Year: 1875




culd he divided was not made until the sh OF ocooer to
lowing and At the time that letter Of resignation was writ
ten the charges had been made no steps hsd oecn xen
them Talk had been had In the church with rcfet
ence 70 investigating the facts connected with the
woodruff publication. in reference to Mr.. Titoas
connection with the church after the publication
M the biography but the first notification that Mr. Beecher
had or nmaton that these charges to be preferred
was on eth OF june 1879 and the charges were made
the following october, the plea the aOth of October
No gentlemen not to sayeMr Tton from the nvesu
cation charges that Mr. Beeche wrote his letter OF
resignation and willing to resign from Plymouth ohurch
and retire to private life but 1t because Mr. Thton was
going publish his letter of conon which he regarded ana
which is confession Of guilt; that is all Mr. Tson
posed to make no acccsahon against him; he mado
accusation in this card he made no charge whAc''
He let Mr.. Beecher be his own aceuser He says;


81 win publish that card and all that i eonons o sonTon
the Introductory portion OF II Is the iee'ei Va


an, =, ho osrect driven to frenzy the idea OF that
letter being made public, he writes MS Nssn'o"' anu
offers 20 retire from Plymouth Chnrcn' anu was o,a'
the course tsken by Mr. Monon and the courage tna' mr.
Mouon infused him that OCCASION that saved Mr. beechet
10 Plymouth Church the Ss OF May, 1873 Henry Ward
Rho, would have ceased be the pastor Of Plymouth
Church had not been for Francis d. Mouon, Of whom that
very church subsequently cried out: "Kll him kill himl
Do YOU doubt gentlemen what this letter OF contron refers
of Do you doubt its meaning and its import when tho mere
idea Of its publication drove the author Of that letter
TO resign from his church, from his position; willing
10 give mp his ministry and retire TO private
life simply because recent publication made 1t no
longer possible for him 10 maintain these secrets! The publ
cation he refers the "partite covenant and the
comment resulting from that unfayorbe TO Mr. Tton ana
Tton administration last last to relieve himself
from this unjust odum compel Mr. Beeeher to relieve him.
and when that brought to his mind and he could ee no
way Of that time weared with his suerngs he deter
mined to end to them this way by resgnng his min
tsts and retiring to private life.


And the following morning June l in utter despair and
desoaon prospect before him. he writes to Mr. Moulton
this letter


THE whole earth is tranquil the heaven serene,
BELTS who is about to finish his world life. L
could do nothing on Saturday; my head was con;
10 the intended publication that contOn have
determined TO make more resistance Theodores empera,
be absolutely worthless aed with abrupt changes rendering
vices by which we have saved ourselves Ii is only fair that
shoud know that the Of the card which he proposes
would leave him worse of than before"


What is there in this card that gongto effect Mr.
Ton What there in that's going to leave him oil
than before What is that is going to leave him so badly
Off Why, because the crime against his family will then be
revealed lie has the knowledge Of it, but few know it,
publication Of that card will leave him of because that
will reveal the that blight has upon his family and


blight upon the children to which attaches That is why
the card would haye him off than before Better suffer
suffering than publish that card because
IL do, reveal the crime in revealing the crime you
blast your family. a. The agreement was made
after my letter through you written" This
is the letter which through him. written he had year


He had condoned his wcs fault He had enoined upon
and soemny otto betray MS
wife leave bis children to blight had honestly ana earn
esy joined in the purpose and this has been perverted


What did he when he enjoned upon him with this
eamestncs his children bghtt Why he i'm
pored him not to make confession that would reveal the
guilt not another faithful member Of his church was
advising him to do, make confession TO his church OF the
that he had committed Mr.. Tilton implored him
not to make such a confession, because such
confession would leave his children TO
blight And that is what he when he says that Tton
had enOned upon him with the utmost eaesness and soem
nifty betray his wife, leave his children to blight


Don't confess your crime IL you do you leave my children
blight" He promised TO confess and but for that pro-
mise but for that appeal in all probability he would have
yielded the appeal Of another who counsed him to confess
his church. had stated he had confessed before his
God and obtain their forgiveness he proessed 10 have OBJ
tanned the forgiveness Of his God.


shall write for the public statement that will bear the


light Of the Judgment day God viii take care Of me and mine
your faithful earnest undying fidelity, your dialneTested


endspl Your noble wife, too has been 70 me Of Gods
comforters Therefore, there is in further trying


have strong feeling me- and brings great peace with it,
that am spending my last Sunday and preaching my last ser


Il shall write a statement that will bear the light Of the


shall confess before my Church world the sin
that committed and end my earthly suffering by taking
my life. II the letter anything other than this
should like hear explained He had condOned his wes
fault What had his wife dOnei What had she been charged
with doing What fault had she commied His advice to her
fault Mr. Beechers advice TO his WIFE fayoring sepa
ration fault Of Mrs Tton that required condonemen
the hands Of her husband He had condoned his wfes
fault" lie had mplored him not to leave his children
blight What going to cast blight upon the children
bat that charged That Is the crime that
would blight upon the children and the only crime that
you'd Bot have sad gentlemen, this occasion,
the sist Of May lS7a Mr. MOuon saved Mr. Beecher to
Plymouth Church. Now, in TO the letter
which written to which have called your attention.
Sunday morning June ls Mr. Moulton Immediately sent
letter from which will read now but one sentence:


june 1sI don't think impossible to frame letter which
will cover the case"


On the evening Of June the st Mr. Carpenter, TO whom
alluded attended Plymouth Church After the service
over Mr. Beecher called Mr. Carpenter aside and said to
him in great anxiety, Have you Theodore - He re-


piled "No;" Mr. Beecher said lie is going TO pub.
dish my letter Mr. Carpenter replied Well, what Of it ~
The came 1t will be my ruin and his too because
he rise on my ruin" What ask YOU in view Of these
accumulated and accumlang facts does that letter refer
the bare publication which going destroy authors and
destroy whom writtenf What does meant
cit will my ruin and his too How will it be his run' How will
Il ruin her Beecher Mr. TOn except there but the
inference 10 be drawn from that letter? And there is but
the one inference existence Of criminal relation
between Mr. Beecher and Mrs Ton the knowledge Of which
would both would blight upon BOTH and ruin his ia
my After church he goes around TO Mr. Moultons in
psny with Mr. Carpenter, and on his way exclaims;


bear anything but the suffering Of others for my fault
IL Theodore will not do this thing publish that letter il he will
withhold it will divide my fame and my fortune with him."


"Ohi what terrible thing does this letter alude that
should induce such expressions that should make him fear
that the knowledge Of its existence would bring ruin upon hmi
To suppress is publication he would divide his fortune and
divide his fame What, what ask you does it aude to
Need tell yOu, as sensible reasoning, intelligent men,
that there Is but one crime, but domestic
crime that be guilty Of that would lead TO such
sequences publication Of this letter would have led in
the estimation Of Mr. Beecher at that timer Well he went
around that night the evening the Of May 1873 Mou
roafA