The New York herald., 1874-07-19
THE BROOKLYN SCANDAL.
TiIton's Warfare on Mr.
Beecher.
The Investigating Committee Ac-
lively at Work.
SAMUEL wILKEsON's TESTIMONY
The Tripartite Alliance and How
1t Was Defeated.

1t was Defeated.
Samuel wkeson gave his testimony before the
Beecher Investigating committee on Wednesday
night The substance OF this statement Is as fol.
lows.-
MR. wILKEsON's STATEMENT
In the last week Of March, 1872, Theodore Titon
came to my office in New York and took out of his
pocket worn press proof OF letter which he
said he purposed to publish in the next issue Of
his paper. the Golden age, unless Henry Ward
Beecher did him Justice, and banded 1t to me to-
read. He said that he came to me because 1 had
an interest in its publication through my property
In the christian Union newspaper, or which MI.
Beecher was editor, and through my partnership
in the house which published his books, and be-
cause was the common friend Of himself and
Mr.. Beecher. The letter was as follows:-
BROOKLYN, Jan. l. 1871.
SIR received last evening your sudden notices
breaking my TWO contracts, one with the Iiidspe1l-
dent, the other with the Brooklyn Unto' With ref
statement of facts. 1t was during the early part
OF the rebellion, If recolect arigaI. when you
first lntlma,ed to me that Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher had committed acts oil adultery, ior which,
If you should expose hlm. he would be driven from
the pulpit. From that time onward your refer
ences to the subject we1e frequent and always
accompanied with the exhibition OF deep seated
injury 10 your heart. In Il letter which you ad-
dressed to from Woodstock lane 16, 1863, refer
ring 70 this subject, you sald II sometimes feel
suffer as a dumb man and be made to bear load
OF grlel most unJuStly. One word from me would
maKe-a rebellion throughout ChristendOm. mad
almost said, and you know IT, You have just a lit
tie OF the evidence IRON the great volume III your
possession. lam not pursuing phantom. but
5olemniy brOodlng over an awful rea!lty.O
Subsequent to tnis letter, ana on frequent inter-
walls IRON then till now, you have repeated the
Henry Ward Beecher from Brooklyn You have re-
iterated the same thing not only to me, but to
others. Moreover during the year Just closed your
letters on the subject were marked with more
feeling than heretofore, and were not unlrequenty
coupled with your emphatic declaration that Mr..
Beecher ought not to be allowed to occupy pub
lie position as a CHRISTIAN teacher and preacher.
on the 25th OF December, 1870, at an interview IN
| your house, a. which Mr.. Oliver Johnson and
| were present, YOU spoke freely and Indignantly
against Mr.. Beecher as an unsafe visitor in the
families Of his congregation You alluded BY
name to woman now a widow, whose husbands
! death you did not doubt was fastened by his
knowledge that MIR. Beecher had maintained with
on the minds Of elther Mr.. Johnson or myself you
informed us that Mr.. Beecber had made to you Q
haa %
this interview You related to me the case OF
woman OF whom you said (as nearly as can
her In his arms by iorce, Threw her down upon
the SOFA upon hnrnn her his deytry
cital OF this tale you were filed with anger
towards Mr. Beecher. You said, with terrible
emphasis, that "he ought not 10 remain q week
lon yer in his pulpit" You Immediately suggested
| that demand should be made upon MIN to quit
his sacred ofce. You volunteered to bear to him
such demand IN the form OF an open letter, which
you would present to him with your own hand,
and you pledged yourself to sustain the demand
should for reasons which he explicitly imme-
diately cease from his ministry at Plymouth church
and retire from Brooklyn." The first draft OF this
letter did not contain the phrase .ior reasons that
! he explicitly Knew" and these words, or words to
mus IN a
calIy. that the letter should demand not only Mr.
Beechefs abdicaton OF his pulpit but the cessation
which you We're overruled. This letter You pre-
sented to Mr.. Beecber at Mr.. Freeland's house.
Shortly after It's presentation you sought an inter
view with in the editorial ONCE OF the Brooklyn
U1tfOn, during which, with un0ccOuntabie emotion
threatened with loud voice that if ever should in
| form Mr.. Beecher OF the statements which you
made mat e concerning % his adultery % or should compel
to sustain the demand for MIR. Beecner's with
drawal from Brooklyn, you would Immediately de-
pendent and to edit the Brooklyn Union, and that
In case should ever attempt to enter the Oices
force. told y0u that should inform Mr. Beecher
or anybody else according to the dictates OF my
Judgment, unianusnced . by any authority from my
presence. Hardly had your violent words ceased
ringing In my ears when received your summary
notices breaking my contract with the Hadepen.
dent and the Brooklyn Union. To the foregoing
narrative OF TACT have only 10 add my surprise
and regret at the sudden interruption by your own
act OF what has been my part a faithful service
THEODORE TILTON.
was shocked at the mtschievousness OF the mat
ter he threatened to publish demonstrated with
him against it's publication. discussion ensued,
on his part passionate and noisy. He complained,
first, that Henry @. Bowen had without cause dis
missed him from the edtorship of the Independent
and Of the Brooklyn Unfon, and ruined him in
fame, prospects and estate; that he had crowned
this wrong by refusing to pay him large debt for
editorial services. of which he was in pressing
need, and compelling him to bring q suit to collect
the amount. His next plant was that Mr..
Beecher had not helped him In his troub-
les. He said that he was lying crushed
on the sidewalk in Brooklyn under the mlsfor-
tunes OF losing mis- positions on the two papers,
and the incomes derived from them, with the
companying loss OF the public respect and con-
fdence-the loss, In q word, OF the entire stored
up capital for his life career, and that Mr. Beecner,
VINO had such power that with his little finger he
could have lifted him up and reiDststed him, saw
him in his agony and ruin and passed by In silence
and Indifferent on the other side of the way.
Rising into a dramatic rage and tramping my
room from corner to corner, and speaking with in
tense passion, he declared, 81 will have revenge
on him. l will pursue him into his grave"
THE PYCUSIARY COMPROMISE.
It was clear to me that what Mr.. Tlt0n wanted
was money and that his purpose in coming to me
was to raise money. Omittng further details of
this interview he left my once calm and happy, in
the prospect OF an arrangement outlined that
should Immediately give him in hand without the
delays OF q contested lawsuit, the money Mr..
Bowen owed him and that would restore his old
relations to Mr.. Beecner and Mr.. Bowen and pro-
cure for him restorative and nattering mention in
the editorial columns OF the Independent and cause
to be inserted editorially In the christian Union
such handsome notice OF his newspaper enterprise
as should at once crafty and profit him.
THE TRIPARTTTE ALLIANCE.
What Is somewhat well known as the 'Tripartite
Agreement" came from the negotiation initiated
after this interview. Before it was drafted, but
after Its terms were settled, Mr.. Bowen agreed to
pay Mr.. T1lton forthwith the amount OF unpaid
salary for which ha had hrOuUht anft. He likewise