The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-06-05


case of this character. They could be
regarded as evidence against the defend
ant only by process OF moral reasoning
and by reasoning upon that particular
man. When before was it ever pre-
tended, that because u man expressed re-
morse for some act which he did not
name, that the motive OF that act,
whether he had robbed barn or fired II
house, was to be determined by the depth
Of the remorse which he expressed. The
plaintiff side picked out this and that
expression of rcmorse from Beechers
Letters, and said that there was evidently
something behind it. This was no proof
of snythin., but all heexpressions which
permitted such an inference had been
satisfactorily explained by Beecher
in his testimony. Such evidence
as this was not entitled to weight, even
against an unknown man. a great
struggle was made by his learned oppo-
nents, in which they were aided by the
witnesses, Tilton and Moulton, to put
aside from the remoroe expressed IN the
interview of January lst, all consldera-
tion of any injury By Beecher to Tllton,
except the alleged injury in regard to the
wife of the latter, but the defence had
wholly ovcrpowered this great effort, and
had proved that Beecher had taken an
active part in the family affairs OF Illton,
after the husband was abandoned by the
wife. thus giving occasion for the busi
ness relations Of Tilton; and that TiIton
was placed in such Il position that he
could not regain even his place in society
without u restoration to his situation
under Bowen, and an obltcration Of the
charges which occasioned his removal.
Brechcr had in these matters taken
Grave Responsibilities
and it was represented to him by Moul-
ton that he had acted wrongly, and that
nil the stories against Ti!ton were un-
true. M0ulton urged in II forcblc man
ner, that Beechcr had acted hastily and
uniustly in giving immediate credence
to the stories told by Bowen, who had
told stories equally infamous in regard
to Becchcr That the stories OF Bessie
Turner grew out Of the misintcrpreta-
tiOn of innocent acts, under the nilu-
cnce Tilton's half CraZed mother n-Aw;
that Mrs. Tilton had also been Influenced
by Mrs. MORSE, who had mallgned TiLton
for years; that Beccher had suffered
himself to be influenced by his wie's
hatred of Triton, and that by his ready
influence to all influences and by his
pouring calumnicS against Tilton into
the ears of Bowen, he had ruined TiIton
completely, and struck him
from proud position at one
blow. Moultun also repre-
resented that Beechcr had not only
ruined Tilton in business, but had
estranged his wife and blighted his
family forever. When such Il situation
was placed before man Of Becchors
character Of the highest sense of duty
and "A heart alive to every noble feeling;
when he felt that the ground on which
he relied for hs hasty action had slipped
from beneath his feet, what could he do
but reproach himself? a man SO placed
with the further conviction that he had
drawn to himself the affections Of the
wife of the man whom he had so wrongrd,
must necessarily be subject to deep re-
morse even if he be not Il man of cXCcp-
tional sensitivrncss but only Of correct
moral feeling, but with man like
Bcecher, as his character was represent
ed by every witness, how could there be
any difficulty in dealing with the memo
randum of his expressions of self re-
proach on that occasion even If 1t was
accorded the weight OF n production
from his own pen; it was to be rcmrm-
bcred that at Bcechcr'S Interview with
Mrs. Tilton, on the night Of December
30, she made no denial of the alleged en-
tunglement OF her affections with Mr..
Bcccher, therefore she credited IT. cyiS-
tence when positively asserted by Moul-
ton. ana it Wa, not until after Mrs. Ti!ton
statement to the Church Committee that
he learned that this too, was an lmPo'I-
tion.
Here this letter of contritiou was read,
commencing, ~ humble myself before
Theodore Tilton as do before my God,
which Becchcr saws should BE- 4 humble
myself before God for my error; | am
willing to humble myself before Thco-
dore Tilton; then "hc would have been
better man in my place, winch he says
is substantially correct, for he rcmem-
hered, with tears in his eyes, tn" service
Tilton did him by reinstating his son IN
the army at Washington, and he said he
himself that he had returned that good
for evil. He reflected that he had acted
under the impulse Of that letter oi the
26th, and no doubt thought that Tilton
would not nave done So and that he
ought not to have acted 50 hastily. The
rest of the letter was very general. 81
will not plead for myself. | viii die be-
fore any one else shall be inculpatcd.
Nv thoughts are running t. that poor
child lying there with folded hands, &c.
Beccher has given his statement OF how
much of that is really his and 1t Is con-
tcssedly Moulton's report of Beecher's
editorial expression, carried to I!iton
with the view Of convincing him that
Beecher did not hate him then. As to the
Policy ofSiiencc.
Bccchcr was wise in his forecast that if
it was once known that such woman nS
Mrs Tilton had made charge OF that
atrocious character, which furnishes no
guaranty that it is not falsely charged,
men and women's minds would be de.
cided For if you say is not compatI-
bic with a cIergymen character, then
say it is not incompatible with the char
acter of such II woman 10 make such an
accusation falsely. Well might Beecher
fear If this were maIcpubiic, that many
hearts would suffer
In the apology he writes: 81 humbly
pray that God might put it IN the heart
of her husband to forgive me And that
is quite consistent with the view that
Beecher then took OF his coarse. That
memorandum has been called 'the con-
triton letter. 1t has never been treated
as confession. Mr.. Tracy called 1t
memorandum of confessions with
Beecher and Wilkinson. Beechcr and
others say Tilton and Moulton always
spoke OF it as the apology and it !,
what Tilton calls "thc true story. IN
the Bacon letter it ], called the apollo
rv." An apolol,y for adultery, which