The Portland daily press., 1874-08-29
THE GREAT SCANDAL.
Report of the Committee of Ply
mouth Church.
Abstract and Review of the les
timOny.

NEW YORK, Aug. 28.-To-night the report
the Plymouth Church Committee was READ u
the church. 1t is is follows:
Origin Of the Investigation.
Dear Brethren:
The pastor Of Plymouth church, the rev
Henry Ward Beecher, addressed to US lettel
June 9th, 1874, of which the following Is
copy:
| BROOKLYN, June q, 1871
| Gentemen:-Tn the present state OF the
public feeling, owe it 10 my friends and TO the
church and to the society over which L am pas
tor, to have some proper inves tigatlon naoe OF
| the rumors, insinuations or charges made re-
specting my conduct, as compromised ny Tue
late publication made by Mr.. Tilton. nave
| thought that both the church and the society
should be represented, and L take the liberty
of asking the following gentlemen to serve IN
this inquiry.and to do that which truth and
justice may require. beg that each OF the
gentlemen named will consider as if 1t had
| been separately and personally sent to MN,
namely: From the church. Henry W. Sage,
| Augustus Storrs and Henry Nj Cleveland
FROM the society," FL. B. Clafln, John WinsloW
and S. V. White. desire you, When you have
satisfied yourselves by an impartial and thor-
| ough examination of all sources OF evidence
to communicate to the examining committee
| Or to the church such actor. as there may seem
to you right and just.
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
| Following this is another letter from Mr..
| Beecher to the church asking it to sanction the
| investigation and the committee as its own.
who Testified.
| After some preliminary rsmarks, the Com
mittee say that in conducting this investigation,
| we have faithfully endeavored to make it thor
Ough and impartial. and to obtain such facts as
are revelent to the inquiry from all attainable
sources of evidence. For this purpose we have
summoned or requested the attendance OF the
fall TO tact ohafh P
| Titon, Samuel Wilkeson, John r. Howard,
| Theodore Tlton, Daniel E. Belcher, Mrs N. B.
Morse, Oliver johnson, Rev. A. Storrs, d. d.,
Dwight johnson, Isaac. Fl. Bailey, Mrs. Put
nam, John W. Mason, Rev. W. w. Baton,
| Mary E. Ames, Richard G. Buck, Francis b.
Carpenter, Albert I. Norton, Thomas M. Vail,
| e. M. Holmes, Hon. N. B. Morse, Mrs. Mary b.
Bradshaw, Joseph Richards. Miss Elizabeth A.
True, DR.. Francis w Skies DR.. Charles Cor
ey, Dr.. Minton, Miss Oakley, Mrs. Elizabeth
A. Ovington, Mrs Wallace, Rev. S. b. Halli-
day, Thos G. Sherman, Benjamin f. Tracy,
Francis d. Moulton, Franklin Woodruff, John
w. Harmon and Rev. H. w. Beecher.
Most of the persons named have attended as
requested before the committee One notable
exception is Francis B. Carpenter. Mr.. Fran
els D Mouton promised to testify fully, but
has failed TO do so. He has submitted three
short statements in writing to the committee,
consisting chiefly of reasons why he declined
to testify, and of promises to testify at the call
VI tll6 COllHllLleS Lie CUtulultlt6 Lave Cdlleu
him three times, with the results stated.
In addition to the evidence of the persons
named, we have examined considerable mum.
Der of letters and other documentary evidence
which, in some way, were supposed to relate to
the subject matter of inquiry We have held,
in the prosecution of our Investigations, twenty
eight sessions.
The Charge Considered.
Mr. Tilton, in his letter to Dr. Bacon, pub
lshed on the 25th of June, 1874, states that
knowledge came to him in 1870, that Mr..
Beecher had committed an offense against him
which he forebo-e to pane or characterize, and
in the same letter introduced what he alleged
to be extracts from letter signed by MIR.
Beecher, and dated Jan. LIST, 1871. This alleged
letter, the whole of which appears in Mr.. Til
toms subsequent statement before the COM
mittee, has come to be known as the letter of
apology" When this committee commenced
their labors there was, therefore, no allegation
before them, except such vague illusions to an
offense of some sort, said to have been COM
mitted by Beecher against Tilton, for which,
according to the same authority, he had apollo
gized
1t will thus be seen that the question before
the committee then was, what, if any offense
had Mr. Beecher committed against Mr. Til
ton?
