The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-24

On arriving at the house asked Mrs Tilton to
step into the front parlor where we two were |
alone. then put the question to her: "Eliza- |
beth, did you tell Mr. Beecher that when you |
made your confession to your husband of your |
in6deity with Beecher, your husband at the |
same time made confession to you of his own |
infidelity with other women?" / said, II want |
to know if this is true for my own satisfaction"
She answered: Eyes" L then stepped with |
her into the back parlor, where her husband |
was waiting, and said to him: "Your wife |
says that she did tell Beecher that you COMES
sed your infidelty with other women, at the
time she made her confession to you" Eliza
beth Immediately said why, no, didn't tell
you so. I could not have understood YOUR
question, because it isn't, true that Theodore
ever made any such confession, and 1 didn't
state ii to Mr.. Beecher, because it is not true"
1 was very much shocked and surprised at the
denial, but of course could say nothing more
and did say nothing more upon that subject
and left aud went home. The next morning |
received the following letter from Mrs Tilton,
without date, so that am unable to give the
exact date of this transaction; but know it was
after the tripartite covenant.
Dear Francis Il did tell yon two falsehoods
at your last visit. At first entirely misunder-
stood your question, thinking you had refer
ence to the interview at your house, the day be-
fore. But when intelligenty replied to you,
replied falsely. l will now put myself on re-
cord truthfully.
L told Mr.. B. that at the time of my confess
sion I. had made similar confessions to me of
himself, but no developments as to persons
When you then asked, for your own satisfac-
tion,-"Was it sop told my second lie. After
you had left, SAID to T., you know | was
obliged to lie to Frank, and now say, rather
than make others suffer as 1 now do, 1 must
lie: for it is physical impossibility for me to
tell the truth"
Yet do think, Francis, had not IT'S angry
troubled face been before me, would have told
you the truth
am perfect coward in his presence, not
from any fault of his perhaps but from long
years of tmidity.
l implore you, as this is side issue, to be
careful not to lead me into further terapta-
ton.
You may show this to 7. or Mr.. B., or any
one. An effort made for truth.
Wretchedly, ELIZABETH.
This letter was wholly unsatisfactory to me,
because nothing had occurred the day previous
to which she could possibly have referred AT
ter the publication, on the I'd day of November
| 1872, in Woodruff and Claflin's Weekly, of the
story of Tilton and Beecher's conduct, in rela
tion to Mrs. Tilton, and as my name was men
toned in the article as one possessing peculiar
| knowledge upon the whole subject, l was con-
tlnually asked by my acquaintance, and even
| by strangers, upon their ascertaining who i
was, whether that publication was true; and
| found great difficulty III making an answer.
| refusal on my part to answer would have
| been taken to be confession of the truth of
the charges. Therefore, when people inquired
who had no right to my confidence, l answered
| them in such phrases as, without making d.
rect statement, would lead them to infer that
| the charges could not be sustained. In some
| cases doubt not that the inquirers supposed
that l, in fact, denied their truth; but upon
| that point was very studious not directly to
| commit myself. Finding that my very silence
was working injury to the cause of the sup
preston OF the scandal, told Titon that wish
| ed to be authorized by his wife to deny it. [
thought it certainly could not possibly be true
| to the extent, and IN the circumstances with
| the breadth, in which it was stated in that
newspaper. Soon after received the following
| paper:
| Mr.. Mouton:-
My Dear Friend-For my husbands sake
and my chidren's hereby testify, With all my
woman's soul, that am innocent of the crime
of impure conduct alleged against me. l have
| been to my husband trua wife; in his love [
! wish to live and die. My early affection still
buns with its maiden flame; all the more for
what he has borne for my sake, both private
and public wrongs. His plan to keep back
scandals long ago threatened against me new
| er approved and the result shows it unavail-
| ing; but few would have risked so much as he
has sacrificed for others ever since the conspir-
acy began against him two years ago.
