The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-15

my attempt to keep him from a public tria
Involving such a flow of scandal as had nov
been let loose, had been used by him to brins
mp new troubles-that his unhappy wife wa
under MS dletatlon signing papers and recanta
tlons and L know not what-that in shor
everything was breaking up and the deslruc
ton from which l had sought to savetht
family, was likely to be implied on other fami
lies, the church and community with infinite
horror and Woe for me-that my own limo
cence was buried under heaps and heaps o.
rubbish and nobody but my professed friend
ii even he could save his, to his assurances thai
he could still do so much faith as to maintain
under these terrible trials, the silence which he
enjoyed.
Not until Tlton having accepted. through
FRANK Carpenter, the offer to raise money from
many friends, openly assailed me in my letter
to Or. Bacon, did break that silence, save by
simple denial of the scandalous rumors
against me year before.
BEECHER CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION
When, on the appearance of the first open
attack from Tilton, l Immediately, without
consulting Moulton, called for thorough in
vestigation with committee of my church. i
am not responsible for the delay, the publicity
or the details of that investigation, All the
harm which have so long dreaded and have
SO earnestly striven to avoid, has come to pass.
could not further prevent it without full
surrender of honor and truth.
The time has arrived when L can freely
great disadvantages in making a statement.
My memory of the status of the mind is clear
and tenacious, better than my memory of dates
and details.
BEEcHER's DISADVANTAGES.
During four troubled years, in all of which 1
have been singularly burdened with public
labor, having established and conducted the
Christian Uniou, delivered courses of lectures
before the Theological Seminary of Yale Col
lege, written the Life of Christ, delivered
lyceum lectures in all the North and West,-all
| these duties, with the care of a great church
| and It's outlying schools and chapels and the
miscellaneous business which falls upon a
clergyman more than upon any other public
| man.
have never kept details in regard to this
| matter and now with the necessity of explain
ing actions and letters resulting from the COM
| plex influences apparent at the time, find
| myself in position where l know my inno-
cence without being able to prove it with
| detailed explanations
L am one upon whom trouble works inward
| ly, making me outwardly silent, but reverber
| atng in the chambers of my SAUL and when at
| length do speak, it is pent up flood and
| pours with measure or moderation. / inherit
| tendency to feeling that remains in me of
| positive hypochondiae as in my father and
| grandfather, and in certain moods of reaction,
| the world becomes black and 1 see very de-
| pressingly.
| If were in such moods to speak as feel, 1
| should give false colors and exaggerated pro-
| portions to everything This manifestation is
| in such contrast to the hopefulness which I ex-
| perienced in ordinary times that none but those
| intimate with me would suspect one so full of
| overfowng spirit and eager gladsomeness to
| have within him source OF gloom. Some of
| my letters to Mr.. Moulton reflect this morbid
| feeling. He understood it and at times earn
| estly reprOved me for indulging in it, With
| this preliminary review, proceed with my mar
| ratve.
MIR. BEEcHER PROCEEDS WITH HIS STORY
| Mr.. Hlton was first known to me as a re-
| porter of my sermons He was then youth
| just from school aud working en- the New York
| Observer. From this paper he passed 10 the
| Indepenpent and became great favorite with
| Mr.. Bowen. When, about 1861 Drs. Bacon,
| Storrs and Thompson resigned their places, L
| became editor of the Independent, to which l
| had been from the start contributor.
| One of the Inducements held out to me was
| that Mr.. Tilton should be my assistant and re-
| lieve me wholly from routine office work. In
this relation became very much attached to
him. We used to stroll together to print shops
and dine often together. His mind was OPEN
ing freshly and with enthusiasm upon all
questions; used to pour out my ideas of civil
affairs, public policy, religion and philanthropy.
OF this he has often spoken with grateful ap-
probation and mourned at later day over it's
cessation.
