Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-08-28

again of his great surprise that Elizabeth shoulC
| have made the confession of his criminal com
meree ,li with her to her husband without lsttin!
| him know anything about it, making his destruc
tion at any moment possible and without warn
| ing to him. lie expressedhis great grief at thi
wrong which he had done as a minister ant
4 friend to Theodore, and at his request, MoultoI
| took pen and paper and Beecher dictated to hin
| the paper known as g the apology all of which
| was in MOulton's handwriting except the words
II have trusted this to Moulton in confidence,
and the signature, which latter were in Mr.
| Beecher's.
Mr. Moulton says this was intrusted to him il
confidence, to be shown only to Tilton. 1t hat
reference to no other fact or act than the comics
sion of sexual relations between Beecher an(
Mrs. Tilton, which he at that interview confessed
| and that he had also at subsequent interviews
unquallfedly confessed that he had been guilty
of adultery with Mrs. Tilton, and always in
| spirit of deep grief and sorrow at the enormity
| of the crime he had committed against Mr.. Til
| toms family. AT such times he would speak
with much feeling of the relation which he had
| sustained toward them as pastor, spiritual ad
| wiser and trusted friend. His self-condemnatior
! at the ruin he had wrought under such circum
stances was full and complete, and at times he
| was so bowed down with grief in consequence oi
the foul wrong he had done that he threatened to
| put an end to his life.
| In that interview BeecheI was very earnest in
/ his expressions of regret at what had been done
| against Tilton in relation to his business con-
| nection with Bowen and besought Moulton to do
/ anything he could to save him from the destruc-
| ton which would come upon him if the story OF
|
| should be divulged
| In compliance with the directions of Beecher,
| JAM 1, 1871, he took the paper which Beecher
| had dictated to him to TiltOn, detailed to him
| Beecher's expressions of regret and sorrow,
spoke to him of his agony of mind and again ap-
| pealed to him to have the whole matter kept
quiet if for no other reason, for the sake of the
| children. To this Tilton assented
Mr.. MoultOn then gives full history of Tilton s
| claim against Bowen, of the independent, for
damages for cancellation of the contract for edi-
al md hp mt Of IN
by arbitrators, resulting in the payment to Hilton
| of ST. 600. After the above settlement the paper
known as the - tripartite agreement was signed
| by Bowen and Tilton, and subsequently by
Beecher.
In the form in which it was drawn it bound the
parties to say nothing OF any wrong done or Of
fense committed by Beecher, and fully eXonerated
him therefrom. After Bowen had signed it. it
was handed to Titon to sign, and he refused. He
was willing to sign an agreement never to repeat
again the charges of Bowen, saying that II for
no other reason, if the matter should thereafter
ever come to light it would appear that there had
been something between Beecher and Mrs. Til
ton, and it might be used as evidence to the in
jury of himself and family, as well as of Beecher
and, therefore, it not for the interest of
either TiltOu or Beecher to sign it in the form
first proposed.
From the time of the tripartite covenant moth
ing occurred to disturb the relations between
Beecher, TiltOn and Bowen, or either OF them,
until the publication in Woodruff Dc CtGf5an'S
Weekly of the elaborate story concerning the So
cial relations between Beecher, Tilton and Mrs.
Tilton. After that publication appeared it again
came to the knowledge of Beecher that Bowen
was making declarations derogatory to his char
acter. This was followed by the publication of
the trpartite covenant, which was done by Samuel
WilkesOn. Beecher was not party to Its publ
cation, nor knew anything about it,
Another curious complication OF the relations
of the parties arose from the publication by Mrs
Woodruff of the story in her journal. 1t is mat
ter of public notorety that Mrs. Isabella Beecher
Hooker, the sister of BeeCher, had espOused the
cause of Mrs. Woodruff on the question OF
woman's suffrage and had been accused still fur
ther of adopting her social tenets. Beechers re-
lations to Mrs. Tlton had been communicated to
her. This had been made subject of communi-
after the publication by Mrs Woodruff, Mrs.
Hooker addressed the famous letter to her broth
er, in which she implored him to confde the
whole truth to her.
Then follows the letter from Rev. Thomas K.
Beecher to Mrs. Hooker in which he says that he
respected Mrs. Woodruff but abhorred her PM
losophy, and that she was only carrying out
Henry's philosophy against which L recorded
my protest twenty years ago. and parted lovingly
and achingly from m hin him. saying I'VE c ednnGt hnn9
ened like a crystal, till | am sharp-cornered and
eXacting."
