Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-25
HENRY WARD BEECHER
History Of the Crime in
Which He Was Involved.
RESULT OF HAsTY ADVICE.
The Tilton- Beecher Scandal In
vested With q New and
( Gloomy Interest.


s slDl ~ rt' 't
SAN D1Rao, March ia promi
nent member Of Plymouth Church
Who IL now In this city for brief Pc
riod, is . personal friend of Joseph G.
Hendrix, the postmaster Of Brooklyn
N. n. esss se'ee ss-i 's..
Fourteen years ago Hendrix acquired
= reputation on New York paper
; through his reports Of the Beecher'
Tilton scandal. Hendrix was one of
the few men who knew the unpub'
kshed history Of the scandal which
almoat exhnguished one of the great
lights Of the church, and ruined 9
happy home. Prior to his coming
wsst the memberof Plymouth Church
received from Postmaster Hendrix .
story in coroboration Of what he had
known Of the unpublished history
The recent announcement in New
York paper that the posthumous
papers OF Mr.. Beecher would soon
rive publicity to the story Of the scan,
dSl. leaves the Plymouth church
nem ber free to publish to-day the
I following statement: eiof W
orr ees THE SECRET EXPOSED.
Tho narrative in Beecher's posthu.
nous story clears his name at some
oxpense to his discretion, and throws
4 bright light upon the Plymouth pas
8 tors Christian magnanimity. Mrs
Tilton, the victim Of the scan.
dal, was upon the eve ol
confinement when a meddle.
some acquaintance, who had learned
of Mr.. Tilden's intrigue with Victo.
ria Woodruff, went to the sick and
nervous woman and told her the
/. whole story, The result was what
might be expected. Mrs. Tilton was
thrown into violent grief and excite
mont, and having no one else TO ad-
wise her, sent for her pastor.
ee5 Mr.. Beecher came and heard the
scandal, with indignation and dis
gust. Mr.. Tlton was member OF
his church, and had been his favorite
protege, To find him unfaithful to
his marrlage vows, a frequenter OF
low society and the friend and con-
sort Of the mest notorious adventures
Of the time, was too much for the
preachers patience, and he hastily
said. ssIf T were you, would never
bear children to such q man!.'
BE- Hr THE CRIME coNsUMATEp.
The advice ranked in the sick
woman's mind, and, after q wakefnl
and feverish night, she sent for her
physician, who was afso q member oi
Plymouth Church--a man of quick
sympathies and, what has an impor.
tant bearing on this case. one tC
whom Mr.. Beecher was under un.
usnal obligations.
Il The interview was long and marked
on one eide by the pleaiings of the
vile and on the other by the protests
Of the surgeon. 81 sa =
Finally the woman triumphed and
that day the child was born. Mrs.
Tilton, at the peril of her life, had re-
fused TO bring an heir into the world
to inherit 9 dishonored name. The
next day Mrs. Tilton was delirious
and the thought of her sin came to
her lips and showed itself in inco-
herent language. On the following
day she Was but little better, and at
this critical period Theodore Tilton,
who had been long absent from the
city, returned and learned Of her con-
d1tion. aisissi8a ~ 2 ''''tsr t
# In bis wife's delirium she mention
ed the name of Mr.. Beecher. Was he
responsible? Had he destroyed the
domestic peace of the little cottage on
Livingstone Heights and sought to
hide the evidence of his misdeed ?
He sharply questioned the nerve
wrought woman and learned enough,
- he thought, to verify bis suspi-
cions. s. as.sf3.s .3..i
A LETTER TO MR.. BEEcHER.
Then he sat down and wrote the
famous note to the Plymouth pastor,
calling him to account for uameless
crime. In the meantime Mr.. Beecher
had been informed of Mrs. Tilton's s
condition. of the probability of her
death and Of the return of Theodore.
He was in an agony Of remorse for
fear that what he bad said had led
her to the fatal step. a
Then the letter from Mr.. Tilton
came. Its language meant that Mr..
Beecher had ruined his home; but it
was construed as husbands rebuke
for crime against his own posterity.
Utterly broken down, Mr.. Beecher
wTote the pathetic note in which he
begged forgiveness, and Frustrated
himself before Theodore as he would
before his God. To Mr.. Tilton this
was Q confession of the graver crime.
To Mr.. Beecher it was but an apology
for inconsiderate advice, and the
scandal then began in mutual mis-
understanding.
4 Mrs. Tilton soon recovered and her
husbands charge against the Ply
mouth paster crept into print, appear
ing for the FIRST time in Woodruff &
ClaAin's weekly.
B0MBsHELL.
It was bombehell in Mr.. Beech
er's h0useheld. instead of giving
Bad advice, Mr.. Beecher was accused
Of breaking the seventh command
ment. His 6rst impulse was to tell
the whole story and clear his good
namo, once for all; but there stood
his friend the physician, the man
whose friendship Mr.. Beecher had
often used in q financial way, and
whose professional good name, and
even his personal liberty, we're in
volved in secreting.
So far ss known, Mrs. Tilton had
mover revealed his name. To do so
would have opened the prison doors
across his path. Recognizing all this,
Mr.. Beecher, with magnanimity
that may be well called sublime, de-
termined to bear the odium of the
charge until the courts should lift it
from him.
Tho first proceeding in open court
was the Congregational inquiry at