The Portland daily press., 1874-08-31


charges against Mr.. Beecher:
MoULToN's TESTIMONY.
The committee then take up Moulton's case
referring first to the important fact that he Ie-
peatedly declared to many persons that there
was no adultery. Fortunately we have state
ment in writing, setting forth Moulton's state
ment of the nature of the offense Mr.. Beech
er wrote letter, dated June 1st, 1873, to Moul-
ton, in which, among other things. he complains
of Tlton's threatening, inconsistent conduct.
and declares his purpose to waste no more en-
ergy in trying to satisfy Tilton, who at this
time, was complaining of the publication of the
tripartte agreement, so-called, in this letter.
These are not the words of guilty mind.
Moulton replies on the same day that publicity
was no part of his profound policy, and he hast
ems to object. At first he writes these words:
IF the truth must be spoken, let it be. know
you can stand if the whole case were published
to morrow Apparently fearing that this
might rather tend to determine Mr.. Beecher to
publish the whole case, than otherwise, he
crossed out these and other lines with pencil,
and commenced anew. In this new . effort, on
the same paper these words occur; You can
stand if the whole case were published to-mor-
row." Moulton was right. The pity is that
Mr.. Beecher did not publish forthwith and so
become once more free and end the machna-
tions of Tilton and the mutual FRIEND" These
two, whatever else they wanted or designed
did not believe their purposes would be then
subserved by the public. TiltOn soon became
gracious and kindly; but what shall be said of
Moulton, who now asserts for the first time
that adultery was the offense Is it possible
that this man is so low in his moral perceptions
as to believe that minister of the Gospel, and
that, too, of Plymouth church, could stand up
before his church and the world against the
crime of adultery? Mol
There is but one fair conclu sion to draw from
Moulton's letter of June LIST to MIR. Beecher.
He knew that Mr.. Beecher had been falsely
accused of impure advances and that he de-
sired in his inmost soul to suppress the scandal
yet if the simple truth was published he could
stand. Knowing this, he said SO. Whatever
Moulton may say now, since his malice has
been excited by open exposure, IS of little con-
sequence He now openly stands with Hilton,
where he had secretly been from the beginning.
We conclude, therefore, in view of these facts
and circumstances, that the original charge of
impure advances, false though it was has been
dropped by these accusers, and adultery. at
this late day, has been substituted as an after
thought. We brand this performance as a
fraud, that ought to end all controversy as to
the innocence of Mr.. Beecher. Pursuing the
narrative little further, we find Mr.. Moul-
ton, who first appeared as Tiltons friend, after
procuring the so-caled apology, quietly becom.
ing the friend of both the parties. The mutual
| friend, Mr.. Moulton, as he dlscloses his char
acter in these proceedings, appears to be very
plausible man, with more vigor of will than
conscience. One thing is unfortunately clear,
that from this time on he contrived to obtain
and hold the confidence of Mr.. Beecher, both
| in his ability aud purpose to keep the peace in
good faith. There was certainly room for an
honest peacemaher,
BEECHER's COURSE REVIEWED.
The committee proceed to review Mr.. Beech
er's subsequent course in connection with
Moulton. They find that he was falsely &C
cused of an impure offense and found himself
| in critical situation. Titon, who had shown
himself at times tickle, malicious, revengeful,
mercenary, threatened deadly assault upon
him. He became discouraged. When under
deep feeling he uses strong words and emo
| these facts there is not letter from Mr..
Beecher, nor an act of his, however i'll Judged,
through these four years of anxiety and grief,
that cannot be accounted for upon the plain
theory that he was fighting TO suppress an out
| rageous scandal, which consisted Of a false ac-
| cusation against him, made by a reputable
| woman, and that he was endeavoring to help
man whom he felt he had undoubtedly injured
| In business matters upon representations
which be was afterwards made to believe,
chiefly by Moulton, were not well founded.
The statement of this branch of the case
| would not be complete without reference to the
fact that Mr.. Beecher had a warm friendship
for Mrs. Titon, which began in her early
womanhood, and that Mrs. Triton, reciprocal
| ing this friendship, began as her domestic
troubles came on to look more than ever to Mr..
| Beecher for sympathy and advice; that this
feeling on Mrs. Tiltcn's part became, under the
circumstances, so strong as to diminish the
| proper influence that belongs to every good
husband. 1t is not unlikely, in the course of
| events, and especially in Dec 1870, that Mr..
