The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-24
MRS. TlITcNs STATEMENT,
MRS. TILTCN'S STATEMENT,
She Charges Tilton with Perady ana
Talsshood.
She knows the Difference oe'" ooA
Pure Love and Unholy Love.
sHE DENIES THE CHARGE OF CRIMINAL
INTERCOURSE.
Or Anything Resembling it.


To pick up anew the sorrows OF the last
ten wears. the stings and pains had daily
schooled myself to bury and forgive, makes
this imperative duty, as called forth by
the malicious statement OF my husband,
the saddest act of my life. Besides my
thought following master contradicts this
act of my pen and a sense of perversion OF
my life-faith almost compels me now to
stand aside till God himself deliver. Yet
| see in this wanton act an urgent call ana
privilege from which | shrink not. 10 re.
ply in detail to % articles of arraignment |
shall not attempt at present Yetif called
upon to testify to each and all Of them l
shall not hesitate do not so. Suffice for
my purpose now that | reply to one or
more of the most glazing charges touch
ing the feigned sorrow Of my husband
compulsory revelations solemnly avow
that long before the Woodruff publication
| knew him (Tilton) by insinuation and di-
rect statement, to have repeated to my
very near relatives and friends the sub
stance of these accusations which shock
the moral senses of the entire community
this day. Many times when hearing that
certain persons had spoken i'll of him he
has sent me to chide them for so doing, and
then and there | learned that he had been
before me with his calumnies against my
self, so that was speeches.. The reit-
erations in his statement that he had per
sistently striyen to hide these So
called facts is utterly false, las his hatred to
Mr.. Beecher has existed these many years
and the determination to ruin Mr. Beech
er has been the one aim of his lite. Again,
the perfidity with which the hottest love
wife ever offered has been recklessly dis
covered in this publication reaches well
nigh sacralege, and added to this the en-
deavor, like the early scandal OF Mrs.
Woodruff, to make my ownwords condemn
me, has no parallel; most conspicuously
my letter quoting the reading of Griffith
Gaunt." Had Mr. Tllton read the pure
character Of Catherine he would have seen
that | lifted myself beside it as near as any
human may effect an IDEAL But it was
her character and not the incidents of the
fiction surrounding it to which | referred.
There was no sin, criminal act or thought
ike confession with her. | had made to
Mr.. Titon in telling my love to my friend
and pastor one year before, and | new add
that notwithstanding all the misrepresen-
tations and anguish Of soul, | owe to my
acquaintance and friendship with Mr.
Beecher, as to no other fundamentally,
that encouragement of my mental life and
that growth toward divine nature which
enables me to walk daily in the lively hope
of life beyond the grave. The shameless
charges in articles seven, eight and nine
are fearfully false III each and every par
ticular. The letter referred to in Iilton $
tenth paragraph was obtained from me by
importantly and by representations that 1t
was necessary for him to use in his then
pending difficulties with Mr. Bowen. /
was then sick nigh unto death, having suf-
fered miscarriage only four days before. /
signed whatever he required without know
ing or understanding its import. The pa
per | have never seen and do not know
what statements it contained. In the
charge is letter Of mine addressed to Mr..
f. d. Moulton quoted to prove that | had
never desired separation or was advised by
Mr.. or Mrs Beecher to leave my husband.
reply the letter was of Mr.. Tilton's own
connecting. He induced me to copy and
sign it as my own act. which in my weak
ness and mistaken thought to help | have
done too often during these unhappy years
The implication that the harmony of my
home was unbroken until Mr. Beecher en-
tered it as frequent guest and friend is
lamentable satire upon the household where
he himself years before laid the corner
stone of free love and disrobed Its affairs
up to the time of my departure so that the
atmosphere was not only Goddess but i'm
pure for my children, and in this effort and
throe OF agony / would fain lift my daugh-
ter and all womanhood from the insidious
and diabocal teachings of these latter
days. His frequent efforts to prove me
insane, weak minded, insignificant, and of
all L IL Il
heartlessness, scltiShness and falsehood,
having its climax in his present endeavor
to convince the world that | am or ever
have been unable to distinguish between
innocent or guilty love. In summing up
the whole matter | affirm myself before
God to be innocent of the crimes laid upon
me; that never haye l been guilty of
adultery with Henry Ward Beecher in
thought or deed, nor has he ever offered
me INDIGENOUS or improper proposals. To
the further charge that l was led away
from my home by Mr. Beecher's friend
and by the advice Of a lawyer whom
Beecher had sent me, who in advance
OF my appearing before the commit
tee arranged with me questions
and answers which are to constitute my
testimony in Bcccher's behalf, | answer
that this is again untrue, having never seen
lawyer until introduced to him a few mo
ments before the arrival of the committee
by my step father, Judge Morse, and in
further reply ! submit the following state
ment OF my action before the committee
and my separation from my husband
The publication OF Titon letter 10 answer
to DIR. Bacon,l had not known nor suspected
when, on Wednesday evening, he brought
home the Golden Age. Handing it to me
TO read and looking down It's columns
/ saw well nigh with binding eyes
that he had put in execution the almost
daily threat of his life that he lived to
crush out Mr.. Beecher, that the God of
Battles was in him; that he had always been
Mr.. Beechers superior and all that lay in
his path was children or reputation but
they should all fall before this purpose. ]
did not read it. | saw enough without
reading. My spirit rose within me as new
.-er before. Theodore, said |. tell me
what means this quotation from Mr. Beech
er; two years ago, you came to me at mid
night, saying, Elizabeth, all letters and
papers concerning my difficulties with Mr..
Beeeher and Mr. Bowen are burned. de.
Suoyed. Now, don't you betray me, for
have nothing to defend myself with
: Did you believe tbaf?" said be. Il GER
fanny did, implc city" / said We'll, let
me tell you they are alive. NOT one is de
stroyed." If this was aid 10 intimidate
me II had quite the contrary effect I had |
never been SO fearless nor seem 90 clearly |
before, with whom | was dealing Gaming /
to me a little later he said, Il want yo,, re
read it. You will find in it a vinlicayion ~,
yourself You have not stood before tbe
community for five wears As Vou no.r a = |