The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-04-25
The Becchcr TiltOn Scandal.

Plymouth Church is agitatcd again
on account OF complete confession, BY
Mrs. Elizabeth Tiltou, Of her guilt With
Rev. Henry Ward Beccl'er' She pub
fishes the following card!
Mr., Ira b WheeiGr.. o.
NV DEAR SIR: A few weeks since, giicr
long months OF mental anguish told, ~
Won know. u few friends, whom hau Olt-
icrly deceived, that the charge brought by
INV husband Of adultery between myself
md the Rev. Henry Ward Beechcr was
true, and that the lie ] had lived 80 wen
the last tour years had become ihtolcraDic
10 me,
Trnt statement ] now solcmnly reaiirm'
and leave the truth with God, to whom
also | commit myself, my children, ana AL
who must suDer. .
know full well the explanations that
will be sought by many for TINS acknowl-
edgment; II desire 10 return 10 my NUS
hand, insanity, malice, everything save thr
true and only one-my quickcned ron
science, and the sense OF what - que 10
the cause OF truth and justice, during All
the complications of these years you nave
been my confidential friend, ANA therefore
address this letter to you, authorizing
anu TtNIUiNIIIlH W. w W" '".
ton. ELIzBEru II. TIL1oN.
BR0OKLYN, April Is, 1873,
After the appearance OF this cara ID
public print, u dispatch in regard TO Il
was sent to Mr.. Bcccler, who was to
lecture at Waverly, New York, the
same evening. Bcecher te%legraphed
back as follows:
To THE EDITOR or THE TRIBUNE-S Sir;
confront Mrs. 1ilton's confession with eG-
plicit and absolute denial. .
The testimony to her own innocence ana
to mine which for four years sic nag 'hadc
to hundreds in private aud IN public, pc
fore the court, in writing and orally, ! dc
clare to he true.
And the allegations now made in con-
tradiction of her uniform, solemn, ana I'M
varying statements heretofore made, ! Ut
tcrly deny.
declare her to be innocent Of the great
transgrcssiOn. HENRY WARD BEEchhh'
WAvEnLY, n. Y, April 10.
OF course Mr.. Beecher's partisans
will say that Mrs. Tilton lies, and that
Mr.. Beecller is innocent. And they
will keep him AS = pastor, at a salary
that ought to support twenty preachers
or more, and they will believe him to
be greatly wronged. But public opln
ion has rendered II verdict of guilty"
rs TO Beecher, and it would be well for
the cause Of religion if his Congregn-
tional disciples would appoint an I'M
biased committee TO examine into his
case, and prove him innocent before
allowing him to preach longer. The
fact is, Bccchcr and Mrs. Tllton are,
morally, as low to. day as the ver;est
low ones Of society, and far more to
be cOndem ned, because there was no
temptation but illicit desire to make
them step aside. They lad no poverty
present or prospective to induce them
to do wrong. Mrs. Tilton had no chill
dren begging for bread. She had no
occasion to weary her hands and strain
her eyes in sewing for pennies. And
Bescher-the great scoundrel LATTER
he had married Miss Richards to Mr..
Tilton, and said that whom God had
joined together let no man put asunder
he, the villain arrayed in The gar5 Of
a clergyman, violated the command.
Aud it is q shame to this generation
that such a villain should be allowed
to preach and pirate about the doings
Of sinners.
As to the confession Of Mrs. Tilton,
VIC agree with the New York Sun. 1t
"iully justifes the wisdom of Beeoher's
counsel In the scandal trial in taking
care not to allow Mrs. Tilton to testify
in court. At that time there is no
doubt that she would have commenced
her evidence by denying the whole story
of guilt; but she must have broken
down in the cross examination and CON
fessed the truth before she got through.
"The statement she now makes. is
undoubtedly true. It agrees with all
the evidence in the case. and furnishes
the only satisfactory explanation Of the
otherwise marvellous and mysterious
expressions of Beccher's letters. As
n matter Of positive testimony, its
value is, of course, diminished by the
fact that Mrs. Tilton has before contra
dicted herself respecting this subject
but no intelligent person can examine
the whole case without coming to the
conclusion that the facts are 30.
Henry Ward Beecher is an adul
terer, perjurer, and fraud; and his
great genius and his Christian pleten-
ces only make his sin the more norri-
bic and revolving"