Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-25
THEODORE TILrON.

THEODORE TILTON.
The unfortunate man who stands be-
Gore the world marked by the stains
OF q disgrace only less dsmning
than that Of Beeeher, whom he
has destroyed, and the wife he
has crushed, has given to the public,
through tue Brooklyn ATgiS, a supple
mentRry statement, in which he declares
distinctly that Beecher has been guilty
of adultery with other women than ais
wife, and that he confessed so to
him and to Others whose nsmes he
viii give to the public if the Beech
eT-appointed committee does not
close its labors premsturely. In
saying this, he manifests an almost
esgerness TO bring the whole question
before legal tribunal, and there have it
siitsd by examination and cross-exami-
nation OF witnesses on oath. He does
not talk, write or act like man who
was doubtful Of his case, but rather like
one who had an immense reserve from
which TO draw at will-euough, as
he SAYS himself, to make Beecher wish
be had never been born. He charges,
that as was to be expected from
q committee of BeeeheT's sole Sc
lection, its members have acted
steadily toward him as if he was
the criminal and Beecher and Mrs.
TiltOn the innocent parties. And it
seems to Us as if they regarded the honor
and reputation Of the latter as secondary
in Importance as compared with that Of
her seducer. But, while this is so,
we do not think the committee, in
face Of the facts and evidence ad-
ducsd by TiltOn, il sustained by the evil
dence Of Carpenter and MOulton, can
afford to do otherwise than sdjudge the
case fairly and honestly. Should they
fail in this, then Tilton will certainly
have recourse to the courts. Now that
he has recovered from the pusillanimity
OF years, and has "thrOwn hope be-
hind, ." he intends pursuing Beecher un-
til, as that worthy himself said, he
t'steps down and outn TiltOn, too, is
not without friends, persons Of influence,
WIN, though they differ as to his course
in carrying his secret for so many years,
will yet stand up to him and see
that he is not overthrown by the Ply
mouth church "crowd" without fair
opportunity for a candid hearing. The
press generally throughout the Union il
on his side. All our northern and west
ern exchsnges-snd they comprise the
leading papers Of all the cities Of those
ssctions-agree in believing his first !
statement overwhelming and beyond |
any power OF Beecher to overcome. |
Some Of them reflect severely upon him !
for not denOuneiDg Beecher when the !
knowlege Of his adulteries first reached |
him. Others think that be deemed him /
self wise, and no doubt, as be says, acted 4
in that way solely to protect his chill
dren from dishonOr. But, since, IS the 4
sequel proves, "murder will out, f" most
of them are OF the opinion that he
should have denounced BeecheT
promptly, IS far back Is 1864, when
stories Of the lechery Of the great
preacher were being freely banded in
Brooklyn and New York. Had he done
50 his family never would have suffered.
But it is easy to theOrize. One is 50 apt
TO think entirely opposite 10 what he
would do in q similar emergency. In
the south it would have been utterly
impossible for Tilton TO have done as he
did. He could not, within the limits Of
the late C0nfederacy, have found man
who would not counsel his killing
on sight, and he could not find
a community in the south where the I'M
mediate death at his hands of the Sc
ducer Of his wife and invader Of the
sanctity Of his home would not be justi-
fed, without, perhaps, even the prelim-
inaries Of examination or trial. Con-
gresham Sloss shot the defsmer and
traducer of ms child, and has been in
dorsed for so doing by the community
he represents. The world would have
applauded such an act in him just as
readily, and accounted him fully justi-
fed. The priest'whO invades the pri-
vacy Of 8 home under the mask Of pro-
fessional duty is not fit TO live, 1t
would, indeed, have been bet
ter for Beecher il he had never
been born. The glory and renown
he has earned will not compensate for
this one act Of perfdy, to be supple
mented, as Tilton promises, by Others Of
manifold color and character. The state
ments in detail Of the preacher and his
victim are next in order; then comes
the final erpOse Of Tilton, with the
names Of many victims OF BeecheI's
lust, with more strong letters in support
Of it.