Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-08-06
WHOLE NO. 1857.

heard what she had to say, but di,
not. L made mention Of the matte
through the columns of the Advance
| was writing editorial correspon
dence from New York, and, as
have said, | felt sure the scands
would come out sooner or later. s.
in passing | mentioned it in my let
ties. DR.. p read extracts from hi
letters on the subject, and also from
an editorial in the AdUance Of Jan
| 30, 1872, entitled mistaken Silence.
DR.. Patton then goes on TO say |:
When | wrote that editorial | con
sidered my duty at an end. | haC
done what | could and all that
could. Of course afterward there
was mention Of the matter in the col
umns Of the Aduance, but it was only
Incidental. found that none of The
UNCONVENTIONAL papers followed m,
in urging the investigation, and i
was finally dropped.
Reporter - Were these stories
against Beecher Of which you spel /
known by others besides yourself, o
your denomination, that you know
of?
DR.. P. OH yes. DR.. Bacon knew
them-that is, he knew that such
stories were in circulation in Brook
Ign. | suppose there were none, OF
at least very few, who actually knew
the exact facts in the case. That
was why always urged that Mr.
Beecher should court an investiga,
ton. For, | reasoned, should the
church demand an investigation, and
should that exonerate him, ther
would it be justifying one in whom
there was the fullest confidence. Ii
was due the church, | thought, that
this should be done. Well, you
know something of the Brooklyn
council, to which we have referred.
| was a member of that council. |
suppose you real the report of its
commjttee-one of the most labored
papers | ever had anything to dc
with preparing. You will see how
labored its expression is, and how
only such matters were mentione &c
as were actually before the council
Dir. Bacon was Chairman of the com
mittee chosen to prepare the report
| [ was, as | have animated, a mem
| Der of that committee. | may say
also that the most important portion
OF the work of that Brooklyn Coun.
Gil was transacted while it was il
secret session. AS | stated before
DR.. Bacon was in the possession o.
the same facts | was. How | came
to know this SO we'll is because hC
and | had a long conversation cor.
cernIng the matter, during the sit
tings OF the council. As you are
probably aware, DIR. Bacon is pro-
lessor in the Yale Theological Semin-
airy, and Mr.. Beecber has been de-
livering lectures before the students
and faculty of administration. Now,
DR.. Bacon and myself took opposite
Vows concerning this case. DR..
Bacon bell eyed Beecher entirely in
nocent. DR.. Bacon was editor OF the
INDEPENDENT for ten or twelve years
when Theodore Tlton occupied a
subordinate position on the same pa
per. Then Dr. Bacon had an oppor-
tunity of knowing little about Til
ton. He believed him man of no
religion, no morals, no character, and
totally unfit to be member of the
Christian church. Then, on the
other hand, there was Mr., Beooher.
DR.. Bacon was associated in some
measure with Mr.. Beecher at New
Haven. He heard him lecture, and
preach, and pray, and exhort, and
talk about high moral character, and
so on, and the old Doctor couldn't
believe the accusations brought
against Beeeher. He, himself, said
in the secret meetings of the council
about the charge: "If that be true,
this is the most stupendous piece of
hypocrisy in the worlds history"
He believed Beecher guilty of moth
ing more than mere imprudence, or
at the worst an indiscretion, Of which
any clergyman, or any one, might
be guilty. This he believed could
be shown, and that was what irritat
ed him all the more, when Plymouth
Church wouldn't have an investiga-
ton. He was we'll aware that if it
was merely an indiscretion with
which Beecher was charged, he could
easily haze been pro0en innocent. And
the disposition on the part OF Mr..
Beecber and his church not to have
an inquiry into the matter was a
source of great annoyance TO him. A
member of the council, when in Sc
cret session, suggested that as they
could not proceed to investigate the
case unless Plymouth Church re-
spo ded, they had better go on and
consider the question of dropping .
member, under charges, from the
church ROLL without trial, as an abb
stract question. made speech IN
which [ stated two points. They
were, that no judge, jury or lawyers
assembled in court to discuss and
decide abstract questions that they
had not been sent there to act in
that manner, but that their purpose
was to decide Tilton's case there
was an absolute necessity for them
TO decide the case, not abstractly,
but in relation to the church and
man in question and 10 that way IT
was voted by large majority.
You can readily perceive how DIR.
Bacon came to figure afterward 80
prominently in the case. DR.. Bacon
held Tilton and his views in utter
contempt. He commenced the pub
LEGATION OF those articles, which final-
ly goaded Tilton on to making these
charges. AS | said before, nothing
has come out in these Investigations
a0hich has startled me.
DR.. Bacon unfolded to me his plan,
and showed me some of his papers
IN tho suhiaot nf the council | was