The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-09-05

months. The domestic offense which he alleges
was very quickly and easily put aside, put yetin
such a way as to keep my feelings stirred up, IN
order that might, through my frienas, be USED
to extract from Bowen 81 ,00o, the amount OF
claim in dispute between them; 1ne cneeh ioI
that sum was handed to Mr.. Tilton, VINO signed
an agreement of peace and concord, not drawn
by me, but accepted by me, as sincere:
Theodore Tilton knew me well. He has salQ
again and again to his friends that if they wished
to gain any influence over me they must WORK
upon the sympathetic side of my nature. 10 this
he has addressed himself steadily for four years,
to my friends, to my family, to his own mousse
hold, and to even my old affection for himself,
and circulated certain old and shameless ISLANDERS
about me, which were really made as now APP
pears TO leave him free for future operations on
me and against me.
Mr.. Beecher then states the way in which
Mr.. Moulton first came to him, as school,
mate and friend of Mr.. Tilton, determined
to reinstate him, / always suspected, with
out regard to my interests, but on farther &C
duaintance with me understood and promised
to serve his friend without doing wrong TO
me-" He subsequently acquired full conf
dence in Moulton, and wrote freely 10 nlm Id
50 that troublous time, while l felt that secret
Vaccinations were going on around me, and
echoes of the vilest ISLANDERS concerning me
were heard IN unexpected quarters, when
some of my near relations were set against
me, and the tattle of crowd of malicious
women, hOStlle 10 us on 6IheT SfouHus, WIS
borne to my ears"
Mr. Beeeher then states, how upon the pub
LEGATION of the first open attack from Mr.. Til
ton, he without consulting Moulton, called for
thorough investigation by committee of
his Church.
After speaking of the multifarious duties
which engaged his time during the four trou-
bled years mentioned, he says:
''And now. with the necessity of explaining
the action and letters resulting from complex IN
fiuences, apparent at the time, find myself in q
position where know my innocence without be-
ing able to prove il with detailed explanations.
| am one upon whom trouble works lnwardIy,
making me outwardly silent, but reverberating
in the chambers of my soul, and when, at length,
l do speak, it is pent-up flood and pours with
out measure or moderation. Inherit a tendency
to sadness, the remains in me of positive hypo-
chondria in my father and grandfather, and in
certain moods of reaction the world becomes
black, and see very desparingly. If l We're in
such mood to speak as feel should give false
colors and exaggerated proportions to everything
This manifestation is in such contrast to the
hopefulness and courage which experience in
ordinary times, that none but those intimate with
me would suspect me, SO full of overlooking
spirit and eager gladsomeness, to have within
me core of gloom. Some of my letters to
Moulton reflect this morbid feeling. He under
stood it, and at times earnestly reproved me for
indulging it,
After this preliminary review, Mr.. Beecher
gave a detailed history of his acquaintance
with Mr.. Tilton, beginning about 1861 how
| they became fast friends, and continued so
until 1859, when he sat to Page, the artist,
some fifty times for his portrait for Tilton.
| During all this time he was friendly visitor
at Tilton's house, being urged repeatedly by
the latter, when he was going upon lectur-
| ing tour, to "look in often aud see that Libby
| is not lonesome, or does not want anything"
or words to that effect. Mr.. Beecher here
adds: g Never, by sign or word, did Mr.. Til
ton complain of my visits to his family until
after he began to feel that the Independent
would be taken from him. Nor did he break
out into violence until ON the eve of the dis
| possession from both papers owned by Mr..
I Bowen" The following more fully describes
! his connection with the Tilton family at this
! time, when the troubles commenced:
| During these years of intimacy in Tilton' 8
| family, was treated as father Or elder broth
er. Children were born and children died. They
learned to love me and to frolic with me as If |
| was one of themselves. loved them, and had
| for Mrs. Tilton true and honest regard. She
seemed to me an afiectionate mother, devoted
wife, looking up to her husband as one above the
/ common race of men, and turning to me with
artless familiarity and with entire confidence
Childish in appearance, she was childlike in ma
| ture, and would as soon have misconceived the
confidence of the little girls as the unstudied af-
| lection which she showed nae. Delicate in
health, with a self-cheerful air, she was bound
| less in her sympathy for those in trouble, and
| labored beyond her strength for the poor. So
far from surprising that my presence and lnflu-
ence was alternating Mrs. Tilton from her family
relations, thought on the contrary, it was Civ
| ing her strength, and encouraging her to hold
| fast upon man evidently sliding into danger
GUS associations, and liable to be ruined by un-
| eXampled self-conceit. regarded Mr.. Tilton as
IN very critical period OF his life, and used to
| think it fortunate he had good home influences
about him. During the late years of our friend
| ship Mrs. TiltOn spoke very mournfully to me
about the tendency of her husband to great laxity
! of doctrine in religion and morals. She gave me
| to understand that he denied the divinity of
Christ, the inspiration of the Scriptures and most
articles of orthodox faith, VIII lie his views of the
| sanctity of the marriage relation were undergo
ing constant change in the direction OF free love
In the latter part of July, 1870, Mrs. Tilton was
| sick, and at her request l visited her She
seemed much depressed, but gave me no hint of
| any trouble having reference to me. / cheered
! her as best could, and prayed with her just be-
! lore leaving. This was our last interview before
the trouble broke out in the family. describe it
| because 1t was the last and its character has a
bearing upon a later part of my story. Concern
ing all my other visits it is sufficient to say that
| at no interview which ever took place between
Mrs. Tlton and myself did anything occur which
might not have occurred with perfect propriety
between brother and sister, between father
and child, or between a man of honor and the
wife of his dearest friend. Nor did anything
| ever happen which she or l sought to conceal
| from her husband.
In December, 1870 he received note from
Mrs. Titon by the hand of a young girl whom
she had taken into the family to educate, re-
questing him to visit her at her mothers,
where, as statedby the bearer, she had gone
in consequence of the ill-treatment of her
husband. The girl gave Mr.. Beecher an ac-
count of Mr.. TiltoRs behavior that shocked
| him greatly, particularly, as he says, when,
with downcast look, she said that Mr.. Til
/ ton had visited her chamber in the night, and
| sought her consent to his Wishes" Mr..
| Beecber went as requested, and then received
| from Mrs. Tilton an account of her home mis-
| cries which seemed to him "like nightmare
dream" The question was whether she should
go back, or separate forever from her hus-
band. After taking Mrs. Beeeher into con-
sultation, who was very indignant at Mrs.
Tilton's recital, Mr.. Beecher finally wrote
81 incline to think that your view is right,
| and that separation and a settlement of
support will be wisest, and that in his pres
ent desperate state, her presence near him is
far more likely to produce hatred than her
absence"
A few days after this, Mr.. Bowen appears
upon the scene, bearing the now famous mis-
sive from Mr.. Tilton to Mr.. Beecher-
Henry WARD BEEcHER-For reasons which
you explicitly know, and which l forbear to
state, l demand that you withdraw from the pull
n Rron 1.-Two