The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-12-04
ByTeIegraph
ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT.
TO THE DAILY LNTRLLIGENCER
Mrs. MOuIton to Plymouth
Church,


Church.
New YoRK, December 3.--The Sun
says that Mrs. Moulton has addressed a
letter to the members Of Plymouth Church
in reply to the one addressed to her, and
adopted by them on Friday evening. She
says:
Idon't believe there was any one more
faithful to Plymouth Church than | was
up to the time became acquainted with
the great wiCkedness which Mr.. Beecher
hid committed in his relations with Mrs.
TiltOn. After that it did not seem possible
for me to 20 to the church, and hear him
preach, and take sacrament from his
hands, and | stopped doing SO. could not
with any patience hear him preach Of pur-
ity and Christian Joy, while knew Of his
secret agony and his acknowledged but
hidden sin. That did not go elsewhere
for worship and tho sacrament was al
most wholly owing TO him, lie begged
me again and again TO come back; and
when | said that ! could not till
he had acknowledged his sin, aud so
atOned for II as far as he could, he
was sad and depressed even TO tears.
Yet II had gone away from Plymouth
Church to any other while he was all the
time coming to our house it would have
attracted attention and been cause Of
suspicion, and would have embarrassed
him very much as well as my husband,
who was then trying hard, under Mr..
BeeCher's constant agency, to keep the
awful secret from the public. | should
not have known what TO say II asked the
reason, and 1t might have been the means
Of doing great injury to those whom !
wanted 10 shield. Mr.. Beecher, too, had
more than any other represented the
Christian religion, and to bring reproaoh
upon him seemed an injury, so abStained
from going elsewhere lest II should harm
him and Indirectly bring things to light
which he was all the while enleavoring
to conceal, and which did not belong to
me to disclose. Mr.. BeeCher surely
ought to DO the very last man in
the world to blame ME for what did in
hiss behalf. He knows | could not speak
the truth more perfectly than ! have
spoken ii II was standing this morning
before Gods throne Of judgment. When
Mr.. Tilton's name was dropped by you
two years ago, told Mr.. Beecher that !
was afraid you would some time want to
drop mine IN the same way, and he then
most earnestly assured me that 1t should
never be done; that he would sec to it
himself that | never should be In any
way injured by his Church. really do
not see how Mr.. Beecher, knowing as well
ns he does the perfect truth OF what | say,
knowing how he used to weep at our
house and heap shame upon himself for
his great sin, and how often he spoke to
my husband ind myself Of the utter dis
pair in he would be except for our com
tort and help, cannot see how II was pos.
sible for him to stand up and read this
letter to me in your presence without his
very soul giving way.
Mrs. MOultOn refers to other parts Of
the letter, and says there are great
many thingsin ii which are incorrect and
injurious, some OF which she mentions, rs
follows:
You say that as far as the Church or the
Committee knew had never made any
statement impngning the purity OF Mr..
BeeCher except In court oil justice, but
In that very court ] had stated under
oath that had made precisely the same
statement which | have since made in my
protest to you, long ago to one Of the
leading members and officers Of your
church, telling him that Mr.. Beechcr's sin
was ndultery, and that he and Mrs. TiltOn
had both confessed 1t to me. II the state
menL was n slandcr, | had declared the
fact Of my uttering the slander be.
fore the world, and might many
months ago have been called to
account for II. never knew that false
swearing in the court Ol justice Is mn Of.
Tense which the church Of Christ Is lln-
willing or unable TO punish, and If you
think that lied In that public manner
and in that solemn hour; that l lied In
order to injure the minister, whom had
loved ns much rs any Of you, and whom
| had done my very best TO uphold and
comfort for three dismal years, through
the time Of our anguish which he was
hiding from you, all the more
should ! be tried and condemned instead Of
dropping my name. The letter concludes
as follows: 1had a very heavy burden to
carry and am sorry TO say that the first
act Of christian attention which have
received from the church In the five years
past, was the notice that my name was
dropped from tho roll; the next evening
my proposal to YOU in my previous letter
was that you could unite with me in
calling council Of the church, before
which you should state your reasons for
your action, and should state mine, and
which should impartially judge between
ia. That proposal understand you to
nccept;the questions thus comming up for
think ought to be these
First. Have my convictions in regard to
the guilty conduct Of Mr.. lseechCr been
justified by the evidence have had.
Second. IfLhey have been Justified, ought
| still to have attended his ministery and
received sacrament from his hands while
kept by the reasons which stated, from
Withdrawing from church when had
stated to The church my reasons for being
absent from services, and having
a promise to be protected against
being dropped from It's roll, ought
/ to have been thus dropped without
further trial, and with no council.
II was improperly removed from
Plymouth Church, will the Council give
me certificate Of the facts Upon which
| can enter another church? am not
perhaps we'll able to Judge whether the
six questions which you propose to have
submitted to the council cover the snnie
ground with these Of mine, which appear
to me less distinct perhaps because do
not understand them 80 well, and mine
take up more directly the points Of issue
betweenus. | suppose 1t Is my right to
have something TO say about the ques.
tions to be submitted, and accordingly /
propose yours to be submitted MS you put
them and that these Of mine be added to
them. In this way | think the whole case
between us, and the questions we wish to
have answered, will have an equal chance
with yours. When you notify me Of the
Of this proposition will you
nleasn nlsn In send me the names Of ten or