations which he has foatcd against
Mr.. Beecher. Is the underpinnlng
also to be knocked from under "Frank?''
1t is evident, in the light Of yesterday,
that that retraction which formed Mr..
Bowen'5 part of the tripartite coyen-
ant has fresh relevancy. He therein
declared that he had been too hospita-
bic to ISLANDERS affecting Mr.. Beechsr.
and too given to speaking of them
He withdrew, retracted, and repudi-
ated them, and promised never to dis
seminate them or their like again.
Does not their retractioG, does not the
fair scope of Mr.. Bowen's testimony
yesterday, cover, in addition to the
other things, also the atrocious CAL
umny of the maltreatment of a young
lady by Mr.. Beecher in his (Bowen,s)
house 1t would seem as if it did,
and if it does, then is the air cleared
of another horrible cloud, and no man
in the reputation of our hu-
nanity itself but will rejoice and be
the gamer by the reflection. The
earliest of the scandals goes down un-
ter the shock of the truth.