The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-07-22

such violation Of virtue and honor-tha
on the evening of October 10th, 1868, o
thereabouts, Mrs. f. K. Tilton held al
interview with the Rev. H. w. Beeche
at his residence, she being then in 1
tender state of mind owing to the recen
death and burial of young child, ant
during this interview an act of crimina
commerce took place between this pastor
and this psrishoner, the motive on he
part being, Us hereinbefore stated, no
regarded BY her at the time US criminal oj
wrong, which act WAS followed by simi
lar act of criminality between these same
parties at Tilton's residence during The
pastorate visits paid by Beecher to hel
on subsequent Saturday evenings, follow
ed also BY other similar acts on various
occasions from the Autumn of 1868 to the
Spring of 1870, the places being the tive
residences aforesaid and Occasionall,
other places to which her pastor would
wait and accompany her, or at which hc
would meet her by previous appointment
These acts of wrong, being on her part
from first to last, not wantOn or concleus'
" wicked, but arising through blind,
ing of her moral perceptions, occasloned
BY the powerful influence exerted on her
mind at that time and to this end by tn"
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher as her trust,
cd religious preceptor and guide.
The Frequency.
FOurth---That the pastoral visits made
by the Rev. Ii. W. Bcccher to Mrs. Til.
ton during the year 1868 became So ire,
oucnt rs to excite comment, being III
marked contrast with his known habit
of making few pastoral calls on hi
parishioners, which frequency i'll Mrs.
Tilton's case il shown in the Letters
written to her husband during his alb
sence in the west; these letters giving
evidence during q period Of five or SIX
weeks of twelve different pastoral call,
on Mrs. Tilton made by Rev. II. W
Beecher, which calls became notiCeably
infrequent on Titon's return to his home
That previous to the aforesaid criminal
intimacy, one of the reasons which
Mrs. Tilton alleged for her encourage,
ment of such exceptional attentions from
Rev. ii. w. Beecher was the fact that
she had been much distressed with ru.
mors against his moral purity, and wished
to convince him that she could receive
his kindness and yet resist his solicita,
tians, and that she could inspire in him
by her purity fidelity, an increased re-
spect for this chasto dignity of woman
hood.
Previous to the autumn of 1868, she
with christian frmness, to-
wards her pastor, this position of resist
ance always refusing his amorous pleas,
which were strong, and oft repeated
and in letter to her husband,
dated February Sd, 1863 she wrote
us follows: "To love is praise
worthy, but abuse of the gift is sin. Here
! am strong. No demonstrations or faSci-
nations can cause me to yield my woman
hood.
The Suspicion.
Efh-That the first suspicion which
crossed the mind of Theodore TiltOn that
the Rev. H. w. Beecher was abusing or
might abuse the affection and reverence
which Mrs. Tilton bore toward her pas
tor was an improper caress given by Mr..
Beecher to Mrs. Tilton while seated by
her side on the floor of his library look
ing over engravings. Mr.. Tilton, few
hours afterwards, asked of his wife an cx-
PLANTATION of her permission of such a
liberty. whereat she at first denied the
fact, but then confessed it and said she
had spoken chidingly to Bcechcr con-
cerning it. On another occasion Tilton,
after leaving his house early in the morn
ing, returned 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. Tilton
Mr.. Beecher was seen within, apparently
much confused, and exhibiting Il flushed
face. Mrs. Tilton afterwards made a
plausible explanation, which, from conf
lence reposed in her by her husband,
was by him deemed satisfactory.
The Enlargement.
!Srth-That in the spring of 1870 on
Tilton's return ffom winters absence,
he noticed in his wife such evidences of
absorption of her mind in Beecher that
in a short time an estrangement took
plsce between her husband and herself
and in consequence of which she went
into the country earlier than usual for
a summer soiourn. After an absence OF
several weeks she voluntarily returned
to her home in Brooklyn on the evening
Of July Sd, 1870, when and then and
there, within O few hours after her arrl-
val. and after exacting from her husband
n solemn promise that he would do the
Rev. II. W. Bccchcr no harm, nor COM
municatc to him what she WAS about I"
say. she made circumstnntlal confession
to her husband of the criminal facts here
inbeforc stated, accompanied by citations
from Beecher arguments and reaSonlnSs
10 her to overcome her long maintained
scruplcs against yielding to his desires,
and declaring that she had committed no
wrong against her husband or marrlag"
vows. Quotations in support otthis opm-
ion. That her pastor had repeatedly
assured her that she was spotIcss and
chaste, which she believed herself TO De-
Nest Hiding"
She further stated that her seXual COM
mercc with him, had never proceeded
from the lower vulgar thought either on
her part or his. but always from pure at'
fection and high religious love. Sh,
stated further that Mr.. Bcechcr habltu-
allv characterized their intima'
CIV by the term, NEST hiding.
and he would suffer pain and sorrow II
his hidden secret were ever made known
She said her mind was often burdened by
the deceit necessary for her to practice
in order to prevent discovery, and that
her conscience had many times mpeIIed
her to throw off the burden of enforced
falsehood by making full confession t.
her husband so that she would no longer
be living before him perpetual he, In
particular she said she had been on the
point Of making this confession few
months previously during 4 severe Ill
ness when she feared she might die. She
affirmed also that Beecher has assured
her repeatedly that he loved her better
than he had ever loved any other woman,
and she felt justified before God IN her
intimacy with him. save necessarily the