The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-04
A correspondent writes as follows: {.


Last night met one of the numerous
BOWens entangled in the complications
of this case. 1t was one OF the sons OF
the Bowen whom, after literally building
Plymouth Church, its more devoted wor-
shippers propose to offer up as burnt
Offering and smoke-ofiering oh it's
crumbllng altar. The Tilton faction had
Esubpoenaed told man Bowen" as we
call him, but, for some reason, he will be
denied the opportunity ofexposing to the
world all the dreadful history which is
compressed within his seraggy bosom.
There is no doubt that he hates both
Beecher and Tilton with magnificent
hatred, being held back from the firing
OF their unctuous pyre by an inspiration
which must steam up from Satanic fur
naces. He has an undisceverable mo-
tive tor his terrible speechlessness. In
his long, thin head is hidden the KEY to
other Eleusinian mysteries than that
which twelve men are rlsking their SAN
ity to solve in the City Court. He stands
at the door of charnel-h0use, with his
eadaverous finger on his lips, and upon
his tongue the icy silence Of the grave.
More condolences, more secrets, have
been shoveled into that human sepulchre
than could the breast OF any other living
creature contain. He is q gravestone
under which are the dead OF many TRACE
dies, but upon whose face there is not a
single epitaph. On the Last Day, when
the earth shall vomit forth its corpses,
ana the sea give up its dead, then Henry
9. Bowen will have to yield the CHASTITY
gaunt Nemesis, dogging him mutely with
The constant shadow of death; sitting
face to face with him and looking into
his eyes every Sunday; sharing the sac
ramental elements with him in the Holy
-Communion; and knowing his secrets
with a knowledge possible only. TO his
victim and their God. When Beecher
looks down from his platform into that
isepulchral face, what phantOms are they
which well up in spectral procession
from Bowers eyes? Bowen knows.
Beecher knows.
Some great bond unites Beeeher and
Bowen. What that bond may be the
keenest intelligence, the most persistent
search, have failed to discover. Bowen
has publicly said that he can, when he
likes, drive Beecher out of Brooklyn.
How did he achieve that tremendous in
fluence? Why has he desisted from ap-
plying it?
Bowen has more than once opened his
Jaws, and let mepnitic story escape
from the vault of Which they are the port
ais. The Plymouth party insists that
they must be false, because Bowen, in
the famous tripartite covenant, with
drew all that he had ever alleged against
Beecher, though, indeed, after the sigma
ture of that document he was only silent,
and never the apologist OF his pastor.
But Bowen's son tore that strange cov-
enant into q thousand strips when he
told me last night that his father abso-
lutely, and with anger, refused to sign
the paper when Mr.. Beecher's agents
laid it before him. Every artitice was
employed 10 induce cancellation OF
his testimony; but Bowen remained OBJ
durate. At last, Horace B. Clatlin, his
old and trusted friend, personally im-
plored him to sign it-reminding him OF
the fact that, when Bowen was once on
the verge of utter and final bankruptcy,
he had stepped forward and carried him
over the chasm. Bowen, at the time, in
his profound gratitude, pledged himself
to Clafin, with the solemnity of He.
brew: andit was upon the redemption OF
that pledge, by the subscription OF his
signature to the tripartite agreement,
that Clafiin at last insisted. Bowen re-
deemed his pledge, and signed the coy.
enant.