Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-28


while he admitted the wrong and injustice, Of DIR.
Bacons charge, that be (Mr. ~ had lived by the
magnanimity Of Beeeheri and that ti ne was dog
acted proper and manly part In endeavorlng 70
shield his family, yet that its publication would
3 the Would RSpObs bS ioresd %nS upon SS b% and nd
Beecher in somo manner, and that the truth
would in all probability have TO come out or so
wouid be dishonored and destroyed, and Mr.. TIL
ton himself be subjected to tho seyerest criticism.
Mr. ,Tlltop insisted upon the publication
Mr. IN DIouiton ton was able to get being
that, whereas the letter originally read that
Mr. Beecher had committed against Mr.. Iilton
and his family revolving crime as published
Il said tan oifense committed against me-" Mr..
Moulton secured this change In the letter In hopes
that reconciliation might yet be effected be-
tween all the parties concerned, and an exposure
After giving brief note from Mrs. Tnton, in
which she asks his forgiveness for having coupled
his name with Mr.. Carpenters as having advised
tho publication of the Bacon letter, Mr.. Moulton
says that having now placed before the committee
his statement Of facts concerning Mrs Tilton, and
documentary evidence that he had to support
them, and as they are Numerically opposed 10
nearly ali that Mrs. Tilton appears TO declare in
her published statement, he deems IL his duty to
himself and TO his position in this terrible busi-
ness to say that during this affair Mrs Tilton has
more than once admitted to him and to another
person, whom he does not care to bring into this
Beecher, and that che never has denied them
other than In written papers prepared for pur-
pose which he had already exhibited.
of the SonUa Sonpseon GGtU o M %oodRnI ii With Rs
case after the fall OF lSn. He produces letter
from Mrs. ". to Mr. Beecher, to the effect that
two of his (Mr. B. .'s) sisters were assailing her
character, and that he (Beecher) knew that twas
in her power to strike back In very disastrous
way, and demanding an interview. The interview
was held, at which Mrs. Woodruff desired Mr..
Beecher to preside at her meeting In Steinway
Hall, and Mr. Tilton also urged him TO do so. Mr..
Tilton subsequently presided at the meeting,
thus, as Mr.. Moulton believes, preventing Mrs.
Woodhul's attack on the Beecher family being
Dec. 30, ISL Mrs. woodruff sent letter
to Beecber desiring that he would speak at
Woman's Suffrage Conyention In Washington, in
the following month. This letter Mr.. b. returned
to Mr.. Moulton with reply and note TO Mr..
Moulton in which he Says: do not mean to
speak on the platform OF either of the two suf-
frage societies. What influence exert prefer to
do on my own hook, ana do not mean to train
with either party and II will not be fair to press
other letters are given by MI Moulton from Mr..
Beecher, In one of which, dated March 25, 1872,
ho-says: 81 have been doing ten mems work
| this winter, partly to make up loss, and partly
because live under cloud, feeling every month
that / may be doing my last work and anxious
| birthright he found no place for repentance,
| though he sought ii carefully with tears; but 1
| have one abiding comfort; l have known you,
and found in you one who has given new meant
Z letter is also given from Mr.. Tilton, written
in the fall of 1871, or thereabOuts, on board OF
| passenger car on the Hudson River Railroad,
| Mrs. Beecher being also passenger in the same
| car. Mr.. Tilton says in the letter:
"Mrs. Beecher sits in the next seat. We
| almost elbow TO elbow in the palace-car. She is
white-haired and looks a dozen years older than
| when last had near view of her; My heart has
| been full of pity for her, Notwithstanding the
cruel way in which she has treated my good
name. Her face Is written over with many vol
| umes of human suffering. l do not think she
has been aware Of my presence, for she has been
absorbed in thought. II l am
ever, to. be vindicated from the slander
which she has circulated, or which Mr..
| Bowen pretends to have derived from her and
Mrs. Morse, why would II not be well to get
from her and Mrs. Morse statement, under
oath, by such process as last evening-docu-
| ments made easy and harmless--of the exact
variations which they made to him and TO
| othersf 1t would be we'll to have them say what
ttbbey tbeyy said said to % him. : Nv sullep neighbor
keeps the dark and lurid past viyidly before my
mind. If she actually knew the conduct which
her priestly husband has been guilty of, believe
| che would shed his blood; or, perhaps, sparing
After the publication of the tripaTtite covenant
| was made Tilton deemed, from the comments
from the press, that the statement reflected upon
| him, and o desired that in some way Beechcr
should relieve him from the imputation OF having
| circulated slanderous stories about him without
| Justification, for which he had apologized, and
| Moulton to submit to Mr. Beecher for him (Mr.
