Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-08-20

VI II. u.
soon went home. 1t has been said that l con-
fesscd gull, and expressed rcmOrse. This ia ut
terly false. Is 1t likely that with Mrs. Tiltons
retraction in my pocket should have thus stuti-
fed myself. On the next day, vt evening, Mr.
MoutOn called at my house and came up 10 NV
bedroom. He SAID that Mrs. Triton. on her hus-
formed him what she had DONE and that had
her retraction. Moulton expostuated with me;
said that retraction under the circumstances
would not mend matters but only awaken fresh
injury to Mrs. Tilton without helping me. Mrs.
Tilton, he said, had already recantcd ip writ
ing the rctraction made to me, and of
course there might be no end to such
contradictions; meanwhile Tilton had destroyed
his wife's first letter acknowledging the confess
sion, and Mr.. Mouton claimed that had taken
u mean advantage and made dishonorable use of
Theodore's request that should visit her in OBJ
tanning from her written contradiction to = doc
ument not in existence he said that all difficult
ties could be settled without any such paper, and
that ! ought to give II up; he made no verbal
threats, but he opened his overcoat and with
some emphatical remark showed pistol, which
afterward he took out and laid on the bureau
near which he stood; / gave the paper to him
and after few moments talk he left; within
day or two after this Mr.. Moulton made the third
visit and this time we repaired to my study in
the third story of my house.
Before speaking of this interview 1t is right
that should allnde to the suffering through
which had gone during the previous day, the
cause of which was the strange change i'm Mrs.
Tilton.. Nothing had seemed more certain during
all my acquaintance with her than that she was
singularly simple, truthful and honorable De-
ceit seemed absolutely foreign to her nature, and
yet she had stated to her husband those strange
and awful falsehoods. She had not. when daily
l called and prayed with her, given me the
slightest hint, will not say of such accusations
but even that there was any serious family diff
Guilty. She had suddenly, in December, called
me and my wife to II consultation as to possible
separation from her husband, still leaving me
ignorant that she had put into his hands such
L
the double consciousness of sanity
woman committing a very needless treach
not for moment feel, however, that she
was blameworthy, would ordinarily be
thought but supposed that she had been
overborne by weakness and shattered in mind
until she scarcely knew what she did, and was
no longer responsible for her acts. My
soul went out to her in pity. l blamed my
thought that all this had been the result of her
undue affection for me. had profound feeling
that | would bear any blame and take any pun
ishment if that poor child could only emerge from
this cloud and be put back into the happiness from
which had been, as thought, If not the cause,
the occasion of withdrawing her. If my
own daughter had been in a similar case my
grief at her calamity could scarcely have
been greater. Moreover, from the anger
and fury of Mr. Tilton, | apprchended that this
charge. made by him and supported by the
accusation of his wife. was to be at once
publicly pressed against me- and If it was
l had nothing but my simple word of denial to
interposc against it. In my then morbid condi-
ton OF mind thought that this charge although
entirely untrue might result in great disaster, il
not in absolute ruin, to the great interests which
were entirely dependent upon me-the church
which l had bnit up, the book which was
writing, my own immediate family, my brothers
name, now engaged in the ministry my sisters,
the name which had hoped might live after me
and be in some slight degree source of strength
and encouragement to those who should succeed
me- and, above all, the cause for which had de-
voted my life seemed imperiled. 1t seemed to
me that my life-work was to end abruptly and In
disaster. NV earnest desire to avoid a public ac-
cusation and the evils which must necessarily
flow from it, aud which now have resulted from
it, has been one of the leading motives that must
explain my action during these four years
with reference to this matter. 1t was in such a
sore-dlstressed condition that MoultoH found
me- His manner was kind. However, he con-
sdered that had been seeking T'ltons down
fall; that had leagued with Mr. Bowen against
him, and, by my advice. came near destroying
his family. did not need any argument or per-
suasion to induce me to DO and say anything
which would remedy the injury of which then
believed had certainly been the occasion, II not
the active cause; but Moulton urged that, having
wronged Tilton SO, the wrong meant his means
of support suddenly taken away, his reputation,
his family destroyed, and that had done it. He
assured me of his own knowledge that the stories
which had heard of Tiltons impurities of life,
and which had believed and repeated to Bowen,
were all false and that Tilton had been faithful
to his wife, ! was persuaded into the be-
lief of what he said, and felt convinced of
the HlAnuef In It's nleAllCst form. lie drew u pic
ture of Titon wronged in reputation, position,
and purse, shattered In his family, where he would
otherwise have found a refuge, and at the same
time looking upon me out of his deep distress;
while was Astounding in friends most popular,
and with ample means. He drew the picture Of
my prosperity. overlooking and Astounding and
Tiltons utter degradation was most intensely
excited. Indeed. / felt that my mind was in
danger Of giving away; walked up and down the
room pouring forth my heart In the most nnre-
strained grief and bitterness Of selfaccusation.
telling what my Ideas were of the obligation Of
friendship and of the sacredncss Of the house
hold; denying. however, an Intentional wrong,
saying that, II l had been the cause, however
remotely of that which / then beheld never
could forgive myself and heaping all the blame
on my head. The case as 1t then appeared to
my eyes was strongly against me. My old friend
and fellow worker had been dispossessed OF his
eminent place and influence, and had cOunseed
it; his family had well-nigh been broken up,
and had advised it; his wife had been long sick
and broken In health and body, and !, as fully
by continuing that blind heedessness and friend
ship which had beguiled her heart and had reused
her husband into fury of jealousy, although not
should codly' defend myself; should pour in.
dignatiOn upon this lady; should hold her up
to contempt Ne having thrust her affections upon
me unsought; should tread upon the man and
his household in their great adversely. gave
vent to my feelings without measure. l dis
claimed with great earnestness any intent to
harm Theodore in his home or his business and
with inexplicabe sorrow both blamed and de-
Tended Mrs. Tilton in one breath.
Mr.. Moulton was apparently affected by my
soliloquy. for it was that rather than CONVERSE
tion. He said that If Tilton could really be per-
suade9 of the friendliness of my feelings toward
him he was sure that there would be no trouble in
procuring reconciliation. gave him leave to
state to Theodore my feelings He proposed that
should write n letter. l declined, but said that
he could report our interview. He then prepared
to make a memorandum of the talk, and sat down
at my table and took down, as supposed, cor
densed report of my talk, for went still pour
ing out my wounded feelings over the great DESC
ation In Titon s family. II was not a dictation
of sentence after sentence, he mere amanuensis.
and composing for him. Mr.. Mouton was put
ting into his own shape parts of that which was