Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-24
BEECHER'S MISTAKE.

A Friend Tells How His Life Wa
ClOuded.
SAN DIEGO, CAL March GA promi
nent member of the Plymouth Church
now in this city, has from the first known
all the facts concerning the Beecher- -TiltoI
scandal, but has not heretofore considered
himself at liberty 10 speak. The an
nouncement that the posthumous papers o
Beecher would soon give publicity to tn
story Of the scandal leaves the plymouth
Church member free to make the following
statement:
Mrs. Tiltoa was on the eve Of con6ne
ment, when a meddlesome acquaintance
who had learned of Tilton's intrigue will
Victoria Woodhnll, went to the sick ant
nervous woman and told her the Who'll,
story. Mrs. Tilton was thrown into yio
lent grief aud excitement, and, having M
one else to advise her, sent for her pastor
Beecher came aud heard the scanda
with indignation and disgust. Til'on wal
O member of his church and had been hi,
favorite protegs To find him unfaithfu
to his marriage vows was too much fol
the preachers patience, and he hastily
said:
"IfI were You / would never beal
children to such man."
The remark rankled in the sick woman &
mind, and after leverish night, she sent
for her physician, who was also member
OF Plymouth Church, q man Of quick
sympathy and one to whom Beecher was
under unusual obligations The inter
view was long and marked on one side by
the pleadings of the wife and on the Other
by the protests OF the surgeon. That day
a child was prematurely born.
The next day Mrs Tilton was delirious
and thought her sin had come to her lip:
and expressed itself Ill incoherent Ian
guage. At this critical period Theodore
Tilton, who had been absent from the city,
returned and learned her condition. In
the wile's delirium she mentioned .he
name of Beecber. Was he resposible?
TiltOn questioned the nerve-wrought
woman, aud learned enough, as he thought
to verify his suspicious. Then he sat
dowO and wrote the note 10 the Ply.
mouth pastor.
In the meantime Beecher had been in.
formed sof Mrs. Tilton's condition. He
was in an agony Of remorse, fearing what
he said had led her to tine fatal step. Then
the letter from Tilton came. Its language
meant that Beecher has ruined his home,
but it was construed rs q husbands re-
buke for crime against his own posterity.
Broken down, Beecher wrote pathetic
note, in which he begged forgiveness, aud
said he humb'ed himself before Theodore
rs be would before his God.
To TiltOn this was confession Of a
graver crime; to Bsecher it was only an
apology for an inconsiderate utterance,
but the scandal was then commenced in
mutual misunderstanding.
When the charge against the Plymouth
pastor crept into print, Beecher's first i'm
pllse was to tell the story, but there stood
his friend, the physician, a man whose friend
ship Beechtr had often used in fnan-
cial way aud whose professional good name
and even personal liberty were involved.
So far as known, Mrs. Tilton had never re-
vealed his name. To do SO would have
opened prison doors across his path. Re-
cognizing this, Beecher determined TO bear
the odium Of the charge until the courts
should lift it from his shoulders. The
cause was transferred from an ecclesiastical
to legal judicature. True to his friend
aud true TO himself, he denied the charge
alleged against him. The physician was
silent. Mrs. Tilton declared her pastor 8
innocence, but Theodore Tilton, with con
trite and incrimipating letters in his hand,
declared bin guilty. The jury disagreed,
and ever afterward Bsecher's fame lay
under cloud OF calumny.
"This is the explanation which believe
will he found Ia Beechcrs posthumous
papers," says the gentleman referred to.
"The essence Of that document have long
known about. II was prepared ten years
ago, and was to be published after Beech
er's death and that Of the incuIpated ply
sician. From paragraph in the papers
Judge that the time has arrived when il
may he given TO the public"