The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-28

happiness as brother could be to a sister.
In nlm we have common ground. You
and may meet in him. The past is ended
put is there no future, no WISER higher.
holier future? May not this friend stand as
a priest In the new sanctuary of reconcilia-
ton, and mediate and bless Theodore and
my most unhappy self? Do not let nav
earnestness fail of it, YOU believe
In my judgement. / have put my
sell wholly and gladly IN Moulton's
hands, and there j must meet YOU.
ibis Is sent with Theodore's consent. but he
has not read it. win YOU return it to me
by his own hand. am very earnest i'm
this work for all our sskes. as such letter
ought not TO be subject to even a chance of
miscarriage Your unhappy friend.
III. w. BEECHER.
Thirteenth. That sbouta year after Mrs. Til
tons confession her mind remained in the
liked opinion that her criminal relations with
Beecher lad not been morally wrong, so
strongly had he Impressed her to the con-
trary. But at length change took place in
her convictions on the subject, as noted in
the following letter addressed by her to her
husband:
SCHoHARIE, June %, 1871.
MY DEAR THEoDoRE:-To-day, through
me ministry of Catherine Gaunt, character
OF fiction. my eyes have been opened for the
hrst time in my experience. so that / see
clearly my sin. 1t was when L knew that /
was loved TO suffer it to grow to a passion.
A vlrtuous woman should check instantly
an absorbing love. But it appeared to me in
such tales light. That the love felt and
recei we'd could harm no one. not even you,
have believed unfalteringly until O'Clock
this afternoon, when the heavenly vision
dawned upon me. see now, as never before,
the wrong / have done you and has
ten Immediately to ask your pardon
with a peniteuce so sincere that
henceforth, il reason remains, you may
trust me implicitly. oh. my dear Theodore,
though your opinions are not reStful or con-
genial to my soul, yet my own integrity and
purity are sacred and holy things to me.
Bless God with me for Catherine Gaunt. for
all sure leadings of an all-wise and loving
providence. Yes, now feel quite prepared
to renew nv marriage vow with you, to
keep it as the saviour requireth who leoketh
at eye and heart. Never before could say
this when you yearned toward me with true
fee ing. Be assured of the tried, purified
and restored love of ELIZABETH.
Mrs. Tilton followed the above letter with
these of July 4, 1871:
o. my dear husband, may you never need
the descriptive of being mislead by good
women as 1 was by a good man!
No date.
would mourn greatly if my life was to be
made known to father. His head would be
bow ed indeed to the grave.
No date.
DO not think my i'll health is on account
of my sin and its discovery. Ny sins and
life record / have carried to my Savior.
No. my prostration is owing to the suffering
have caused you.
18th. That about year after Mrs. Tilton's
confession, and about a year after Mr..
Becher's confirmation of the same, Mrs. V.
G. Woodruff, then a total stranger to Tilton,
save that he had been presented to her in
the company of friends few days previous,
wrote in the World of Monday, May % 1871,
the following statement, namely:
| know o, one man, a public teacher of
emlnence, who lives in concubinage with
the wife of another public teacher of almost
equal emlnence. All three concur in de-
nouncing offences against morality. shall
make it my business to analyze some of
these loves.
(Signed) VICTORIA c. Woodruff.
On the day of the publication of the above
card in the World, Tilton received from
Mrs. Woodruff request to call on impera-
tive business at her office. and on going
thither copy of the above card was put
into his hand by Mrs. Woodruff, who said
that the parties referred to therein were
the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and the wife
or Theodore Tilton. Following this an
nOuncement Mrs. Woodruff detailed to Til
ton with vehement speech the wicked and
infamous story which she published in
the year following. Meanwhile Tilton
desiring to guard against any temptation
to Mrs. Woodruff TO publish the grossly dis
torted version which she gave to Tileon and
which she afterwards attributed TO him,
sought by many personal services anu KIND
attentions to influence her to such good
will towards himself and family as would
remove all disposition or desire her to afflict
him with sucn a publication. Tilton's ef-
forts and association with Mrs. Woodruff
ceased in April, 1872, and six months after
wards, namely November 81, 1872, she pub
lished the scandal which he had labored to
suppress; 10, that on the third day thereafter
the Rev. Thomas X. Beecher, of Elmira, New
York, wrote as follows:
ELMIRA, NOVEMBER >, 1872.
Mrs. Woodruff only carries out Henry's
against which L recorded my
protest 20 years ago.
16. That in May, 1873, the publication by
one of Beecher's partners of tripartite cove
nant between III. C. Bowen, III. w. Beecher
and Theodore Tilton led the press of the
TO charge that Tilton had committed
against Beecher some heinous wrong which
Beecher had pardoned, whereas the truth was
the reverse. To remedy this false impression
Mr.. Moulton requested Beecher 10 prepare
a suitable card relieving Tilton of this injus-
tice. In answer to this request Beecher
pleaded bis embaraSsmeuts- winch prevent
ed his saying anything without bringing
himself under suspicion. Tilton then pro-
posed to prepare a card of his own, contain
ing few lines from the recently quoted
apology for the purpose of show
ing that Beecber, instead of having had
to forgive Tilton. had had occasion
to be forgiven by him. Beecher then wrote
a letter TO Moulton, which, on being shown,
Tilton was successful in appealing to T's
feelings Beecher said in it under date of
Sunday morning, June l, 1873.
Ny DEAR FRANK-:-I am determined to
make no more resistance. Theodore's tenn
permanent is such that the future, even if tenn
pararily earned, would be absolutely worth
less and rendering me liable at any hour ofthe
day to be obliged TO stutlify all the devices
by which we saved ourselves. 1t is only
fear that he should know that the publics-
ton of the card which he proposes would
leave him worse off than before. The argu-
ment, namely the, tripartite covenant, was
made after my letter through you to him,
viz: the appolcZy. was written. He had il