The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-24
The True Inwardness Of Deecher's
Guilt.

The True Inwardness Of Deecher's
Guilt.
There are many striking points in the
BEEcIIER adultery case that have not been
clearly elucidated before the public; aud
we Will now give a little space TO one of
the more remarkable among them.
| II will be remembered that Mr.. Throws
counsel offered to waive all objection to the
introduction of Mrs. TILToN as witness
for Mr.. BEEcHER, and that the counsel for
the defendant, though the road was thus
made clear for her appearance on the
stand, declined TO offer her as witness.
IL was known that Mrs. TILroN had
confessed her adultery with Mr.. BEEcHER
to several persons; and to this circuln-
stance was attributed the refusal OF Mr..
BEECHER's lawyers to call her to the wit
ness stand. She would of course, have be-
gunby fatty denying any criminality WIFI
| her pastor; but her testimony would have
| been rebuttcd by that OF the persons TO
| whom she had confessed her sin. There
| was, however, another and n moro decisive
/ reason for the course of Mr.. BEECuER's
counsel, which has not heretofore been
understood. The fact is that Mrs. TILTON,
over her own signature, and through her
evidence before the so-called investigating
committee, when she was not wearicd by
importantly, nor in any way under the di-
rection or influence Of her husband, had
fully confessed her adultery with Mr..
DEEcurR, and confirmed the statement
OF Mr.. TILToN as TO the date Of her con-
fession Of tho crime TO him; and this fact
we will now demonstrate from the docu-
ments and testimony OF the case
II was proved In the trial that Mr.. MoUL-
TON, having been told by Mr.. BEECnER that
Mrs. TIrroN had Informed him that her
husband had confessed adultery to her at
the time Of her confession to him OF her
adultery with her pastor, sought an in
terview with Mrs. TuroN, when she de-
clared to him that she had not told Mr..
BEECHER that THEODORE had confessed
any adultery of his own TO her; aud Sec
ondly, that 1t was not true that TTLToN had
made such confession. Yet, n short time
after this interview she wrote MouLToN a
letter, of which the following is an ex-
tract:
"DsAa rE.Sus eid tel you two fal,.shOOa' a.
Il ~ nov put my.e'i 90 record t[a,etally.
sion 4 idf made sinlar 20 me Of himself.
sssed Ter you. ow. satisfaction. w.s .oT tod my
Yet. / do think FRANCIS. had not Te angry,
troubled face been before me .ou! have told ycn ne
IS on may show this TO T, or Mr. b., or any one. An
wretchedly, "EuzABErn."
In the above letter the fact Is clearly
proved that there was confession made
by his wife 10 Mr.. TTLroN. The date OF
this confession is fixed In the following
extract from a document dated Dec IL,
1872
IN July, 1871, PROMPTED BY my duty, Informed my
o me to be- VIE To- Kim r ese sn Ih
that This impn-d. sls months afterward my hus
BErcnrR la oracf that Mf. Is might snow Exactly
band showed to Ar BEEcnKR.
The brief statement referred TO IN the
above extract, was "a written renewal in
July, 1870. of the confession made six
months previous, that is to say II is in other
words, the confession OF December 30, 1870
and the character OF this confession is de-
termined clearly by the two following
notes, one of which is known as Mrs TIL
TON Is recantatiOn:
"wearied with importantly and weakened Nv sicK
.sp rS aaS eT a1aa ag 6 %y iSns aoa E,
move all diai'a'e' between ms and Ty husband fn4os
SATURDAY MoRSISo. December 81. 1870
m, nsAR fs1N9 TIs ETY. you 10 90 I ~,
nave, the Oae gave Mr. BsEcuER Ut his dlctatOI
'@'' ''-''-' 'N''' VIVA "'' i. H. Tnros"
Now turning 10 the testimony before the
investigating committee, we find the fol.
lowing questions by Mr.. HILL, and answer
by Mrs. TILToS
MT, HIL-In Jolly 1870, had you any eonyersaton
. VITA Mr. iiLIos In regard to his OWL habits and hi
! Mrs. riLros- sir. had.
" Mr.. liiLL-Did he MAKE any confession TO you Of
Mrs. riLros Sir.
MIR. HILL-And cid you say that was about July
: T" Mrx TILros-Yes, STR"
Now, taking the letter first quoted, a."
l told Mr. BEECHER that at the time of my
2 confession T. had made similar confession:
, to me OF himself" together with the lette
and testimony fixing the date and characte
, of the crime confessed, aud we have the full
I confession of Mrs. TILToN Its substanc,
= can be stated in single sentence as fol
a lows: "In July, 1870, | confessed adultery
= with HENuY WARD BEEcHER to my hus
band THEODORE TILToN." No wonde
J. BEEc CIR and his lawyers did not want h
. see her on the witness stand.
1t is plain that Mrs. TILToN, denying
e adultery with Mr. BEECHER, would have
I been witness more damaging than usefu
a to him. To rebut her testimony it woult
have been necessary only to bring hersel
Il up as witness against herself. Her self
+ contradiction would have been furthe
Il strengthened by the testimony of Mis-
SUSAN ID. ANTHONY, Mrs. BRADSHAW, MI
u and Mrs. RICHARDS, and the other person
d to whom she confessed her crime. Tn
= woman who SO repeatedly by word o
G mouth, in her husbands presence an'
l. away from him, had confessed her adulter,
e with her pastor was certainly not awtnes
= Mr. BEECHER would desire aud tits not sur
c prising that he did not dare call her, thougl
L he knew that ~ the start, she would swea
Il to his gultlessness. Legally, his attorney
o had Justification in keeping her of th'
u stand. They were not bound to cut thei
c own throats. But how is il morally? Can
y any one say that this case has really been in