Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-01
Another statement by Mr.. Tilton.

THE second statement of Theodore
Tilton was published in the New York
GraDhic and in the Chicago Tribune, ertra,
ON the 18th. The following is brief
summary of this very lengthy document,
which extends over twenty-eight columns
ia the Tribune.
Mr. Titon commences by answering the two
statements of Mrs. Tilton that he had been for
ten years jealons of Mr. Beecher's reputation, and
was determined to ruin him. and that he had
been maitresting her for the same period OF time.
This he attempts to do by producing va
rious friendly and affectionate letters that
passed between himself and Mr. Beecher
down TO July 3, 1870, the date at which
he says ne first became aware of the
criminal intimacy between Mr.. Beecher and
Mrs. Titon, and by giving extracts from his
correspondence with Mrs. Tilton down TO the
same period of time. He supplements this with
the emphatic statement that never until that
date. July 3, 1870, did he entertain an unkind
thought, or utter an unklnd word, to either Mr.,
Beecher or his wife.
He then gives succinct narrative of the time,
place and manner of Mrs. Tflton's confession of
her alleged corruption by Mr.. Beecher. and fixes
the date of its contamination, Oct. 10, 1865, by
an entry in Mrs Tilton's diary, Day Mem
orable." which words she said she had used to
mark il in her own recollection.
Then followed letter from Susan b. Anthony
TO Mrs Isabella Beecher Hooker, full of indigna-
lion against Mr.. Beecher, both for his crime and
for his want of veracity concerning it. The sup
posed significance of this letter is that Mrs. Tilton
that Miss Anthony and Mrs. Hooker were in cor
respondence concerning it thing about which
there could be no dispute.
He next seeks to defend Mrs. Tllton against the
charge made against her by Mr.. Beecher that she
made the first advances. For this charge, says
Mr.. Tilton, Il brand him as a coward of uncom
mon baseness" Elsewhere Mr. Tilton sarcasti-
cally descants on the groveling character of one
WHO will accept the last extreme favor of a
woman, and then appoint committee OF six TO
publicly investigate her conduct.
A series Of letters of Mrs. Morse (Mrs. Tilton's
mother are given, which contain frequent allu-
sions to the relations existing between Mr..
Beecher and Mrs. Tilton. Mr.. Tilton accuses
Mrs Morse of at one time seizing her own hus-
band by the cravat and choking him till he was
black in the face, after which he (Mr. Morsel
summoned the family together and legally and
formally separated from her-the separation con-
tinuing to this day.
A letter not previously published is given from
Mrs Tilton TO her mother Enclosing one to Mr..
Tilton} written at Marietta o., few months
after her alleged confession. 1t contains re-
peated allnsions to some ofense committed by
her end speaks of a confession she had made
TO her mother, known to her daughter Florence,
which was likely to be death-blow TO the latter.
After giving statementof Henry c. Bowen's
accusations against Beecher substantially as given
by Moulton. Mr.. Tilton gives an account OF his
interview with Beecher at Mouton's house, where
Mrs Tilton's confession was disclosed TO him,
and attempts to show by comparison OF dates
that at that time he had not lost his position on
the Independent and the Brooklyn Union and
was not in an impoverished condition, but was in
the receipt of an income of $4,000 per year
Consequently, he asserts that Mr.. Beecher's
statement that ne Cfilton) was exasperated
with him for having caused him to lose his situa-
ton and salary is an afterthought and false
hood.
Mr. Tilton next labors to show that Mr.. Beech
ers allegation that his despair of mind, so poign-
antly expressed in his letters to Moulton, was
caused by his having advised Mrs. Tilton to sep
arate from her husband Is likewise an after
thought and a falsehood, because he never did
so advise her, but on the contrary, when Mrs.
Morse trying to bring about such separa-
ton, advised the contrary. He points out that
Mr.. Beecher's second and long statement before
the Brooklyn Committee admits that he never
gave such advice in person, although his first
statement makes that the sole ground OF his
difficulty with the Tilton family. The second
statement of Mr.. Beecher reduces this supposed
offense to a few words written on scrap of paper
to Mrs. Beecher. Moreover, says Mr.. Tilton,
supposing that he wrote those words TO his own
wife, he knew that they had done no harm; no
separation took place, and there was nothing to
be sorry for.
An extract from the records of Plymouth Church,
the original of which Mr. rilton says he has in
his possession, il introduced to convict the
Plymouth Church Committee Of preyarication.
The committee alleged that Tiltons sole and
only charge against Mr.. Beecher down TO a
late period was for improper advances to his
wife, from which they argued that his latest
charge was new thing trumped up for the occa-
SON. whereas the church record shows that he
was cited on the 18th of October, 1873, to appear
and answer to charge OF siander-the SANDER
being a statement by him that Mr.. Beecher had
been guilty of adultery with Mrs Tilton. The
dates Of the utterance of the alleged SANDER
given, and the names of the witnesses to whom
the same was uttered
Mr.. Tiltons association with Mrs Woodruff is
stated To have begun with the concurrence and
advice of Mr.. Beecher, for the sole purpose of
snppressing the dreadful secret and protecting
Mrs. Tiltons reputation. Mr.. Tilton afirms that
it had no other object than this, and that, right
or wrong, Mr.. Bcecher shared in IL personally,
and that 1t involved no criminal intimacy.
The charge of blackmail is considered and en-
phatically denied Mr. Beecher's letters are then
taken mp and subjected to an analysis to show
that his agonIZed expressions are all consistent
with one thing-the crime of adultery-and are
not consistent with any other fact or pretended
fact in the case.
Mr.. Triton concludes with reflection upon
the remorse which must forever assail Mr.
Beecher. in view of the desoation he il charged
with having wrought. :" / have, in times past, "
he says, seen him suffer from his own self
inflicted tortures in contemplation of the very
crime for which he has now been exposed to the
scorn and pity Of the world know well enough
hos his own thoughts have bowed him in agony
to the dust; and this is enough. Wherefore, in
contemplating my empty house, my scattered
children and my broken home, thank Heaven
that am spared the pang of this mans remorse
for having wrought a ruin which not even Al
mighty God can repairf'