Daily Kennebec journal., 1874-07-22

continued friendship with Mrs. Elizabeth X.
Tilton, for whose native delicacy and extreme
religious sensibility he often expressed to her
husband high admiration, visiting her from
time to time for years until the year 1870,
when, for reasons hereinafter stated. he ceas-
ed such visits, and during which period, by
many tokens and attentions, he won the af-
fectionate love of Mrs. Tilton, who after long
moral resistance by her and after repeated as
saults by him upon her mind with overmaster-
ing arguments accomplished the possession of
her person, maintaining with her thencef0r-
ward, during the period hereinafter stated
the relation called criminal intercourse; this
relation being regarded by her during that
period as not criminal or morally wrong, such
had been the power Of his arguments as q
clergyman to satisfy her religious scruples
against such violation of virtue and i0nor.
Fourth, h,-That on the ever ,,ns OF Oct 10Th,
1868, or thereabouts, Mrs. Elizabeth II. Til
ton held an interview with Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher at his residence, she being then in a
tender state of mind, owing to the recent
death and burial of young child and during
this interview an act of criminal commerce
took place between this pastor and his parish
oner, the motive on her part being, as herein
before stated not regarded by her at the time
criminal or wrong-which act was followed
by a similar act of criminality between these
same parties at Mr.. Tilton's residence during
a pastorate visit paid by Mr.. Beecher to her
on the subsequent Saturday evening, followed
also by other similar acts on various occa-
sions from the autumn of 1868 to the spring
of 1870, the places being the two residences
aforesaid and occasionally other places which
her pastor would invite and accompany her.
or at which he would meet her by previous
appointments. These acts of wrongdoing on
her part, from the first to last, not wanton or
consciously wrong, but arising through a
binding of her moral perceptions occasioned
by the powerful Influence excited on her mind
at that time to this end by Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher as her trusted religious prcceptor
and guide.
Fifh,-That the pastoral visits by the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher to Mrs. Tilton
during the year 1868 became so frequent as
to excite comment, being in marked contrast
with his known habits of making few pastoral
calls On his parishoncrs, which frequency in
Mrs. Titon's case is shown in letters written
TO her husband during his absence in the
West, the letters giving evidence that during
the period Of five or six weeks twelve differ
ent pastoral calls on Mrs. Tilon were made
by Rev. Henry Ward Bcecher, which calls
became notcably infroqucnt ON Mr.. Tilton's
return to his home.
Sixth,-That previous to the aforesaid
criminal intimacy, one of the reasons which
Mrs. Tilton alleged for her encouragement of
such exceptional attentions from the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher was the fact that she
had been much distressed with rumors against
his moral purity and wished to convince him
that she could receive bis kindness and yet
resist his solicitations and that she could in
spre in him by her purity and fidelity an in
Cd 60 tba ol,o Of
manhood. Previous to the autumn of 1865
she maintained with christian irmness to-
wards her pastor this position Of resistance,
always refusing his amorous pleas which were
strong and oft repeated, and in a letter to her
husband dated Feb. Sd, 1868, she wrote as
follows:
"To love is praisew orthy, but to abuse the
gift is sin. Here am strong; no demonstra-
tons or destinations could cause me to yield
my womanhoed."
Seventh, h,-That the first suspicion which
crossen the mind of Theodore Tilton that
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was abusing or
might abuse the affection reverence which
Mrs. Tilton bore towards her pastor was an
improper caress given by Mr.. Beecher to
Mrs. Titon by the ? while
seated by her side upon the floor of his libra
ry overlooking engravings. Mr.. Tllton a
few hours afterwards asked of his wife an ex-
planation of her permission Of such liberty,
whereat she at first denied the fact, but then
confessed it and said that she had spoken
chidingly to Mr.. Beecger concerning it. On
another occasion Mr.. Tilton, after leaving his
house in early morning, returning'to it in the
forenoon, and on going to his bed chamber,
found the door locked, and when on knocking
the door was opened by Mrs. Titon. Mr..
Beecher was seen within, apparently much
confused and exhibiting flushed face. Mrs.
Tilton afterwards made plausible explana-
ton, which from the confidence reposed in
her by her husband was deemed by him salts
factory.
Eighth, THAT in the spring Of 1870, on Mr..
Tiltons return from winters absence, he
noticed in his wife such evidences of the ab-
sorption of her mind on Mr.. Beecher that in
a short time an estrangement took place be-
tween her husband and herself, in conse-
quence Of which she went into the country
earlier than usual for a summer scjourn. AT
ter an absence of several weeks she volun
tarily returned to her home in Brooklyn on
the evening of July 81, 1870, when and then
and there, within few hours after her arriv.
al, and after exacting from her husband a
solemn promise that he would do the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher no harm nor commun-
cate to him what she was about to say, she
made a Circumstantial confession to her hus-
band of the criminal facts hereinbefore stated,
accompanied with citations from Mr. Beech
er's arguments and reasonings with her to
overcome her long maintained scruples
against yielding to his desires and declaring
that she had committed no wrong to her hus-
band or marriage vow, quoting in support Of
this opinion that her pastor had repeatedly
assured her that she was spotless and chastc
which she believed herself to be. She furth
er stated that her sexual commerce with him
had never proceeded from low or vulgar
thoughts either on her part or his, but always
for pure affection and a high religious love.
She stated furthermore that Mr.. Beecher
habitnally characterized their intimacy by the
term "Nest hiding, hand he would suffer
pain and sorrow if his hidden secret were ev-
er make known. She said that her mind was
often burdened by the deceit necessary for
her to practice 10 order to prevent discovery,
and that her conscience had many times i'm
PEELED her to throw off this burden of enforc-
cd falsehood by making full confession to
her husband so that she would no longer be
living before him perpetual liar. In par
ticular she said that she had been on the point
of making the confession few month previ
Gus during a severe illness, and she feared
she might die. She affirmed also that Mr..
RsenLar had tol1 hpr : ,b,t ha