! Beecher received the impression from Tilton
and Moulton that he had estranged Mrs. Til
tons affection from her husband. The possi-
| bilty that such a fact as this might be added
| to the responsibilities then resting upon Mr.
Beecher, constituted, as he expressed it in his
letter of Feb 9Th, in part, one of "the environ
ments'' that surrounded him: This was. to
him, the occasion of deep grief and anguish.
| Mr.. Beecber conceived that possibly, he had
been derelict in duty; he, the strong man and
pastor, in not REFRESHING at once any undue af.
lection for him on the part of this distressed
Christian woman, whe was yearning for SYM
| pathy that she found not in her household
And we cannot but express our regret at two
errors into which, it is apparent Mr.. Beecher
fell. While we recognize the appalling disas-
| ter which seemed imminent, when he was con-
| fronted by a prOfessedly injured husband with
a charge, on the part of his wife, of an impure
| proposal from him to her; disaster which
threatened to brand with infamy name which
| through years of public service as philanthro-
| phlst and minister of God, had maintained the
most honorable place in the worlds esteem; yet
| we feel that in an hour of such Generalization
| as this calamity might justly work, the pastor
should have sought counsel from Christian
men of his own brotherhood, rather than rely
| upon the counsel of man of whom he knew
/ so little, and whose character, as the sequel
proved, he so sadly misjudged And it is also
| apparent, from Mr. Beechers own statement,
that in view of the profound sorrow into which
he was plunged and the expression which he
gave to his feelings, that he had erred in not
guarding SO closely his relations with the
family Of Mr.. Tilton; that there could be no
! possibility Tor fear in his own mind even of an
undue affection by Mrs. Tilton for him through
any needless friendship or agency of his.
The committee next refer to Mr.. Beecher's
solicitude for what Mr.. Tilton called Tilton's
ideal home, and remark that the account of the
domestic misery of the TIton family is corrob-
grated by the testimony of several witnesses,
and very fully by Miss Elizabeth A. Turner
who is now twenty-three years of age, and was
an inmate of the family eight years. This
| young woman is teacher of music in ladies'
seminary in Pennsylvania. She is person of
unusual sintelligence, and her appearances and
manner before the committee impressed all who
heard her testify that she was sincere and relia
BILE, and well understood the facts of which she
/ was speaking. The committee then proceed to
ask: Will innocent men pay blackmail? Will the
innocent and especially clergymen fight as for
their lives to suppress an injurious scandal
| though it be born of extortion, fa'sehood and
l revenge? These are questions which, unhap-
| PLY, history has too often answered in the af-
tirmative. 1t is easy now that we see what
wonder that Mr.. Beecher should intrust any in
| terest of his to their keeping. When we look
| back upon the record made by this sad story
we feel like visiting, even upon the suffering
| neau OF our pastor, the SeVereSG cenSure, and
this not the less beca use we revere and love
him, and know that no man in all our land is
more beloved. 1t is. we might say, because he
is so beloved; because that in him centres so
many and so great interests of church and hu-
mainly; because he stands foremost to-day
among men of master minds. of eloquence and
power, that we would chide him in no uncer-
tain words for imperiliing SO much and so often
| the precious interests confided to him by the
God who made, and who we have mistaken
faith to believe, will deliver him from all dan
gers. The charge made by the accusers is one
easily preferred and not easily disproved 1t is
not enough for the accuser to say: II make
this charge; now let it be dlsproved or be taken
as confessed"
| THE RULES OF EVIDENCE BEARING ON THE
CASE.
The committee next discusses the rules of
evidence bearing on this case, citing Greenleaf
| on adultery, and remarking that it is essential
to observe that there is nothing whatever, as
shown by the evidence, that proves that the ac-
| cused parties have ever been found together
| under any suspicious circumstances, such as in
some unusual hours, or place, or consulting to-
| gether in some secret way to avoid observation
| and exposure There is no proof of clandes-
tine correspondence, nor attempt in that drec-
| tion Mr.. Beecher's letters were, as a rule,
| opened arranged aud read by his wife. She