Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1875-03-11

containing tine charges against MS friend
and pastor. Counsel here quote a letter
written BY Tilton to Beecher, speaking Of
the friendship between them. If, said
the letter, 81 should die before you,
BE A FATHER TO MY CHILDREN.
| believe human friendships outlast hu.
man life, and meanwhile may our Father
above protect you" The letter was
signed. "Your eternal and devoted friend
Theodore Tilton." The first thing Theo-
dore Tilton did after becoming editor Of
the Independent, resumed counsel, was TO
satisfy people that he had e~mancipated
himself from the power Of BeeCher.-
About this time there was a question be-
fore the people as to what should be the
attitude of the Northern States toward
the Southern, and a controversy existed
among the members of the Republican
party as to what should be the course Of
the Independent. Beecher then wrote
his Clevelan letter, which was made the
subject Of a bitter attack by Tilton. who
found himself with a majority Of the party.
Men holding extreme views
FLoCKED AROUND TILToN,
Obtained possession of him, and controll-
ed him as long as he conducted that pa
per. Even his religion became tinged
with these extreme views, as is shown in
his letters to his wife. This change in
his religious sentiments was the source of
uneasiness to his wife. In his examina
ton before the committee he denied the
divinity of Christ aud inspiration of the
Scriptures. He also said on that occasion
that he despised the Church, and thanked
God that he was not a clergyman. In
this hour of the wife's sorrow about Mr..
Tilton's religious sentiments she sought
Beecher for advice.
Counsel then read portions of a letter
sent by Beecher in 1867 to Tilton, giving
him counsel and advice on religious mat
tiers. Shortly after this, said counsel,
Tilton showed a change in his views with
regard to woman suffrage, marriage, and
divorce. He began to talk to his friends
Oh the subject and did not hesitate to tell
his wife that he regarded the marriage
relation in a different light from that in
which it formerly appeared to him.
THE DEVOTED WIFE AND MOTHER
Was forced, day after day and week after
week, to listen to these views, which were
extremely offensive to her. In the year
1866 Tilton formed a friendship with a
lady, whose family he had visited in the
West. He invited her to his house, and
introduced her to his wife. His acquain>
lance with her made Mrs. Morse furious,
and the lady, finding how deceitful he
was, and hearing his views as to how he
regarded ladies, dropped his friendship.
He wrote a letter from where he was
stopping with this family in the west to
his wife, telling her how much happier be
was with this Western family than he
was in his home, in Livingston street.
But in 1868 his wife could conceal her
feelingsno longer, and when spoken to he
confessed his weakness, and husband and
wife prayed for strength to uphold him
in the future. On June 26, 1866, he
wrote his wife
A MEMORABLE LETTER
From the Hudson River Railroad, in
which he said that she was all that man
could desire: she answered this letter on
the 31st and admitted in it her harshness,
and took all the sin of his failings on
herself.
The letter says: II am the chef Of
sinners, and understand how you feel.
We must both cultivate our respect by
being what we seem and let US not have
even a shadow of doubt in each other :;
though all the world disagree, let us be
as one.
A letter of February 8, 1868, from
Mrs. Tilton, says: "The picture of your
dear face is ever before me, marked as il
is with your sutferings. To love is
praiseworthy, but to abuse your gift Of
influence is SIM"
This, gentlemen, is the letter which
has been garbled here in this case, in
| which she has beon
PLACED IN A WRONG POSITION.
She was demonstrating against the abuse
| of his Influence over women. He made
her believe that her harShness had made
him a hypocrite, so that he had hidden
his feelings from her with regard tc
| other women,