Having had power to strike others, he, has
| foreborne to use it, and allowed himself to be
| injured instead No wound is SO great to me as
the imputation that he is among my aecusers
| bless him every day for his faith in me which
swerves not, and for standing my champion
against all my accusers.
| ELIZABETH R. TILroN
Upon the strength of that thereafterwards
| said that Mrs. Tilton denied the story. About
the 10th of December, 1872, Mr.. Carpenter and
| DIR. Storrs undertook to look up the reports,
| with the Intention as l understood of advis-
ing some public statement, or as being con-
cerned in some investigation of the matter
aud Mrs Titon wrote for them the following
paper:
MRS. TILToN's STATEMENT.
December 16, 1872.
| In july 1870, prompted by my duty, in
formed my husband that FL. w. Beecher, my
| friend and pastor, had solicited me to be wife
| to him, together with all that this implied
Six months afterwards my husband felt i'm
| peLed by the circumstances of conspiracy
| against him, in which Mrs. Beecher had taken
part, to have an interview with Mr.. Beecher
In order that Mr.. B. might know exactly
what had said to my husband, l wrote brief
statement Il have forgotten in what form),
| which my husband showed to MIR. Beecher
| Late the same evening Mr. b. came to me
dying very sick at the time,, and filled me
with distress, saying l had ruined him-and
| wanted to know if meant to appear against
him. This certainly did not mean to d. and
the thought was agonzing to me. 1 then
| signed paper which he wrote, to clear him in
case of trial. In this instance, as in most
others, when absorbed by one great interest or
| feeling, the harmony OF my mind is entirely
disturbed, and found on reflection that this
| paper was SO drawn as to place me most I'M
| justly against my husband and on the side of
Mr.. Beecher So in order to repair so cruel a
blow to my long suffering husband, wrote an
| explanation of the first paper, and my sigma
ture. Mr.. Moulton procured from b. the state
ment which gave to him in my agitation aud
| excitement, and now holds it, This ends my
connection with the case.
| ELIZABETH r. TlLroN.
| P. S. This statement is made at the request
OF Mr. Carpenter, that it may be shown copfi-
dentally to DR.. Storrs and other friends, with
| whom my husband and are consulting
| This paper was delivered to me, and the
| theory OF the confession then was that ldr
| and Mrs. Titon should admit no more than
the solicitation; but that endeavor to make an
| explanation OF the business fell through, and
after it was shown to those Interested as l
was told the paper remained with me. re
ceived no further communication from Mrs
Tilton until the 25th of June of this year (1S74)
and that communication came 10 me in this
wlse When Tilton showed me his DR.. Bacon
letter, most strongly and earnestly advised
against its publication, and said to him in SUBJ
stance, that, while l admitted the wrong and
injustice of DR.. Bacon's charges, that he {Mr.
! L. had lived by the magnanimty of Beecher
| and that he was dog and q knaye, when be-
| lieved he had acted a proper and manly part
in endeavoring toshield his family, yet that its
publication would so stir the public MUD that
an investigation would be forced upon him and
| Beecher in some manner which L could not
then foresee, and that the truth would in all
probability have to come out or so much of it
that Mrs. Tilton and Beecher would be dis
honored and destroyed, and he himself be SUBJ
| jected to the severest criticism. Notwithstand-
ing my ADVICE, he was so wrought up with the
continued assaults upon him by the friends of
Beecher that he determined on the publication
| of the letter. He said to me, in substance,
| that as the course had advised in the matter
in regard to The church investigation had been
SO completely set aside by Beecher's friends
and they had so far ignored all propositions
coming from me as to the best mode of dispos-
ing of the matter. they evidently did not any
longer intend to be guided by my counsel or
wishes; and if Beecher and his friends set me
aside in the matter, he (Mr. t. could see no
reason why he should any longer yield to my
entreaties or follow my lead. The only modi
fication that was able to get of the Bacon let
ter was this: st originally read that. Beecher
had committed against him and his family
"a revolving crime" / insisted that that
should be changed into can offence committed
against me, which was done, and the letter
was published in that form.
NI.ar I, snI, I'll