Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-02-09
TELEGRAPHIC.
BOWEN SPEAKS OUT.

TELEGRAPHIC.
BOWEN SPEAKS OUT. |
From q Full knowledge Of
the Matter he Pro-
nOunces Beecher
Guilty.
New YORK, Feb. 4.--Mr. Henry Y
Bowen presented letter to the Ex-
aiming Committee of Plymouth
Church, tonight, in answer to the
grievances of Mr.. 3. O. White, . MEM
Der OF said committee. He commence
90 By saying that the church onco
unanimously acquitted him of SLAM
derIng HE pastor. At that time he
was charged with talking too much(
now the charge 10 for talking too little /
His silence was based on the tripart.
tie agreement to bury the past and
keep silent 10 the future. have boon
unceremoniously summoned to ap.
pear before this committee. and let
me now ask . few questions: Who
comes here to quote words Of Islander
which have ever uttered against the
pastorI Who says have ever once
In any way, except by silence, injured
him /! Let mo ask, has Henry Ward
Beecher any grievances against me ?
II 90, has he ever brought them be-
fore this committee Others, as you
know. have, In the plainest English,
charged Beecher with both adultery
and perjury. They have challenged
~ investigation In court or In c0nn-
Gil and hardly . whisper has been
heard in reply. Dare any Of you
summon these accusers into Q court OF
justice and there demand evidence on
which these charges of adultery and
perjury against Mr.. Beecher are made
1.-The 10 absolutely Innocent why do
yOn not act a. IL you believed 1t, and
Thus put Nm end 10 this horrible scAn.
dial Z? II he 10 . pnre man here 10 the
straight road out OF oil difficulty.
Bowen says he challenge Plymouth
Church to appoint its own committee
to investigate openly and vigorously =
his words aud DECIDE, either in or ont
Of the church from the day of his
birth to the present honr. He says
he 10 ready tor trial.
do not propose now to give In de-
tail the facts which have come to my
knowledge. or incidents, disclosures
and confidential communication
which have from time to- time been
presented or communicated to me, In
regard to Henry Ward Beecher Ito
his dishOrorable conduct In business
Affairs, to his treacherous treatment OF
friends, to his breaking Of written
contracts, TO his untrue statements In
conrts, to his lodging through al in
vestigaiions into his conduct and char
acter. to his stolid indifference when
unjust charges and malicious alauders
have been made against particular
members OF his church aud finally g.
to his cOarse abnse and slAnderOus
charges Of perjury, uttered boldly in
bis own lecture room, against an hon.
eat Christian woman who had dared,
as she alleged, to speak the truth con-
corning him.
l will now hasten to tell you frank
" what are my convictions In regard
to the character of the pastor Of Ply
mouth Church. have known Mr..
Beecher quite Intimately since the day
Of his arrival Ia Brooklyn. I have
been acqnainted with him sociallv and
privately, in the church .and 10. his
family, in business matters and In re.
ligi0us matters. I heard with pro-
found grief and sorrow " hat has been
said to me confidentislly sRainst him
before the scAndsf was pnblished -
My council assured me that their pas.
tor and mine had craitily betrayed the
sanctfty of home long before present
cd 10 me by Theodore Tilton In re-
gard 10 his own home. / never can
or will be base enough to allow sin
gle name to be bruited before the
world, although I am now ready 70
testify to the essential facts before any
proper tribunal. l have read much
that has been said for and against Mr..
Beecher in the public press. I have,
with utter amazement read and re-read
and pondered over his published let
ters and written confessions ia regard
to the serious accusations against him.
| have tried to weigh oil the evidence
which has come before me with Judi.
cia: fairness and Christian honesty. 1
have read the whitening charges which
have been published 10 the world
against him; IhAve seen those charges
again and again hurled at him, and he
calmly and boldly challenged to APP
pear before any impartial tribaaal and
meet them. | have seen him with all
this cloud of darkness gathering
around him, apparently defying pub
lie opinion, dctying the advice OF his
his old lifelong friends, embracing
the soundest. ahlest and beat clergy
mon in the country, and seemingly
defyiDg, again and again, tho very
God Of heaven himself to cast him
down. Now being summoned here to
speak the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, solemnly give
II 80 my nnwAvering opinion, in view
of all the facts and evidences present.
cd to me, that Reverend Henry Ward
Beecher, without even the shadow of
doubt in my mind, IL guilty of the aw-
full crimes OF adultery, perjury and
hypocrisy. This l say again, and be-
fore the bar of this committee, ID nv
deliberate opinion; and may be per.
mitted TO affirm that gave il calmly.
without malice, and With no Other
than sincere desire TO do my duty
faithfully 10 God and to man, the
Church, and to the world.
Signed, HEEEy @ BowEN.
brooklyn, Feb. 4, 1876.