Mr. Moulton saw Mr.. Beecher, conversed about
these letters at various times, and Beecher SAID
he was apprehensive that his sister in her anX-
iety that he should do his duty in presenting this
truth as she understood it, and in protecting
Mrs. Woodruff from the consequences OF having
published the truth, from which she was then
suffering, would go into his pulpit and insist on
declaring that the Woodruff publication was
substantially true. Moulton suggested that he
should see Mrs. Hooker, speak to her kindly
and eXhort her not to take this course; and that
Tilton should see her, and so far shake her
confidence in the truth of the story as to in
duce her to doubt whether she would be safe in
making the statement public. In this course
Beecher agreed, and such arguments and induce
ments were brought to bear upon Mrs. HOOKER
as were likely to prevent her from doing that
which would have certainly brought on
an exposure of the whole business. During the
between BeoChor
to the means of meeting Mrs. HOoker's 1nten-
tiOns no suggestion was ever made on the part
of Beecher that his sister was then, or had been
at any other time, insane. Beecher was exceed
ingly anxious that Tilton should repudiate the
statement published by Woodruff, and denounc-
ing her for its publication.
Beecher asked Moulton to say to Tilton sub
stanttally: Theodore may for his own purpose,
if he choose, say that all his misfortune has come
upon him on account of his dismissal from the
Union and the Independent; and on account OF
the offense which 1 committed against him he
may take the position against me and Bowen that
he does Yet the fact is that his advocacy of
Mrs. Woodruff and her theories has done him
the injury which prevents his rising Now, in
order to get support from me and from Plymouth
Church. and in order to obtain the sympathy OF
the whole community, he must publish card de-
nying the allegations of Mrs. Woodruff and un-
less he does it he cannot rise.'' He also saldthe
same thing to Tilton in Moulton's presence.
To this Tilton answered, in substance. to Beech
er: g You know why sought Mrs. Woodhull's s
acquaintance. 1t was to save my family and
yours from the consequences Of your acts, the
facts about which had become known to her.
They have now been published, and l will not de-
nounce that woman to save you from the conse-
quences of what you yourself have done,
After Moulton had carried to Mr.. I1lton the
paper of apology which referred to Beecher's
adultery, and had received assurances that all
between TiltOn and Beecher should be kept
quiet, Moulton conveyed the information to
Beecher, who was profuse in his expressions OF
thankfulness and gratitude.
Mr. Moulton here states that Mrs Morse, the
mother-n-law of Mr.. Tilton, who from time
to time an inmate of his family in Livingston
street, had, as he had been informed both by Mr..
and Mrs. TiltOn, learned from her>daughter the
criminal relationship existing between 6eechef
and herself and who could not understand why
that matter had been settled, and VINO mad not
been told how it had been adjusted, and who had
had a most bitter quarrel with I1lton' accusing
what fortune he had, and who had called upon
Beecher about the relations between Tilton and
Mrs. TiltOn, and who had, as Beechef had IN
formed him (Moulton), filed the minds Of Mrs.
Beecher and himself with stories OF 1IIton mn
deity and improper conduct to his wife, wrote a
letter to Mr.. Beecher; under date OF Jan 2I lo9i,
in which letter Mrs M. speaks Of the suffering IN
Mr. Tilton's family. and especially of neglect and
want endured by Mrs. T. She says:
s:Neither Mrs B., yourself, nor can have done
ANYTHING to ameliorate her condition. She has
been for the last three weeks with one very 1ndl-
ferent Girl. T. has sent the Others away, leaving
my sick and distracted child to care 1or al 1our
children night and day, without fires in the fur
mace or ANYTHING like comfort or nourishment in
fine house She has not seen any one. He says
She is mourning for her sim If this be SO, one
twentv-four hours under this sheet / think is
enough to atone for lifelong SIM however helm
Gus. | know that any change in his affairs would
bring more trouble upon her and more suffering.
| / did not think for a moment when asked Mrs.
| r as to your call there, supposing she knew it,
| of course. as she said you would not go there
without her. l was innocent (sic) OF max
any You say, keep quiet. have all through
! her married life done SO, and we now see
our error (sic). 1t has brought him to, destruc-
ton, made me utterly miserable, turned me from
| a comfortable home and brought his own family
/ to beggary l don't believe, if his honest debts
were paid, he would have enough to buy their