The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-08-29
THE PLYMOUTH CHURCH SHAME.

4 futuTc historians Viii chronicle rs lnTCc O
the great events of the year \. D. 1874, tho
transit Of Venus, the appearance Of Coggia's
comet, and the downfall of Beecher While
they are not events of equal importance tc
mankind, each has its peculiar weight as Il
remarkable occurrencein its peculiar sphere
The passing Of the planet Venus between the
earth and the sun it is hoped by astronomers
will better enable us to calculate the size and
distance of the various planetary bodies in
our solor system; the sudden coming and de-
parture of the comet may give US some more
reliable data from which to judge of the
length Of the orbits and periodical rcvolu-
inarcs, the downfall of Beccher is only
another proof that, alas. eve are all poor
critters ana born to SIN.
In assuming that BeeCher has fallen, we
/ jump at no hasty conclusion; we have evil
dcnce such as we consider positive proof as
! reliable as if Becchcr, the pastor-thc good
shepherd-and Mrs Tilton, the innocent lamb
of the flock, had been caught in the very act,
or, tldgrdn!c deiictu rs the lawyers say Beech
er's letters alone are sufficient to condemn
him Mrs. Tilton's gushing etfusons to Til
ton are proofs of guilt in themselve, - say
nothing of her confession, which she retract-
cd under the persuasive cloqucIce OF her be
loved pastor, while she was on "A sick bed and
scarcely knew what she did, rs she pretcnds
waS the case in her rclraction of her retrac-
ton. In her first confession she acknowledges
repeated criminal acts with Bcccher, and she
frankly confessed the same thing TO MCulton,
the mutual friend" She denied making
this admission of her guilt in Tilton's pres
ence, and then subsequently wrote note
to Moulton acknowledging that She had
lied about it.
Beecher, too, Stultifies and contradicts him
self repeatedly, and makes most impotcnt
and contemplate defence His black mail
theory is of all things most helplessly weak.
Innocence is brave, and cannot be blaCkmail.
cd. Guilt is cowardly and flies at ever posi-,
bility of danger or hint of detection. Nothing
is more true than the lines from Scripture,
that The wicked flee when no man pursucth,
while the righteous are bold as lion" If
BecChcr was innocent, why suffer himself to
be biackmailed? With an income of about
$4,000 per annum how comes il that he had
to mortgage his house TO raise 1000 for Til
ION? He did RAISE this money, and it went
into the stock OF Tilton's Goide@ Age. So
Moul,on and BccCher both testify, and Moul-
ton further says that Tilton never knew this
fact unit! the last ten days Bcechcr knew
that this money was paid to help Tilton along,
and also with the knowledge that Tilton
would have scorncd to solicit it from Becchcr
even as a loan, hence it was paid in secretly
as MoultOn's money. BeeChcr did this in
hopes that the injured Tilton would find his
financial success some measure of relief
against the tOrturcs from the terrible domcs.
tic wrongs which he had suffered from Beech
er's basencss, and thus keep his mouth closed
and Beechcr's secret safe from the world If
any one attempted blackmail in this Ply.
mouth church nastncss il was the exalted
pastor, Henry Ward B"echer.
II Beecher was innocent, how did that rev.
eIcnd fraud come 10 write such "A mourntul
sentence as, Does God look down from
Heaven on three unhappIer creatures that
more need iricnd:" Here he referred to
Mrs Tilton, Mr. Titon and himself and the
friend Of course was The mutual lricnd."I
Moulton.
Beecher even threatened suicide. He also
acknowledged having TO suffer the tormcnts
of the damned to say nothing of living on
the sharp and ragged edges of anxiety, H.
nurse, fear and despair, and yet put on the
appearance Of serenity and happiness" and
adds that this cannot be endured much lon
ger" In the word rcmor>e the italics are
ours How can an innocent man suffer "rc-
morse" I'm innocent man has little TO fear"
and need never despair" He even offered
to resign the pastorShIp Of his churcn and
"stcp down and out"
If Bcechcr is innocent, wha, caused him 10
write to Moulton letter, the gcnuincncs, Of
which has never been contradicicd. Il a,S.
through you, Theodore Tilton'- forgiveness,
and humble myself before him a. Do De.
fore my God lie would have been q better
man in my circumstance Than have been.
! can ask nothing, except that hr viii rc-
member al the Other breast. that would ache