The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-11
Mr. Bowen's Accusations Against
Beecher.

Friday, Henry @. Bowen presented a
letter to the examining committee of Ply
mouth church in answer to the grievances
of s. V. White, member of said commit
tee. He commences by SAYING that the
church once unanimously acquitted him Of
slandering the pastor. At that time he
was charged with talking too much now
the charge is he is talking too little. His
silence was based upon the tripartite agree
ment to bury the past and keep silent in
future. lie relates the substance of the in
terviews and concludes the letter as fol-
lows 81 do not propose now to give In
detail facts which have come to my know
ledge or incidents, disclaimers and conf
dental communications which have from
time to time been presented, or commune
cations to me in regard to the character of
Henry Ward Beecher, to his dishonorable
conduct in business affairs, to his treacber-
GUS treatment of friends, to bis breaking of
written covenants, to his untruthful state
ments in court, to his dodglng all thorough
Investigations, into his conduct and charac.
ter, to his stolid Indifference when the un-
just charge and malicious ISLANDERS
had been made against particular
members of his church, to his recent
contradictory utterances in regard to what
he characterizes as hodge podge council.
composed of wolves and foxes-like Drs.
Storrs and BuddingtoD. Which council at
one time he said had never positively OBJ
Jected, but in regard to which, on another
occasion, he did positively say, won't
have anything to do with it, and finally of
his coarse abuse and slanderous charges of
perjury, uttered boldly and publicly in his
own lecture room against an honest
christian woman who had dared. ns sho al
legged, TO speak the truth concerning him.
With this brief reference to matters which
have an influence in forming my Judgment
l VIII now hasten to tell you frankly what
are my conclusions in regard to the charac-
Yer OF the pastor of plymouth church.
nave known Mr. Beecher quite intimate
lY since the day of bis arrival in BROOKLYN.
have been acquainted with him, sociallv
aud privately, in church and in the family.
in business matters and in religions mai,
tiers. | have heard attentively, but with
profound grief, what has been said to me
confidently against him. | have felt NV
heart stirred TO its depths for dear friends
who, years before the present scandal was
published, sorrowfully begged my advice
as they assured me that their pastor and
NINE had craftily betrayed the sanctity of
home, the very charge long after presented
to me by Theodore Tilton In regard to his
own home. | never can, or will, be base
enough to allow single name to be bruited
before the world, although am
now ready to testify to the essen
tial facts before anv nroner
tribunal, These disclosures l heard with
a sad heart and tried to accept the evidence
brought to me that Mr. Beecher was grief
stricken and penitent have read much
that has been said for and against MIR.
Beecher in the public press. have with
utter amazement read and re-read and
pondered over his published letters and
written confessions in regard to the seri-
Gus accusations made against him. have
tried to weigh all the evidence which has
come before me with judicial fairness and
christian honesty. | have read the witber-
ing charges which have been published to
the world against him. have seen those
charges again and again hurled OF him and
he calmly and boldly challenged to appear
before any impartial tribunal to meet
them; have seen him with all this
cloud of darkness gathering about
him apparently defyng public opinion. de-
flying the advice of his old lifelong friends
embracing the soundest, ablest and bes(
clergymen in the country, and seemingly
defyng again and again the very God of
heaven himself to cast him down. Now
being summoned here to speak and to
| speak the truth, the whole truth and notb
ing but the truth. solemny give as my
unwaverng opinion in view of all the facts
and evidence presented to me that the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, without even
the shadow of doubt in my mind, is
guilty of the awful crimes of adultery,
perjury and hypocrisy. This | say again,
and before the bar of this committee is my
deliberate opinion, and may be permitted
to affirm that | give it calmly, without
malice and with no other than a sincere
desire to do my duty faithfully to God and
to man, to the church and to the world.
Signed, HENRY g. Bowen.