St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-02-18

unburden himself of all he knew ABOUT
the scandal. Being closely cornered IL
turned out he didn't know any thihS'
but he finally took refuge III The state
ment that Mrs. Woodruff if she chose
..coud Il tale unfold" Then Mr.. Ga
fin, who is Il practical common sense
man. with an instructive loatllih% Oh
concealmentS and inuendoes. insisted
that Bowen and he should go at once t."
Mrs. Woodhulrs house. and hear what
ever she had to say. Bowen WAS
obliged to comply with this perfectly
reasonable and manly demand. When
they got there Mrs. Woodruff WAS IL
barren of everything but hearSay inior-
nation as Bowen had been. That was
the first. last and only time that Bowen
WAS brought to bay and compelled for
IL moment to recede from his ''pollcy OF
silence" until the recent Illumination
appeared.
The explanation of Bowers change
of base is simple enough. His situation
is pitiable in the extreme. Though II
is of his own making one cannot regard
it without commiScrati"n. Revealed
at last lis the fountain and Souce of
the torrents of vitupcratiom which have
been poured upon the devoted head of
the minister under whose preaching he
had sat from ISL till the time when
Gen. Tracy pilloried him in his opening
speech for the defence in the great trial
in the celebration of whose silver
wedding he bore il prominent part for
whom he has expressed the strongest
sentiments of esteem repeatedly. Years
after the ISLANDERS of which he is the
-
whom he wrote and published in April
1872, Il know nothing which should
prevent me from extending to him the
most cordial friendship. confidence and
Christian fellowship" he is finally driven
10y incNnrahlc fate into taking his place
among the acknowledged and convicted
p!otterS against the peace and fame of
his spiritual adviser. The Bowen of
lSI2 is il sufficient witness against the
Bowen of 1876, and there is no occasion
for offending public dcccncy by giving
further attention to his contradictory
statements. To quote the pungcnt re-
mark of one oil the leaders of Plymouth
society, 1--WE have put Bowen on II
CREASED plank and he has slid to the
bottom.
The pensioners of Plymouth Church
must by this time have made up their
minds that their pastor will he to IL
certain extent the object ;> long as he
lives Of ribald villiiication. of incoher-
cnt babhlc. We live in an exception
ally Scandal-loving epoch, and he is Il
shining mark for loose tongues and
malcVoIcnt pens. Mrs. Grumdy will
turn up the whites of her eyes when his
name Is mentioned. and the timid and
time serving NOtarlc> of c0IVrmtiOnahtV
will watch and wait to see whether il i
the fashion to greet OF >hun him before
they decide which of the two they shall
do. Meanwhile his own people will
stand hv him with un<wcrvinm CON
>tanry. then devotion increasing in the
presence of the sublime courage with
Which hr halcS his breast To the shafts
"f calumnN. Ihoughtlc>> people will
begin t" reflect upon the ab>urdity of
the idea that any man. much less one
OF such rare conSpicuou>ncS>. could
have been Il rogue tor twenty five NeaIS.
aud vet that not one solid. substantial
item of evidence could hc idduccd To
prove il. aud finally when hc i gathered
t" his fathers the acclaim of culogN
over his worth will br universal. and
the mcanc>t of his tIaduccr> will he
am"l" tn" lnudr>t in communicating.
his virtues. and drpl"ring TIN, prr>cci-
tinu> which cmhIitclrd his declining
Years.