Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-03-06
Mr.. BOWEN At THE Bar.


MIR. BOWEN At THE BAR.
Mr.. Bowen is ridiculous. He has been
shaking his head and muttering unintelli-
gibe things over the Beecher scandal so
long that mystery has become second
nature to him, and the probability is that
nothing short of the rack and thumbscrew
will ever make him tell how much or how
little he knows He is miserable unless
somebody is clarmoring for his secret,
and he would be doubly miserable if he
ever got rid of it,. In every partial or
pretended disclosure that he has thus far
made he has kept back the essential facts,
and he declared the other night at Ply
induce him to tell enough of what he
knew to enable the persons compromised
by his statements to put the truth OF his
story to the test Mr.. Bowen stands now
in false position. Technically he is on
his defense at the bar of the church,
charged with slandering his pastor. Real
/ y
Ward Beecher at the bar of public opin-
ion. It is unfortunate that he should ap-
pear in two characters, for he is enabled
to claim the privileges Of both without &C
ceptng the responsibilities Of either. He
offers to show the church that he had rea-
sons for believing Mr.. Beecher guilty.
but he refuses to put them in such form
that Mr.. Beecher or the church can meet
Or disprove them.
MIR. Bowen declares that he received
at various times the confessions of vari-
Gus women that they had been criminally
intimate with Mr.. Beecher. These confess
sions he received of course under the
most solemn obligation of secrecy which
gentleman can incur. But. said he,
will violate that obi gation--just little.
| will give their names to committee
of three. 1t does not seem to have oc.
Cured to any of the persons concerned in
the negotiations that it would be an unpar-
donable baseness to give them even to
committee of one. When gentleman &C
cepts a confidence such as Mr.. Bowen
tells us was reposed in him he guards it
with his life. He can never betray it,
either for his own vindication or the con-
domination of another. He is eternally
disgraced if he SO much as whispers the
secret in the privacy of his own family.
But his. willingness to give up the names
to a committee of the church-provided
the deed can be done behind the DOORS
not the most extraordinary part of his
proposal. He insists that no woman whom
he duplicates shall have the privilege of
confronting and conlradcting him. He
will destroy them; but he must do il in the
dark he will not face the victims of the
outrage. The church required that any
woman whom he might accuse of sin
should be allowed to come before the COM
mittee, either in person or by represent
tative, and show if she could that the ac-
cusation was unjust; and when Mr.. Bow.
en- refused this condition the church re-
jected his proposition altogether.
1t could not decently have done other
wise. No civilized tribunal condemns I'M
heard
The example of Plymouth Church in
dealing with Mr.. Bowen's plan for dis
honoring himself ought to be followed by
the public in considering his published
statement. 1t will not be followed, be-
cause charges such as he repeats always
make an impression upon some of those
who hear them; but the more the sensi-
BILE and decorous portion of the commune
ty reflect upon the case the more indig-
nant will they be at this giving forth of
an accusation which there is no means OF
testing, this publication Of an indictment
which is never to be tried.-New York
Tribune.