Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-09-04

of reading to newspaper men, personal
| friends and to others, without, it s would
| how anxious he professed himself to be not to
make known his secret, the ofense was stated 10
be improper advances. The further fact that M
| ton treated the matter during four years as an
| offense which could be properly apologized ior
| and forgiven is wholly inconsistent with the
charge in its present form. Mr. 1lton IN ms
abused his clifton 81 forgiveness. 1t is beIleved
| that no case of adultery on record can be pro-
| duced where an injured husband, upon learning
Of his wife's infdelity, kept the fact to himself
| for six months and then, after private complaint
| to the offending party. received and accepted an
apology for the offense and declared 1t forgiven,
| and this followed by restoration of courtesies
| and of friendship. That the so-called
apology was not for the main o 4;1Ia
| clearly proves in his cross-examination when
| he states that the day after the apology was pro-
| cured, when he met Mr. Beecher at Mr.. Moulton
| room, he (Beecher) "burst out in an expression
of great sorrow to me and said he hoped the COM
| munication which he had sent me by Mr.. Moul-
| ton was satisfactory to me; lie then am and there
| much as some others had-referring to his wife,
who had made statements to Mr.. Bowen that
| ought to be unmade-and he there volunteered to
| write letter to Mr.. Bowen correcting the facts
which he had misstated.'' Here, say the
| committee, is clear light as to what the
apology does not refer to. 1t disposes of the
apology forever as paper referring to adultery
| 1t refers to nothing of the Kind. If the wrong
| done to which Mr.. Beecher refers was adultery,
| He had done wrong. not so much as some 9TH
ers?'' Those words and the apology suscept-
| BILE of but one constructlon-they refer, as Mr..
| Beecher says, to his deep regret for statements
| which he and his wife had, under certain infOr-
| nation, a few days before made to Mr.. Bowen
| which led him toexecute purpose already enter
| tanned of removing Tilton from the Brooklyn
| Union and the Independent. 1t appears also
| that the next day Mr.. Beecher did write letter
to write, and which is referred to in Titons bust
| ness troubles with Bowen. Next consider Moul-
toms course with view of still further testing
what was in his mind, as well as in Tilton's as to
| the Character of the offense If MouIton under.
stood the charge to be adultery, then he is emit
tied to the credit of invention discovery that
this crime could be the subject of an apology and
ready forgiveness or Cancellation the part of
the offender and the injured husband. That
Moulton did not believe or understand that the
offense was adultery is shown by the same class
of evidence that has been stated in reference to
Tilton.
In reply to Mr.. Beecher's letter of June 1, 1875
in which he says his mind was clear, and that he
| should write for the public statement that
| would bear the light of the judgment day, Mr.
MoultOn first wrote these words s. If the truth
| must be spoken let it be. know you can stand
| if the whole case was published tomorrow"
Apparently fearing this might rather tend to de-
| termine Mr.. BeeLher to publish the whole case
| than otherwise, he crossed out these and other
| lines with pencil and commenced anew. In
| this new effort on the same paper these words
occur: You can stand if the whole were
| The committee say Moulton was right in this
statement and that the pity is that Mr.. Beecher
did not publish such statement at once.
The committee here state their conclusion that.
| in view OF the facts and circumstances before
| them, the original charge of impure advances
was false, though 1t had been dropped by the ac-
| cusers and adultery had been substituted as an
| afterthought The committee brand this per
| torrance as fraud that ought to end all con-
| troversy as to the innocence of Mr. Beecher
| Mr.. Beecher believed that for reasons of malice
| and revenge Mr.. I1lton was preparing tc make
| deadly assault upon him, and it was his supreme
means. Moulton protested to deprecate Tilton's
purpose, and declared ii Mr. Beecher
would trust him he could and would prevents it, and
so now began a series of letters and stems. undnr
| the direction and advice of the diplomatic and
mutual friend having for their object, as Mr..
