Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-06-25
The Beecher Scandal.

MRS TILToN's DENIAL OF THE upHoI-
STERER's STORY.
The following card and affidavit from Mrs
Tllton, containing an absolute denial of the
Hnpholsterer's story, is published in to-day's
The following affidavit was prepared bv
me and placed in the hands OF counsel In ex-
pectation of an opportunity 10 present il in
court court but nd no sSsh opportunity having been
been published against me, now desire 10
publish this in my own vindication.
.-,,, EL!zABETH r. TILroN."
sworn. says as follows:-In the months of
september, October and November. 1st9.
resided with my husband in Livingston
street, and / had the entire charge OF the
household affairs. No person was employed
in laying carpets or in attending TO any
work at the house during those months eN-
cept by my direction. l did not employ or
authorize the employment of any men
named Price or Loader for any work about
the house of any kind, nor do recollect or
believe that any such men were in my house
during any of the three months above men
toned, or in any part of the fall OF 1869. Nor
TO the best OF my knowledge and belief were
they ever in the house at all any time.
i have read in the New York Herald a
statement purpOrting to have been made by
man whom am now informed is named
Joseph Ladder, to the effect that in the
month of October, 1859, while Loader and
one Price were working on the hall stairs, |
opened the door TO Mr.. Beecher; that he
seized hold of me, claSped his arms around
my waist and kissed me, raising me OFF my
feet and then walked into the front parlor
with his arm around my waist. The whole
of this story is utterly false, and none of
these events occurred.
/ annex to this affidavit an extract from a
newspaper, containing all the information
which have concerning the statement of
this man Loader as to what happened in the
house while he says he was there. This mar.
ratfve so far as it relates in any way TO Mr..
Beecher or myself is utterly false and the
occurrence therein described never took
place either in October, 1869, nor a { any other
time. There never was any Improperly of
coLduct, or any improper relations between
Henry Ward Beecher and myself, and all
charges of adultery or improper conduct,
or OF any attempt upon his part or mine TO
have or solicit any improper or indecoruS re-
lations or acts are utterly and absolutely
false.
There never was any act of familiarity or
mark of friendship or affection, either on the
part of Mr.. Beecher or myself in the absence
of my husband, or a greater degree or differ
ent kind what took place habitually between
q us in the presence of my husband. nor was
there ever as great familiarity between Mr..
Beecher and myself as there was between me
and my stepfather or brother. Nor did any
act or word ever pass between Mr.. Beecher
and myself which could not with equal pro-
prlety have passed between father and
daughter.
The front parlor was divided from the Ii
brary 10y glass folding doors, TO which there
was no key, and which were never locked.
Tnese doors would not come closely together.
and when they were shut there were ALWAYS
TWO wide cracks, one between the two doors
and the other between one of the doors and
the wall and through those cracks one could
easily see what was going on i'm the front
parlOr: nor was il possible in 1869 or at any
time while lived in my husbands house,
for any one to look through the cracks be-
tween the folding doors without the figure of
such person being seen through the glass OF
the doors from the parlor. The front parlor
was therefore place IN which no secrecy
was possible, and at the same time no one
could have approached the folding doors
rs the man Price is desert bed as having
done without being seen by me from the
parlor If had been there. The sofa was
close TO the mont window, and il was my
custom always to have the blinds open all
the season or the year referred TO, so that
passerS-by could have seen the sofa from the
street. The children of the neighborhood
were also accustomed constantly about our
house, and TO run freely over the piazza in
front, upon which the parlor windows
opened, and there was not the slightest Sc
curlty for privacy in the front parlor, either
from people outside of the house or from SER
wants and children within. 1t was fire.
quentIy the case that quite a number of
children were playing upon the piazza i'm
afternoons for long time without Interrupt
ton, and IN full view of the parlor. In Dc
tOber, 1869, had no housekeeper, but had
three servants and wet-nurse, and also had
in the house three children from six years
upward, besides my baby, then about four
months old all OF whom, excepting the baby
were accustomed to go in and out through
the front parlOr and library freely. No
nOuseaeeper or any other person paid the
bills of work people of any kind employed
about the house in the fall of 1869. paid all
sucn bills myself. Miss Dennis was not in
our house at that time, nor was there any
elderly lady in the house who could or would
have paid for any work done in il. nor
indeed was there any elderly lady at all with
us during that fall, except occasional yisi-
tors, none of whom interfered with the fami-.
~ affairs. No man or men were employed TO
lay carpets in our house at any time in 1869.
We purchased no new carpets aud had no
fresh carpets laid down after first moving
h.N in, rk,.a.a
single carpet for one up stairs room, and in
particular no new carpet was laid down on
the stairs, and no men were employed upon
the work of laying down either new or old
carpets on the hall stairs at any time of the
year 1863, such work, when IL was done at
all, being done by women. The only work
that was done by men about carpets was the
carpet shaking, which was done by man
win whom l was well acquainted for several
years, and who was not one of the men re-
ferred 10 in the annexed newspaper article. l
did not employ strangers to do the work on
either the carpets or the furniture of the
house and if any two men were employed on
such work they will be able TO produce the
record from the furniture. upholstery or car
pet stores with which had dealings, and
am informed and believe these two men
Loader and Price were not employed by or
in any way connected with any person what
ever with whom either my husband or had
any dealings in the year iSG6.
In conclusion, | declare, in the presence of
Almighty God, that / am absolutely inno-
with relation TO Henry Ward Beecher, eN-
cept only that, under the influence of my
husband, which found il impossible TO re-
sist so long as persisted in living with him.
L have made charges against Mr.. BeecheT,
which were false and entirely unfounded,
and which my husband knew to be false, and
declare that left my husband voluntarily
and without any solicitation or inducement
from any person, and especially without any
solicitation or suggestion on the part of Mr.
Beecher. But so far as have any knowledge
or information of his views, contrary 10 the
desire of Mr. Beecher. and did so because
had found by sad experience that the only
result of my long endeavor to serve my hus-
band was that i kept myself i'm his power,
and that il was impossible for me, so long as
i lived with him, 10 resist his demands or to
speak the truth when he required me to deny
il. ELIZABETH II. TILToN.
Sworn before me the 10th day of June, 1875.
A. MCCUE,
Judge of the City Court of Brooklyn.
The extract alluded to in tie above docu-
ment is the story of the uphosterers, Loader
and Price, cut from the Herald of June IA
COUNT Won ARNIM SENrENCED.-Theca case
of Count Won Arnim was decided by the Ger
man Kammergericht yesterday. He was con-