The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-29

ceiyed that evening from Nts. Tllton
II he had confessed, whst service coul
the retrAction render : Whyprocure on
at all, II, as alleged, Beecher had tha
evening confessed adultery to Tilun anl
Moulton, or to eltherl What then wa
the charge preferred on the evening O
December SOthl We answer It was i'm
proper advances, which ol course Beech,
er denied. What occurred in the matte
OF retrsction that evening, and all tn,
subsequent conversations, Hcts and lCttcr
OF the various persons directly concerned
In dealing with the scandal, arc Consisteu
with this'view and with no other. Tht
retraction produced referred 10 improper
advances and TO nothing else. Is it like
lyil the main Ctiense had been CharqeC
that Beecher would have been satisfied
with anything short oi aretraClion Of haii
There 10 q sort Of postscript TO the re-
traction, in which the charge OF improper
advances Is explicitly denied, thus show.
ing that this was the charge In tho mind
ol both Mrs. Tilton and Mr.. Beecher, and
no other offense.
But look further: Mr.. Tilton in the
last four years has many times SAID, verb.
ally and IN writing that the charge was
the lesser Ofense. This Is important,
under the rule that where complainant
has made different and inconsistent state.
mentS ol the ofense he alleges, his credi-
bility is damaged and, in most cases, de-
stroyed.
In the written statement OF the offence
shown TO Dr.. storrs by Tilton and Car
penter, which was made In Mrs. Tilton's
handwriting under demand OF her hus-
band, who says no dictated tho precise
words characterizIng the oftense, the
charge was an impure proposal. This
statement Mrs. Tilton retracIed, and she
says she protested sgsinat it as false when
signed, and afterward saw DR.. Storrs and
told him 80. DR.. Storrs, in letter to
the Committee, confirms the retraction,
In the manuscript prepared By Tilton,
which he called "the true story,p the OF.
tense was stated to be improper advances.
This true story" Tilloa was in the
habit oi reading 10 newspaper men, per
sonal friends, and 10 others. He did not
seem to use much discrimination con.
sidering how anxious he proiessed TO be
to not make known his secret. MIR
beecher testifes that he met Tilton on
the lerryboat about two weeks after the
publication Of the Woodruff scandal, and
that they talked the matter over. He
says that Tilton was at first mysterious
and noncommittal, but on their way
home In Brooklyn, Tilton invited him
into his house where the true story was
exhibited 10 Mr.; ;Beecher, and prolonged
conversation was had which lasted until
midnight, and during all this not one
word was said or hinled by Tilton that be
believed that Beecher had committed
adultery. On the contrary he asserted
his confidence in his wiies purity, and
complained only oil the improper soiicita,
tons. Ex Supervisor Harmon, who like
Beecher, is one Of our well known and
reputable citizens, certifes to substantial.
ly the same experience with Tiiton as 10
the nature OF the charge. Mr.. Harmon
goes further and testiaes not only that
rilton read to him the true story in which
there was no allegation of adultery, but
that Tilton described 10 him his first in
terview with Beecher on the evening Of
December S0th, and then informed MIR
Harmon that he at that time
charged Mr.. Beecher with the offcnse
OF improper advances. MIR. HSrman ex.
plicitly states that in all his converse.
tons, which were numerous, with Ti!ton
Tor more than two years, he at no time
alleged adultery as the of1ense Of which
he complained. Tho testimony before the
Committee shows similar statements by
Tilton to various other persons up to with.
in q recent period. The further tact that
Tilton treated the matter during four
Years as an offense which could be prop-
erly apologized for and forgiven is wholly
inconsistent with the charge In its pres
ent form. MIR. Tilton, in his written state.
ment, complains that Mr. Beecher abused
his (Cilton's) forgiveness. Il Is believed
that no case OF adultery on record can be
produced where an injured husband, upon
learning OF his wite's intdelity, kept the
fact 10 himself for six months, and then,
after o private complaint 10 tho offending
party, received and accepted an apology for
the ofense and declared it forgiven, and
this followed by the courtesies Of friend
ship All these, and other considerations
to be hereafter referred to, show that in
no event could this oflenso have been
the crime Of adultery. 1t might have
been q charge OF lesser offense, but 1t Is
not conceivable that Tllton, in view OF
his conduct, believed even still further
that the so ocalled apology was not for the
main olfense. TiltOn himself, in bis cross.
examination, clearly proves it. Mark his
words: He says that the day after 1t was
procured he WAS in Moulton's room and
there met Mr. BeeCher, when the follow.
ing scene occurred:
He, Beecher, burst out in an expression
Of great sorrow TO me and said he hope
that the communication which he had
sent me by Moulton was satisfactory to
me. BE then and there told Moulton that
he had done wrong, not so much as some
others had, referring TO his wife who had
made statements 10 Bown that ought
to be unmade, and he there volunteered
10 write letter to Bowen concerning the
facts which he had misstated. Here is
clear light as to what the apology does no.
refer to, it disposes OF the apology forever
as a paper referring Il adultery. 1t refers
10 nothing OF the kind. II the wrong done
10 which Mr. Beecher refers was adultery
how could these words be used in refer
ence 10 it: "he had done wrong not 60
much as some others." Tho Absurdity OF
such claim Is clear, those words and
the apology are susceptible oi but one
construction. They refer as Beecher says
to his deep regret for statements which
he and his vile had under certain inior-
nation few days before made to Bowen
which led him 10 execute q purpose al
ready entertained OF removing TiIton
from the Brooklyn Union and Independent
II appears also that the next day Beecher
did write letter TO Bowen which Tilton
says he volunteered to write and which