Beecher believed, the suppression ofthe scandal
| and the restoration in some measure if practi-
| cable, OF Hilton to position of employment
| Speaking OF Mr.. Beccher's letters the commit
tee say much has been said, and not without
| some justice, of their extraordinary words and
tenor, but III interpreting the letters it must be
/ remembered that Mr.. Beecher, under the excite
m mem, OF deep feeling uses strong words and emo
uonal expressions, and that, in this sore trouble
| he was dealing with Mr. Tilton, who had shown
himself at times tickle, malicious, revengeful and
| mercenary. In the light of these facts there is
| not letter from Mr.. Beecher nor an act of his
| however ill-judged, through these four wears of
anxiety and grief that cannot be accounted for
| upon the plain theory that he was fghting to
| suppress an outrageous scandal, which consisted
| OF false accusation against him, made by a rem
utaeIe woman; and further, that he was endeav-
|
| injured in business matters upon representations
which he was made to believe, chiefly by MouI.
| ton, were not well founded.
The committee here alluded to the fact that
| Mrs. Tilton, as her domestic troubles came on, be-
gan to look more than ever to her pastor for SYM
patty and advice, and consider 1t not unlikely
strong as to diminish the proper influence that
| belongs to every good husband.
The committee express regret at two errors into
| which it is apparent Mr.. Beecher fell. They feel
| that in his threatened troubles the pastor should
| have sought counsel from Christian men of his
| own brotherhood rather than rely upon the coun-
| whose character, as the sequel proved, he SO
! sadly misjudged. They also think that
IN view OF the surrounding circumstances Mr.
| tions with the family of Mr.. Titon that there
could be no possibility for fear in his own mind
| even of an undue affection by Mrs. Tilton for him
| through any needless friendship agency of his.
The committee allude to Mr.. Tilton's statement
| before them that his home was one of unusual
it clearly appears that it was anything. but a
! happy or harmonious home They then cite Mrs
| Tiltons evidence on this point, and say her &C.
count of the domestic misery in the Titon family
| is corroborated by the testimony of several wit
nesses, and very fully by Miss Elizabeth A. Tur-
ner, who is now twenty three wears of age and
The committee then ask: VIII innocent men,
and especially clergymen fight as for their lives
to suppress an INJURIOUS scandal, even though it
be born of extortion, falsehood and revenge?
This question had been too often answered by
history i'll the affirmative. It was easy to wonder
that Mr.. Beecher should trust such as Til
ton and Moulton, now that their characters are
known, and the committee felt like visiting the
severest censure upon Mr.. Beecher for imperiling
the precious interests contded to him through the
| confidence reposed in them.
The charge made by the accuser is easily pre-
| ferred and not easily disproved tits not enough
for the accuser to say: 9 make this charge; now
let it be dsproved or be taken as confessed" All
tribunals have required, in determining the truth
or fasiy of such charges, such proof of facts and
the guilt of the accused as are not con-
| sistent with any theory of innocence. The
| committee then cite ''Greenleaf on Evil
| dence' to substantiate the proposition, ard
then go on to say that there is nothing whatever
disclosed by the evidence that proves that the &C
cused parties have ever been found together un-
| der suspicious circumstances, such as in some
unusual house or place, or consulting together IN
| some secret way to avoid exposure and observa-
| spondence Mr.. Beecher's wife testified that she
opened, arranged and read all letters that came
| to her husband, except those that came to the
| Christian Union office and the church, and those
| were opened by others, and hence conclude that
| the usual facts and circumstances indicative of
| wrong-doing utterly wantingin this case. The
| case then rests upon mere words and assertions
| supported by no circumstances whatever that are
| the usual indications of adultery.
Tilton says he knows the fact from his wife's
| confession and from her subsequent confession to
| Moulton and her mother. But Mrs. Tlton says
! this confession was extorted from her by an i'm
| perious malicious husband. and by fraudulent
| means, the pretense being that she must say
| something in order to extricate him from his
business perpexities. She was made to believe
| that there was some conspiracy Matching against
/ her husband. The fact that she withdrew the
charge when Mr.. Beccher first confronted her, on
the evening of Dec. 30, together with the further
| fact that she has ever since denied the truth of
| the charge when free from the dominating in
/ huence> of her husband, referred to and
/ specially commented upon by the committee
| The source of the scandal was the alleged words
| Of Mrs Tilton, which she explains in such a man.
aer rs to deprive the allegation of all force and
| credit.
| Then comes Mr. Beecher, who solemnly declares
| LhA, MhnLnNer words. BIZ MhaicNc Ii ad heen