Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-05
REORGANIZATION.
Tilton's Story Before the Com
1nittee.
Statement by Mrs. Stanton and Miss
Anthony.

We give Mr.. Tilton's evidence be-
fore the Investigating committee of
Plymouth Church, together with other
matters relating to the case, as follows
Odd you not complain of Beech
er for not aiding you to remain in The
Independent
A.-No, sir. [ would have scorned
it. Tilton continued that he never
told Samuel Wilkinson that Beecher
had not befriended him in that matter
but for being unjust to him and saying
he ought to be turned out. In further
testimony, witness said he accepted
the apology Mr.. Beecher made and for
gave the offense with as much largeness
as he thought it possible for Chris
tian man to assume His relations
thereafter with Mr.. Beecher were not
friendly, but neither were they hostile.
They were relations which Moulton
forced with an iron hand. The wit
ness had taken pains to have it appear
in all quarters that Beecher and him
self were not in hostility and suppress
ed his self-respect many times in do.
ing so. He never stated the offense of
Beecher to DR.. Storrs. bestowed DR..
Storrs a letter which Elizabeth and
himself wrote, and which he still pre-.
served. He did not charge Beecher
with any ofense at all-Elizabeth
stated that.
To the question, How was the Of
Tense stated? Tilton replied: It began
IN this way: That on certain day
in the summer of 1870, she had in
formed her husband that Mr.. Beecher
had asked her TO be a wife to kim. to-
gether with all that this implies. She
was very solicitous to make it appear
that she did not accept his proposition,
aid, happily, In reading it, those who
saw it naturally inferred that she did
not accept his proposition. It was a
perfectly correct statement. The wit
ness read the statement to Mr.. Beecher,
who objected to it, and the witness
made no further use of 1t. He, how
ever, prepared document on his rela-
lions to Bowen, in which Elizabeth's
letter was stated, as we'll as the letter
of apology which he put in, not wish
ing to make the offense more than that.
He was soicitous not to have the
worst of the case known. This was
also read to DR.. Storrs, to whom the
witness went in great distress, wanting
counsel.
Q.-And so to get correct counsel
you mis-stated the case .rt
A.-Yes; 1t was a statement neces-
sary to be made after Mrs. Woodhull's
statement. [ was out of town, and the
thing had filed the country, and Beech
er had taken no notice of it. It was
seven or eight days, and [ went to DR..
Storrs for counsel he asked me about
the story. I said: 'Don't ask me for
that He said 'sGive me some facts
by which I can judge. Give me that
which can be proved" I gave an &C.
count of my affairs, very largely about
Mrs. Woodruff, and SO on. The Origin
of that document was a seeking for
something that would put before the
public plausible answer to the Wood
hull tale, and I conceived that by
chain of facts we might perhaps explain
it away. [ read it to Mr.. Beecher and
he burst into long sigh, and l saw he
would not nor could not stand upon
it. and Elizabeth burned and tore it to
pieces.
Q.-Why did you abandon the docu-
ment
A-Because there was no success in
Q.-Why Was it not because he did
not accept it?
A.-Because he did not accept or
reject it. He wanted no statement to
be made, and SO the thing was buried.
Q.-Have you not frequently assert
ed the purity of your wife
A.-No; [ have always had a strong
technical use of words, and have taken
pains to say that she was a devoted
Christian woman. That necessarily
carried the other. It was like the
statement that I carried to Dr. Storrs.
I don't think hecaught the idea OF that
statement as he took it. [ don't think
he covered the whole. I said that
Elizabeth was tender, delicate, kind
~ Christian woman, which [ think she
is.
Q.-Have you not stated that she
was pure?
4. A. No.
Q.-Have you not stated that she
was as pure as an angel?
A.-No. Mr.. Halliday says [ said
that. He asked me, in Mrs. Brad
shaw's presence, whether or not had
not said my wife was as pure as gold.
"No," said, "Mr. Halliday, because
the conversation to which you allude
was this: I said, go and ask Mr..
Beecher himself, and he will say that
she is as pure as gold" It is an ex-
preston which he used. 7 have sought
to give Elizabeth good character. [
have always wanted to do SO. [ think
she deserves good character. I think
she is better than most of US. Better
thans I am. I don't believe, in the
point of actual moral goodness, barring
some drawbacks, there is in this COM
pany so white soul as Elizabeth
Tilton.
Q.-Didn't you state that in sub
stance to one or more gentlemen with
whom youawere lunching?
An substance Yes and state it
now, but did not use the phrase she
had never violated her chastity.
Q.--Dldnt you say that she was
pure