Mr.. TiItOn and HIS Testimony.
At an early period of the investigation MIR.
Tilton was called before the committee and
made an extensive written statement and in
sense, specific charges which showed that the
offence carried to in the Bacon letter, so called,
was as Mr.. Tilton now alleges-adultery with
his wife, Mrs. E. r. Tilton. By this state
ment SO made by Mr.. Tilton the field of inquiry
was somewhat enlarged by the alleged facts,
letters and circumstances therein set forth.
Il is proper, in this connection, to state that
the offence as alleged by Tilton during some
four years and until recently to numerous per-
sons in writing and otherwise, was an improper
suggestion or solicitation by Mr. Beecher to
Mrs. Tlton. But as time passed and purposes
matured, this charge passed and matured into
another form and substance. The offence COM
mtted by Beecher, as now alleged by TiltOn,
is stated in the third and fourth Subdivisions
of his statement before the committee. The
charge in substance is that Mr.. Beecher, at his
residence, on the evening of Oct. 10, 1868. or
whereabouts, committed adultery with Eliza
beth r. Tlton, that this act was followed by
similar act of criminaty between the same
parties at Mr.. Tilton's residence on the SUISSE
quent Saturday evening, followed also by other
similar acts on various occasions from the au-
tumn of 1868 to the spring of 1870, the places
being the residences aforesaid and occasionally
other places to which her pastor would invite
and accompany her.
The remainder of Mr.. Tilton's extended state
ment is made up of citations of alleged facts
and circumstances, which he seems 70 consider
revalent and important as evidence sustaining
his charges as above stated.
The committee have given the evidence their
most careful consideration, and find therefrom
that in 1861 Mr.. Beecher became editor and Mr..
Tilton assistant editor Of the Independent, and
that during this relation they became warm
and intimate friends. On or about 1868 Mr..
Tilton began to urge Mr.. Beecher to visit his
| (Tlton's) house, and become more intimately
| acquainted with Tilton's family. He urged
| him to do much of his editorial writing in his
| study, as it was more convenient to write there
| than at the Office of the Independent. Beecber
| visited his house. ard friendly relation sprang
| up between the wife and family of Mr.. Tilton
| and Mr.. Beecber, which continued down to
| December in 1870. That the friendly relations
| existing between MIR. Beecher and Mrs. Tilton
| were always well known and understood, and
met with Mr. Tilton's cordial approval
Some years before any trouble appeared be-
| tween Mr.. Beecher and Mr.. Tilton. his Till
| ton's) doctrine, as set forth in the Independent,
| Of which he had becomes editor, aroused, a
| storm of Indignation and opposition in the
West, where this paper was widely circulated.
After much discussion this led to the starting
| of the Advance newspaper in Chicago, to super
sede the Independent. Mr.. Tilton, while edit
or of the Independent, leading religious
| newspaper, had come to deny the inspiration of
| the scriptures and the divinity of Christ. His
social views about this time also underwent a
| radical change in the direction of free love.
| This marked change in the religious and social
| views of Nh Tilton was source of great grief
| and sorrow to Mrs. TiJon. Mrs. Tilton seemed
|
most to enthusiasm, and when the change &C.
CURED in her husband, she naturally sought her
pastor for counsel and sympathy. She set
forth in strong terms the suffering her hus-
| bands course was causing her.
1t now appears that during these years Mrs.
Triton became strongly attached to Beecher,
| and in July, 1870, confessed to her husband an
| overshadowing affection for her pastor. On or
about the 10th of December, Mrs. Tilton separ-
ated from her husband, going with her children
to her mothers house. She sent for Mr..
Beecher, and in his visiting her, she made a
statement to him of her sufferings and the
abuse which she had received at the hands OF
her husband, which greatly shocked Mr..
Beecher. He asked and received permission to
send Mrs Tilton his wife, whose Judgment in
such matters he considered better than his
| own.
Subsequently be agreed in advising with his
wife that it was desirable that Mrs. Tiltou
should separate from her husband. Mr. Tilton
however subsequently forced his wife to return
to his home by sending for and obtaining pos
session of his youngest child who was sick witt
the Group, during Mrs Tilton's temporary alb
sence. She suffered miscarriage the next day
after her return ON the 9th, which resulted il
a serious illness, continuing until after the Isl
of January her physicians being in daily at
tendance on her from the 24th to the Both o.
December inclusive.
| Forlv in December of this wear owinp to thu