New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-12

probation and self condemnation written by Mrs. Tton,
speaks Of the she has caused Der bus
band OF her temper and her nnrmiaes betraying her
into wrongful conduct in her household when, in that
notable letter to which will ask your attention, sho
speaks the that to break upon the head
OF her husband cannot you how this deadly scores
ranking IN the heart OF this woman. how It was
struggling for how she loathed the condition
Of dupcty and deceit In which she placed and how
with her high Christian character (which we viii talk OF
she felt that the uterance OF this secret was
due to her faith Christian woman, TO her duty as
Christian wife, fReading:1
That before she would to what the secret
was, she exactei from me pledge that would 10 no
harm to the person concerning whom the secret was ID
be told. and furthermore that would not communicate
him Of that revelation herself
Well, that think Is the first incoBgruity that my
learned friend discovered in this narrative. The idea
that wife having confessed her adultery to her husband
bound him to silence and restraint by Q solemn pledge
and with all the eanestness Of suffering and beloved
woman, at all times insisting upon me performance OK
the pledgs-that such woman should insist upon her
herself making the communication - her betrayer that
abe had made this confession 10 her husband was IN tho
eyes of my learned friend unparalleled atrocitya
miracle II 1t true. Well have sd TO you two or
thsce times gentlemen, that In constituting the acts OF
these parties and the necessity will become more
parent to you hcreafte, must consider the peculiar
characteristics, circumstances. and conditions Of these
various parties One thing you know, that Elizabeth
X. TitOn loved, adored, worshped Henry Ward
Beecher. That Is confessed on all hands. Her char
acter o Christian deyOtee, her temperament,
as O delicate, excitabie eprtual-sye, as Mr. Beecher
SAYS, "insprati0nal" woman has been given TO you.
shall hereafter show you, think, the circumstances,
the mental condition under which this woman was led TO
submit to the wishes Of Mr.. Beecher But she was =
peculiar lady, of deep emotional character Of somewhat
strange, eccentric thoughts and feelings Mr. Beecher
was great preacher her PASTOR loved s for at that
x-oftA, ~ ain had fl1to m
conscience the by which she had been betrayed
had then been disspated She then recognized no
wrong In the act and culpable only In the system OK
deceit in the life OF dupcy which she was living Now,
IL this be tho character Of the and the relation OF
the parties there Is nothing strange or inconssant Tn
the idea that Mrs. Tton should desire TO make the fret
communication to Mr. Beecher that she had revealed To
husband the character and extent Of their intercourse
As between ordinary minds and men, In the practice OK
the vulgar and obscene adulteries Of the time, why
possible tho criticisms OF my learned friend would DO
true There would be nothing Of that decacy OF scnt
men there would be nothing Of that elevation Of feeling
and emotion there would be nothing Of that spritnazed
idea OF given this by these parties as
will show yOu to modify their action or to relive rom
the sensuousness and the vulgarity Of lustul inter-
and elevate 1t to that hight which my learned
friend expresses when he comedies to have been intro
duced by prayer aud ended with benedictOn Tread
ingl
That had given 10 her this pledge, my word OF honor,
that would neither disclose her secret whatever 1t
the secret was to be told that she then said to
a secret between herself and the Rev Henry Ward
been, during long course OF friendship between
herself and her pastor that this friendship contrary to
my expectation or belief had been In later years moro
than friendship had been love that had been moro
than love, 1t had been sexual intimacy
And this is criticised by my learned friend Well, would
there have been anything astonishing II Mrs Tilton, In
making this confession had used that precise language
"why, you know my husband that we have been init
mate with Mr. Beeche for years -four friendship has been
close and conding 1t into love, and from love 10
progressed to sexual intimacy"h the woman herself in
making confession under such circumstances, hal said
that would it be very strange But you see that Mr.
ton is not reproducing the exact language OF his wife,
repeating her exact words OF confession he is
reproducing according to his own habit OF thought and
his style Of exprcsson through his own rhetoric he
expressing to Henry Ward Beecher the truths which
were confded him by his wife, and the burning i'm
preston which they made upon his mind and heart at
the time. How unjust 1t is thon in the criticism OF this
narrative to represent the statement in her own
words the wife, imputng to her the style OF
preston, even the tenor Of communication, which
was then made by Mr. Tlton to Mr. Beecher lreadingi
That this sexual intimacy had begun shortly after tho
death Of her son Paul that she had been I'D tender
frame OF mind CONSEQUENT upon tnat bereavement; lat
house from her pastor that she had made visit
row. and that there on the 10th Of October 1865 sle
had surrendered her body to him in sexual embrace
Now does anybody suppose that Mrs. Titon used that
precise phraseoogy in the communication to Mr. Tton.
and that be is pretending to reproduce it in precise
forpi lreadngl
That she had repeated such act on the following
Saturday evening at her residence ia Livingston
ST.; that she had, consequent upon those two occa-
sions repeated such acts at various times, at his
residence and at hers and at other acts OF
sexual intercourse continuing from the Fall OF 1865 TO
the Spring OF 1870 that n July 1870 she had made TO
confession in detail OF those acts that she had
given also during that recital many OF the reason
ngs by her pastor communicated TO her TO change what
her original scruples against such sexual Intimacy
Now, have pursued this long enough, gentlemen, to
You the character Of the narrative made at
that time by Mr. Tltcn, and hove done 1t for the pur
pose of illustrating the proposition made, that this was
not revelation of mortal wrong done by Mr. Beecher
to Mr. Tt from the pressure Of which upon his heart
and soul leOdore Tton then burning and raging
1t q Narrative Of preceding transaction sir months
before it narrative made necessary by certain i'm
mediate circumstances in which Theodore TiIton had
committed, according TO his wife. error Of Judgment
with reference to their domestic condition and their re-
latons to Mr. Beecher. He ccd upon TO have this
interview with man against whom lin my Judgment
property admit he felt In his heart sentiment OF resent
ment and hostility, which only governed and con-
troed by his Christian resolution and the restraints
of his wife and her love.
FOREMAN CARPENTER REBUKED FOR
SMILING.