Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-22


solemn statements may lower them. il
the estimation Of the world. L reserve
to myself the right, hereafter
TO review the statement o
BeecheT in contrast with tn
fscts, as shown by the documents here
with subioined, and Others which I havt
at my hand, the production Of whicl
did not seem to be necessary until somt
portion Of the published evidence O
Beecber demanded contradiction.
FRANCIS ID. MOULTOS.
TO THE COMMITTEE.
Gentlemen Of the committee, / ueeC
not repeat 10 you my great, very grea
sorrow to feel obliged 10 answer your in
vitstiOn, and with the permission Of thC
parties to put before you the exact fact!
which have been committed 10 me or +
come TO my knowledge in ihe unhappy
affair underinyestiganon. 10 so doing
shall use no word Of characterization Ol
any of them or OF inculpatiOn Of the
parties, nor shall l attempt to aseribe
mCtivss save when necessary to exactly
state the fact, leaving the occurrences Of
Ubeir acts of omission and commission
to be interpreted by themselves. In
/ giving conversations or narratives, l, OF
course, can in most cases give only the
4 substance OF the first, and will attempt
to give words only when they so impress
/ themselves upon my mind as they remain
in my memory, and Of the latter only
SO much as seems to me material. 1
/ have known Theodore Tilton since 1850
/ intimately and il the kindest relations
/ OF social and personal friendship. l
have known Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
! since 1859, and then casually as an ac-
flsara fnH
miuistratiOns up to the beginning Of
/ the occurrences Of which ] shall
| speak. Seeing Tilton's valedictOry
| a. e. ter OF the Independent, on Decem-
Der p. 1870, / was informed there had
been some differences between himself
and Henry c. Bowen, proprietor, but
learning that TiltOn had been retained
as a contributor to that Journal aud as
editor Of the Brooklyn Union, of which
Bowen was also proprietor, l supposed
that the differences were not personal
nor Unkind. Up to that time, although /
had been q frequent visitor at Iillon's
house and had seen him and Mrs. TiltOn
under all phases Of social Intercourse, L
had never heard or known of the slight
est disagreement or Unkindness exist
ing between them, but had believed that
their marital relations were almost eX-
ceptiOnally pleasant. On December 25,
1870, being at TiltUn's house, he came
home from an interview with Bowen.
and told me with some excitement Il
manner that he had just had a confer
ence with Bowen, and that in that IL
teTview Bowen had made certain accu-
sstions against BescheT, and had chal-
leBged him (Tiit0u) rs a matter Of duty
to the public TO write an open letter,
which Bowen was to take 10 Beecher, of
which be showed me the original dOcu-
ment, which is as follows:
BRooKLLN, December u, $50.
Henry Ward Beecher:
SIR demand that, for reasons which
you explicitly understand, you immedi-
ately oesse from the ministry Of Ply
mouth church. and that you, quit the
city Of Brooklyn as s. residence
THEODOR4 TILTON.
Tilton explained that the words "'Or
reasons which you explicitly under
standn were interlined aJ the request OF
Bowen; and he further stated that he
told Bowen Ire was prepared to believe
his charges, because BeeCher had made
improper advances TO Mrs. TIlton. sur
prised at this, I asked what advances,
when be replied, "DOn't ask ne; Ican't
tell" ] then said, as it possible you
could have been 90 foolish as to sign that
letter on the strength OF BOwen's asser- |
ton, and not have Bowen sign it too,
although, SIS you say, he was 10 carry it
TO Beecher2" He answered me, "BOw-
en- gave me his word that be would sus.
tain the charges and adduce evidence to
prove them whenever called upon"
said, al fear that you will find yourself
Z 10
WeTed, 'BOwen said he would take il
Immediately / afCerwsrd learned
from Beecher that Bowen had done so,
because on the first Of January follow
ing Beecher gave me a cory which he
possessed, as l find by memorandum
made at the time o. the envelope, ami
/ fiud by a later memorandum on the
envelope that the original draft was
given 10 me by Tilton on the fifth Of the
same month. l insert here the follow
ing memorandum of the facts above
stated, made at the time giving the
hour when il was made:
BRoOKLYN, December c6, 1870.
Theodore Tilton informed me to-day
that he had sent a note to Beecher, Of
which Bowen was the bearer, demand
ing that be (Beecher) should retire from
his pulpit aud quit the city Of Brooklyn.
The letter was an open one. II. G. Bow
en- knew the contents Of II, and said that
be Bowen would sustain TiltOn IL this |
demand. In a day or two after that, Til l
ton called on nee at my house, and said |
he had sent word to Bowen that be was |
going to call on BeecheT within half an |
hour; that Bowen came up into the Of /
flee with great anger, and told him that |
If he would say to Beecher what be |
iBowen) had told him concerning his |
[ lBeecher's) adulteries. he would dismiss |
bim from the IHdependeu and the |
UT,iOR. Tilton told him be had never
been influenced by threats, and that he
would not be in the present case; and lie
subs luently received Pow ms letter #
dish isssl. What the charges We're, and
an ecoUnt Of the interview appear in a
letter addressed to Bowen by Tiiton, On
the fist Of January, 1871. This letter
has been often published, and opens ty
an allusion to the suddenness OF Bowen
in breaking Tiiton's two contracts-one
with the Iadepeadent, the other with the
Brooklyn URlOH,
On Friday evening, the thirdeth Of
December, being the night Of Plymouth
church prayer-meeting, Illton come 10
me and said in substance that by his
wife's request he had determined TO see
Reecher, IN order 10 show to Beecher
the confession Of his wife OF intercourse
between them, which he (lIltOn) had
never up to that time mentioned TO him
Beecher), and the fact Of the confess
sion of which his wife had told him that
she had never told BeecheT, although
her confession had been made in July
previous, in writing, which writing he
fTitto,,A had afferVQrd DESTROYED but
that his wife, fearing that il Bowen ac-
cusstions against Beecher were made
public, the whole matter would be
known, and her own conduct with
B-ecber become exposed, had renewed
her confession in her own handwriting,
which he handed to me, and which was
the first knowledge / had Of its exist
ence. Titon did not tell me how his
wife came to make the confession in
July, nor did at that time, OF ever after,
ask. Indeef, / may state here, once for
all, that / refrained from asking confess
sions Of acts Of all parties, farther thau
they chose to make them voluntarily
for the purpose for which / was acting.
TiltOn wanted me 10 % down and ask
Beecber to come up anu see him az my
house; which 1 did. / said to BeOcher,
Triton wants you 10 come and see
him at my house, Immediately He
iuauired: " What for?" l replied,
+" BE wants TO make some statement
IN ven in reference to your re-
lations with his family" He then
called TO some one ia the hack room TO
90 down and say he should not be at
prayer-meetiDg, and we went out to-
rather. 1t was stOrmiDg at the time,
Chen fs remarked there is an apprOpri-