Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-09

stand between INC anu any sucu iono"
the accusation, that he would defend tine
documents, that he would burn them ootn
in nv presence, if wished-or he would
keen them. After some little further parley
went TO the drawer where the letter was,
brought il out. and handed 1t TO him. lie
had been sweating and had his overcoat on.
and about this point-perhaps as | came
back with the letter-he took oil ms over
coat. and in doing so | saw the hit oil
pistol in the pocket, which he took or anu
laid on the bureau. without word, rs l re
member. and put his overeoat on the iooI OF
the bed After he had the documents ne
put it in his pocket.
O. Was anything said about IT. beng
dishonorable to keep the paper? a.. les
there was-therc was, in the course 0i con
versation (Which was somewhat emphatic
10 spots) an unwillingness on my part to be
convinced. and he tried to show that 1t
would be mean act in me TO keep paper
procured under the circumstances from
sick woman but do not remember pre-
cisely the ground on which the pinch was
made, bat that there was such an lmpnta-
ton of meanness-0f course 1t was not con-
veyed in a very bald way it was done very
gentlemanly Mr.. MOultcn's conduct to-
ward me was always that Of a gentleman-l
mean his manners, his address.
q. Now, this matter of pistol didn I
fgure in the scene, so far as it attracted
your attention. any more than you have
row stated? A. did not see the pistol at
all lust saw him take it out on taking
his overcoat off, and lay ing It on the bu-
reau.
Q. Laying the pistol on the bureau? A.
1t was not fired oil.
.. On Your giving up the paper, and be
r
Moulton? A. Yes, sir; he cOmpllmented
me; he thought had behaved very sensibly,
and that he had no interest in this except
as peace and harmony between Us, and that
he was very much gratiiied about it.
Next day. in the afternoon, MOulton ana
Beecher had a long interview at Mr.. Beech
er's house, when MOultOn up-braIdei Nir
Beecher for his conduct. and obtained Mr.
Bsecher's signature to the famous = Letter oil
C0ntrition.'' Mr. Beecher said Mr.. Moul-
ton told me that of his own personal knowI-
edge. many of these stories against lllton)
were false that he believed Mr. luton 10
be q man absolutely chaste and iaithiHi 10
his marital relations, and asseyerated tha'
in various forms -pressed 1t upon me tue
conversation occupied in this directiOn,pe
haps. nearly an hour. going over the reia-
tons of Mr.. Tilton's character and MS
standing.
MR. EEEcnER's RENoRsE FOR Ills ADVICE To MRS
TILroN.
told him, however, that that was not
the matter that hurt me the most | felt
very acutely that | had done wrong even IN
those respects toward Mr.. Tilton ; his as
surances that Mr. TiltOn was blameleSs IN
these respects brought upon me sense OF
wrong that was very hard 70 bear if there
was ANYTHING, | told him, in this earth that
| abhorred. It was scadal. and talking, and
minors about people: that had kept my
self clean from them, and that there were
few persons in the world dare tell me
such things and to find that | had been
caught in the Stun myself, was very hard
for nv pride that | hal listened to these
stories. and that had believed them, and
that | was ashamed and mortified about 1t,
and that it was all the worse because It was
toward a friend whom | had known and
whom had loved, and whose household was
to me like my own home, and that 1t was
not the way that Mr.. Iilton had treated me
when | WAS in adversely be dropped every
thing, and went for the service Of me be
cause it was my son which was more than
me he dropped everything and went to
Washington, and did great Office OF kind
ness FOR me but when he was IN trouble
found that the first thing that had done
was to take sides against him, and add 70
the weight that was threatening to crush
him, and that could not bear that and
that A. it regarded his household, | did not
know hardly what to say could not I'M
ier~tand it how Elizabeth should have
called me 10 4 meeting TO counsel her about
a separation, without letting me know either
before or at that interview that there had |
ever been discrepancy in the household, OF |
such a kind as there had been. could not /
understand was absolutely bewildered by |
it, but that it seemed 10 me that II she had /
been led to transfer her affections from her
husband, by reason Of my presence, could |
not but feel that was blameworthv that |
She was a woman. 50 quiet and 81 simple,
her exterior life was - far from that. that /
had never suspected it, but that her conduct |
seemed to me now such Is led me 10 feel I
that there had been-that the allegation was
not untrue, that | had warped her at
lection, which her husband had made. in
the interview Of the Both. and that it seem
ed TO me that she must have been broken
DOWN in her moral nature. that such charges
and retractions, and withdrawal of retrac-
lions was a pitiable thing, AMI indicated
that great mischief had been done in
tina. household, and that had been the oc-
ca~ion OF IT was very plain and very evident,
though had not suspected it. and Led me 10
some conversation in which | expressed nav
doubt OF whether-this was the first time
that had given vent to all my thought and
feeling. The other interviews had been. As
it We're, diplomatic but felt that Mr..
Aou.ton was a friend to both sides, and for
the first time gave air to the pent-up feel
iugS that had walked about the room
in great agitation and great sell-condemna-
ton. | said 10 him that could not con
ceiyc of anything for which a man should
blame himself more utterly than 10 intrude
upon a household and 10 be the means of
breaking it up; that my idea Of friendship
and love was that It gave strength. and that
| had always supposed that my presence in
their family was giving strength to all of
them that it was blessing to the children
that it was a help to his wife in her duties,
and thar it was not without a beneficial in
dlence TO Mr.. TiltOn, in the long run. and
that this came upon me like a thunder-clap.
and was amazed and bewildered by it
think 1t was, perhaps, in that relation where
was somewhat doubling whether it could
possibly he true that Mr.. Moulton said to
ne. sitting in his chair here Mr. Beecher
put his leg over the arm Of the chair in il
ustraton with an intelligent look. why.
there Is no doubt about that, Mr.. Bsecher
Elizabeth Iilton loves your little finger more
than she does Mr.. Tilton whole body :"
accepted it | had no means of c0ntradic-
ton said TO myself, " Ii has been
fire, burning. concealed. and
knew nothing of it," | felt ashamed to say.
' Ii i not my fault" felt rather the i'm
pulse, suppose which every gentleman will
understand, to say, - ought to have fore
'een | was the Oldest man-the Oldest per
on was the one that had had experience:
The was child. Ii she did not know that
The tendrils Of her affection were crcepine,
lp upon me, ought to have known it =
mi expressed myself without measure on
hat subject and I!alluded in the CONVERSE
ion to the conflict which | had. the sense of .
the ieeling that had always had for her
IS OF saint-llke person, and the conflict
hat now was in my mind in respect TO her
is one that had been broken down, ana had
'rought these false charges against me, ami
AIKEN them hack, and was acting in a man
Ter almost like one that was bcrett OF reason.
nd that the two images couldn't under
tand it,
IN. BEEcHER's HISTORY OF THs 81 LETTER OF
CONTRITION."
Much conversation passed backwards and ,
lrwardS turning on this, that Mr. Tilton
vas set against me that he felt that was ..
rs enemy. and that | had done wrong to
i'm, both in his business relations. and that
had sought to undermine his influence in
he community. Ii was the harder because =
ne implication was, or the statement, that
had made use of my acquired reputation. c
nj my position as the head OF a great
hureh, and my relation to the community 0
hat all those, aside from my mere personal :
cuon' had gone to o'ershadow and injure a
I'M. protested against any such idea