Connecticut western news., 1874-08-21
The Great Scandal.

one moment doubted MT. Beecher's inno
 cencc of the crime of which he was chare
 ed, and we hold it as duty to be sacredl
 observed, that when citizen whose whol
 life stands out prominently as living evi
 dence of pure and chaste existence, is ac
 cused of terrible crime by one who's
 record in morality is most foul, to not giv
 the slightest countenance of credulity til
 proved beyond possibility of doubt. B
 his own confessions and acknowledgements
 Theodore Triton has for years led life o
 immortality and crime, and when such a
 him accuse one with Henry Ward Beech
 CTS record and reputation, of adultery, ou
 lnmost soul would cry shame 60 our man
 hood if we entertained for moment
 doubt of his innocence, till compelled by in
 disputable testimony to receive it as tn
 truth. We have stood aloof from all dis
 cussion in this repulsive and shameful scan
 dal up to this time, and now that Mir. Beech
 CT has spoken and the country at large ren
 dered it's verdict, we'll even now let thu
 summing up of the result come from anoth
 CT pen; from one whose views correspond
 with our own in the case. Below we copy
 from the Hartford Post of last Saturda,
 evening, its remarks concerning the affair
 It was Henry Ward Beecher himself who
 once facetiously expressed the wish that hi,
 foresightwas as good as his hindsight, and nc
 man ever needed that faculty more thar
 MT. Beecher has during the past few years
 He sees to-day, as does all the world, thai
 he adopted the wrong course in dealing with
 the Hilton -Moulton conspiracy. With oul
 full knowledge of the circumstances of tht
 case we are inclined to condemn hln fol
 not meeting his slanderers on the threshold
 with defiance. It would have saved him
 years of anxiety, and in all probab eff
 fectually killed the abominable and crue
 islander with which he has been harasseC
 ana robbed. But Mir. Beecher was unable
 to measure the real duplicity of the men
 with whom he was dealing. He vainly
 fancied that while striving to carry Tiltor
 on his broad shoulders he was quieting the
 assaults upon his good name; in reality he
 was but filling the culver of his treacherons enemy with poisoned arrows. That this course was weak every one will say. and not even he pretends to deny. And vet
 while we condemn the almost craven sn,rit with which he met the conspirators. we must acknowledge that there is force m the reasons he gives why he was led to take the wrong road out of his difficulty. Mir. Beech. CT is no common man; he had upon his shoulders no common responsibilities, He was the pastor of great church the edi- tor of 8 widely y-circulated journal. in which he and his friends had invested large sums: he was writing book in which his publish. CTS were deeply involved, and he had a worldwide reputation to sustain, to say nothing of host of friends whose hearts would ache should his good name be smlrched. Conscious of his innocence, he sought to avert the ordeal through which he has finally been forced to pass by tempor- lzlng, by trying to placate malicious ene- my, by striving with kindness and favors rendered to close the lips of an inveterate baobler. That he failed is not surprising in the light of what we know; but MT. Beech CT was forced to act without this light to guide his steps. He still believed Triton a man of real nobleness of character. despite the faults with which it was marred: he conceived an extravagant respect for and confidence in Moulton, whom even Mrs. Hilton was able to guage more shrewdly, once In the tolls so ingeniously woven about him, he was led on from step to step till he found himself hopelessly involved. It IS to his credit that when he was at last threatened with exposure unless he should pay another large sum of money, he took the bold and manly step he should have ta- ken long ago, and challenged his accusers to the proof. Once he had resolved to meet the conspirators in an open fight he behaved as all who have known Henry Ward Beech CT would have expected. He makes clean work of the business once he has underta- ken it. He does not content himself with merely explaining and excusing his own conduct; he strikes back at his accusers with terrible force and effect Theodore Hilton and Francis De Pau Moulton cannot md the paper very pleasant reading. Their victim has at last broken loose and it is their turn to sit on the sharp and ragged edge
 In what he says of the peculiar circum- stances under which he was drawn into this complication, and of the constitutional traits of character inherited from his ances- tors, the extravagant expressions of the let ters are fully and amply accounted for. In his position before the world, the appre- hension that he was to be accused, even of base treachery and gross corruption was enough to appall the stoutest heart; with his intense nature it was impossible for him to express himself with the coolness and caution that would have been expected under the circumstances from less impul- slVe and nervous character. He would not nave been the man he is; he would never nave won his fame and captivated the hearts of the world if he had not been capa- Dle ot the deepest emotions that can be aroused in the human breast. One feels profound regret that it did not happen that nf h. en into the hands of some strong. cool clear-headed man, instead of the willy in. triguant on whom he leaned and to whom he gave his confidence only to be betrayed Had he been thus happily reinforced this trouble would have had speedy ending, and while there might have been momen. tary disturbance, the memory of the oc- currence would have passed away, leavinp his reputation unclouded. D
 As to the effect of MT. Beecher's state- ment, we have no hesitation in saving that among the great majority of decent people 1t will be accepted as conclusive of his in nocence of the revolting crime charged m on him. There will be thousands of the baser sort, who wish to believe him guilty who would have condemned him on even less plausible testimo1Ythan that of Hilton This was to be expected and cannot he helped. The misfortune is with those who refuse to see the marks of innocence in the defense MT. Beeeher has advanced. Against them they will set hundred trivial ciTcum. stances in no way bearing upon the point and for which he is in no sense responsi- ble. It is not his fault, it was not h is wish that the case should be so long kept before the public. Having called upon commit tee ot honorable gentlemen in his church to make thorough investigation of the whole matter, he was bound to permit them to proceed in their own way and time. No. body can doubt that he was as anxious to put in his defense and have done with the business as any mortal could be to have him. No man is better capable of pulsing public opinion, and no man could see more plainly than he that every hour of delay he. tween Tilton's charges and his exculpstion WAS making his task mora onaro,,a n.