August was my vacation month, but my
family repaired to my farm in June and July,
and remained there during September and
October, my labors confning me to the city. l
took my meals in families of friends, and from
year to year became so familiar with their
children and houses that went in and out daily
almost as my own house. Titon often alluded
to this habit and urged me to do the same by
his house.
HesEould often speak in extravagant terms
of his wifes estee n and affection for me. AT
ter began to visit his house he sought to make
it attractive. He urged me to bring my pa
peIs. down there to use his study to do my
writing in it as it was not pleasant to write at
the office Of the Independent.
When L went to England in 1868 Mr. Tilton
took temporary charge of the Independent.
On my return | found the way for him to take
the whole charge OF it, my name remaining
for year and then he becoming the response
editor.
Friendly relations continued till 1856, when
the violent assaults made upon me by Tilton
in the Independent on account of my Cleve-
land letter and the temporary discrimination
of the publication of my sermons in that paper
broke off my continuation with it, although
Mr. Tilton remained personally on good terms
yet there was coolness between us in all mat
tiers of politics.
Our social relations were very kindly, and as
late 1869 at his request, sat to Page some 80
times for portrait. 1t was here that first
met and talked with Mouton, whose wife was
member of Plymouth Church, though he
was not q member or even regular atten-
dant. During this whole period L never
received from Mr.. Tilton or any member
of his family the slightest hint that there was
any dissatisfaction with my familiarity with
his household as late, think, as the winter of
1869, when going upon an extended lecturlng
tour he said, II wish you would look in and
see that Liobey is not lonesome or does want
anything" or words to that effect. Never by
word o&sign did Mr.. Tilton complain of my
visits in his family, until he began to fear that
the Independent would be taken from him; nor
did he break out in violence until the eve of dis
possession from both papers-the Independent
and the Brooklyn Union, owned by Mr.. Bowen.
During these years Of intimacy in Mr.. Tilton's
family, interested myself as a father or elder
brother. Children were born, children died;
they learned to love me and froic with me- as
if was one of themselves 1 loved them, and
had for Mrs. Tilton a true and honest regard
MRS. TILToN's PURITY
She seemed to me an affectionate mother, a
devoted wife, looking up to her husband as one
far above the common race of men, and turn
ing to me with artless familiarity and with en-.
tire confidence, childlike in nature, and would
as soon have misconceived the confidence of the
little girls as the unstudied affection which she
showed me. Delicate in health, with self
cheerful air, she was boundcss in her sympa-
thy for those in trouble, and labored beyond her
| strength for the poor. She had the charge one
| time of the married woman's class at the Beth
| ell Mission School, and they perfectly wor-
! shipped her there.
| ] gave MIS- Tilton copies of my books when
| published. sometimes sent down from the
| farm flowers to be distributed among a dozen
| or more families, and they were occasionally
shared by her. The only present of value I
| ever gave her was on my return from Europe in
| 1868, when distributed souvenirs of my jour-
| ney to some fifty or more persons, and to her
| gave brooch of little intrinsic value. So far
| from supposing that my presence and infu-
ence were alternating Mrs. Tilton from her fam
| lily relations, thought, on the contrary that it
| was giving her strength and encouraging her to
| hold fast upon man apparently sliding into
dangerous associations, and liable to be i'm
| mersed by unexampled self.conceit. / regard
| ed Mr.. Titon as in very critical period Of his
/ life, and used to think it fortunate that he had
| coed home influences about him. During the
| late years of our friendship Mrs. Tilton spoke
| very mournfully to me about the tendency of
| her husband to great laxity of doctrine in re-
| ligion and morals. She gave me to understand
| that he denied the divinity of Christ the in
| spiration of the Scriptures and most articles of
! Orthodox faith, while his views as to the sane
| tty of the marriage relation were undergoing a
| constant change in the direction of free love.
In the latter part of July, 1870, Mrs. Tilton was
| sick and at her request | visited her. She
| seemed much depressed, but gave me no hint
| of any trouble having reference to me- l cheered
her as best could and prayed with her just be-