| b. to sign and publish in his vindicstion.
| Mr.. Beecher felt much aggrieyed at this claim
| been all sc tied and adjusted, and he answered
Tilton's application in this regard by letter. un-
| der date of June 1, 1873 published in full in Mr.
| Beecher's statement, and beginning My Dear
Frank; The whole earth Is Tranquil, hd and the the
nrerrrd sosns Triton @ Se Of hsV
| ing him dismissed from Plymouth Church. This
| action, which seemed TO threaten the discovery
| of the facts in regard TO the troubles between
| Beecher and Tilton, annoyed both very much,
| and Mr. Moulton feared that serious diff
| fculty would arise therelrom. Upon consultation
| with Beecher and Tilton, Mr. VI. suggested plan
by which that investigation would be rendered
! unnecessary, which was in substance that reso-
luton should be passed by the church amending
| withdrawn from the church some four years be
| FORE therefore, the roll should be amended by
| striking off his name. This course had been sug-
| gested by Mr.. Tilton. In a letter to Mr.. Mouton,
dated Dec. 81, 1871, Mr.. Beecher says to press
tlon IN me case would Only serve 10 alse PToL!-
| less excitement; there were already complexi-
| ties enough He suggests that =" II letter Is
written it had better be very short, simply an
| nouncing the withdrawal, and, perhaps, with an
| expression of kind wishes, etc.
| But when the meeting of the church was held
for that purpose 1t was charged there that liton
! had slandered the pastor. Tilton took the stand,
and said in substance, that If he had uttered any
ISLANDERS against Beecher he was ready TO answer
| them, as God was his witness. Beecher thereup-
| on stated that he had no charges TO make, and
| the matter was dropped. But when the resolu-
tion passed, instead of being put so as TO ex-
onerate Titon, II was declared, in substance, that
! whereas, certain charges had been made against
| him, and as he pleaded to those charges +" non
membership," his name be dropped from the
| roll. This action of the church very much exas-
| perated Tilton, who thought Beeeher should
| have prevented such result, and that he
| might have done so If he had stood by him fully
| and fairly as agreed. In that, however, Moulton
| believes Tilton was mistaken. because Mr.. Will
I liam F. West, who preferred the charges against
/ Tilton, did II against the wish of Beecher and
/ without any consultation with him. Meanwhile,
! through the Intervention of DR.. Storrs and 9th
srs, an Ecclesiastical Council had been called.
The efforts of this council in attempting to dis
fellowship Plymouth Church were very displeas-
Ing to Beecher, and caused him much trouble, es-
pecially the action of Dr. Storrs, which he ex-
pressed to Mr.. Moulton in letter,
dated March %, 1874, in which he says:
II am indignant beyond expression. Storrs'
course has been an untpeakable Outrage.
dore he has turned against him in the most
yenomous manner, and IL is not sincere. His
object is plain. He is determined to force a con-
hict, and use one of us TO destroy the other, IL
dore he believes he will be driven into a
| course which he hopes will ruin me. If ever
a, man betrayed another, he has. am in hopes
| that Theodore, who has borne 70 much, will be
! unwilling TO be hall in Storrs hand 10 strike at
I friend. There are one or two Reasons, emphatic,
for waiting until the end OF the Council before
taking any action. First, that the attack on
Plymouth Church and the threats against Con-
gregationalism were SO violent that the public
mind is 10 be absorbed in the ecclesiastical Gle
ments and not in the personal. Second, if Ply
! mouth Church Is disfcllow shipped IL will consti-
tute blow at me and the church far seyerer
than at him. Third, that If the Council
( docs not disfellowship Plymouth Church,
then undoubtedly Storrs win go off into Presby-
terianism, as he, almost without disguise, threat
ened in his speech, and in that case the empha-
sis will be there. Fourth, at any rate, while the
fury RACES in the COunCil,it is not wise TO make
I any move that would be one among so many as
TO lose effect In degree. After the battle is over
( one can more exactly see what ought TO be done.
| Meantime am as patient as / know how TO be,
but pretty nearly used up with inward excitement,
! and must run away for day or two and hide and
sleep, or there win be a funeral"
While these proceedings were pending, the
Rey. MIR. Halliday, the assistant OF Beechcr,
called upon him and upon Mr.. MOulton TO en-
deayor to learn the facs about tho difficulties be-
tween Beecher and Tilton, and Mr.. NJ told him
he did not think that either he or the churCh were
Justified in endcayoring TO reopen a trouble
which had been adjusted and settled by
the parties to It, and that 1t was better,
for everybody, that the whole matter
Mr.; M. here furnishes a letter from Mr.. u. in
I which he saws. IIallidav called last uIght Til