Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-02-20
Beecher StiH in the Cab he Says
Cleveland Knows the ROpes-A CAL
Vanie Shock from an Internal
Battery.
$50 Help Me God, Had to Wait until
God Told Me Which Way to Co..
And lie Defled Everybody on
Earth, in Heaven or He'll.

CIcu UuGrlSooes4 = CaiA 1ACAfy u
Bowen. kScause he wsP not supposed to
know anything.
Mr.. Beecher said he wouli like some
body to question Mr.. Sage as to the thor
oughness and efficiency of the examine
ton made by the committee.
Mr.. Sage, in reply to such question,
stated it was made as thorough as posi-
BILE. He had understood Bowen's sigma
ture to the tripartiie agreement to mean
he knew nothing against Beeeher.
A long discussion here took placs In
regard to the constitution adopted yes.
teTCfy, TO the effect that questions
should be put by the moderator and
chairmen OF special committees, and it
resulted in the vote being recoDsidered
and the resolution laid on the table.
Mr.. Sage, resuming, said that the
committee hsi not given public notice
for ali persons who knew OF facts TO sp-
pear before 1t.
Deacon CIsfiin, of Lombard, illinois,
asked If he was so partial 10 Beecher
that he could not give fair decision;
and If there could have been q thorough
investigation.
Mr. Sage replied that every man was
personal friend of Bsecher, aud they
would have been very sorry to have been
obliged to find him guilty. Neverthe.
less, had 1t been their duty, there was
not one who would not have done so.
| Mr.. Ssge's examination having been
concluded, Mr.. Sherman said there was
public advertisement in the papers for
all persons knowing about the case to
come forward.
Mr.. Beecher read. q letter calling for
investigation. he had appointed Mr.,
| Cleveland because he knew more about
the case than anybody else. He knew
the ropes, and they could not find any,
body who knew anything about it. In
| the tripartite agreement Bowen forgsve
him, and Tilton agreed to say nothing
about what he heard from Bowen, and
he (BeeeheT) agreed to forgive them
both. He said ne still loved Bowen,
and should continue TO love him until
| the day IF his death. BoWen's language
was that of man who knew nothing
Being asked by delegate If Bowen, in
any of the interviews had with him,
brought him to feeling of repenta nee,
Beecher hurled this answer: Him! he
can't look me ia the face. No, sir, he
never.n
Deacon Howard related an interview
with Henry G.. Bowen, in which the lat
ter said he had that which would drive
Beecher from Brooklyn in twenty-fOur
hours; that he had given orders at his
home that il be was brought home sick
or was in danger of dying, that certain
parties be called into him to relate what
he knew. He asked Bowen TO tell him
what he knew, but he refused to do so.
he then went 20 Rseeher and asked him
to give him permission to have Bowen
tell all he knew. Bsecher only said,
"Devilish! devjlish!'
Rev. Mr.. WoIcott, quoting from
Deacon Towards statement of the in
terview with Bowen, that the latter had
declared, ifhe communicated knowledge
in his possession, it would drive BeecheT
from Brooklyn in tWenty-four hours,
said: II wish to know, If this intime-
ton is that he had such q thing in his
possession, which remained a mystery
IN Mr. B9echer's mind for year with
out any attempt on his part, direc tiy or
indirectly, to penetrate that secret?"
Mr.. Beechtr The effect produced
by tMr. Howariis statement was that
produced by gslvanic shock. II was
worse than that; it was a galyanic shock
from an Internal battery. laughter
The infamy, the horror that felt al
such tIeachery, my hard yet ttpgling
with the GRASP, and my shoulder not
cold from the warmth OF his, TO have 1t
come so directly that after all the agree,
ments of that interview, which / had
just carried out, Of which l had spoken
in the lecture room, and received his
cordial thanks at the foot of the stairs,
and within two days after that to hear
that he had made such q statement as
that, 1t produced the sensation almost
Of sWoon. l did net know what
next. 1t seemed TO me q bottomless
abyss. There were two or three points
that incidentally occurred to my mind;
either OF them WAS horrible. l mad hau
suggestions pointing In whole or In that
direction, and l supposed very likely
that there might be some intimation OF
them. There was nothing that be-
lieved; / knew there was nothing that
was true. There Ea' nothing, IS be-
li6ve6, however, in either of the Eugges-
lions that occurred to my mind that
ccu'd be medtled with without COL fla.
grafton, without serious conflicts, not to
me, but to others. l cannot leu you one
Of them. l regard it, il what l have
heard be true, IS going beyond the mesa-
ure of human outrage. There wGr3 thre g
suggestions, one of which landed at my
door, one or viii b ct his door, and an
other OF which at any other door. So
help me God, could not do anything
but stand still and wait until God told |
me which way to go. l stood like a !
man walking at midnight In a menag. |
erie of serpents, who could not step on |
right because OF an asp or an anaconda, |
and did not step. | waited, nor am
now at all sure, IN the light Of all the |
past, If were 10 be put back sgsin, |
that would not de the same thing.
The examination went on at length, |
and it was suggested that Halliday had |
something further to present to the
council.
A motion to go into secret session was
offered by Rev. Lyman Abbott, which
brought on long discussion, and with
out aisposing Of the question the couu-
ell listened to Mr.. Halliday, assistant |
pastor of Plymouth church, relate his
interview [alresdy putlishedl with Mr..
Bowen.
A resolution that a committee be
appointed 10 wait upon Henry c,
Bowen and invite him to come before
the council and present sill he knows
about the discipline OF the church, and
in relation to the charges he has recent
ly made against Beecher, was ruled out
of order.
Mr.. Abbott said, thst as Mr.. Howard
had stated, Bowen had eaid he had doc
uments affecting Beeeher, he wished to
ask Beecher If be knew OF the existence
OF such document?
Mr.. Beecher-I will answer as re.
CARDS any paper that is in the possession
of a1y man, woman or child on this con.
tinent, or on tue sea, or on the land and
beyood the sea, any body in heaven,
and anybody in hell, that has any docu-
ment that have ever written, or any !
information thar touches me in any
manner, here give my permission to
produce 1t, and challenge them to pro-
duce it, and II 1t is anything that will
throw light on me and incuipate me,
demand 1t by every consideration Of
honor, truth ard justice that 1t be deiiv-
cred now and here, and II not, thereafter
everybody shall hold their peace. Loud
| wish, said Mr. Bescher, after
the applause had subsidized, that
the gentlemen in the gallery would pay
heed to my often and often exhortation
to keep peace, ] do not want 10 be
wounded IN the house Of my own friends
! have enough to bearfrom persons that
hate me and are preju Heed against me,
without having those who pretend e. ,
love me bring this odium on rzs.
DR.. Recon-I wait this applause TO