The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-07-08
UNRAVELING OF A DEEP LAID
PLOT TO RUIN A MINISTER IN
CALIFORNIA.

UNRAvELING OF A DEEP LAID
PLOT TO RUIN A MINISTER IN
CALIFORNIA.
A Case In Many Of its Features Similar
to the Famous Brooklyn Scandal.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 3.-The Post
this evening publishes a narrative of
nine columns, purporting to be the
"true story" of the circumstances con-
nected with the troubles of Rev. Mr..
Parshall, Of Oakland. Some two
years ago Parshall was tried by the
church council-in October and No.
vember, 1873-for lascivious conduct
with certain members of his flock.
He was convicted and left town, go
ing to Vallejo, and finally settling at
Healdsburg, Sonora county. On the
28th of October last the community
was startled by the report that P. H.
Summer, real estate agent, who had
been aprominentmember of ParshalPs
church at Oakland, had been a victim
Of attempted assassination, and taken
to his home severely wounded. He
kept his bed for several weeks, being
attended by friends and physicians,
and being interviewed by reporter
showed anonymous letters warning
him of harm if he did not
STOP HIS PERSECUTION OF PARsHALL,
and finally made an ante-mortem
statement that he was waylaid by two
men on the night in question, and on
his refusing to sign compact to set
Parshall all right, attacked as before
mentioned. Instead of dying after
his statement, Summer went east
with his family. During his absence
Parshall commenced suit against
the. Post tor the publication of Sum.
mer's ante-mortem statement. Sum.
mer returned in May last, said he had
obtained good deal Of information
about Parshall in the east which
would help the Post in its libel suit,
| and called on Col. w. H. Barnes,
who was conducting the case for the
Post, showed him a number of annoy.
nous letters, which he claimed to
have received duringSeptember, 1874,
all
BREATHING A SPIRIT OF HOSTILITY
on account of his opposition to Par
shall. He subsequently told Barne.
that he had discovered the man who
attacked him, and within a day O,
so brought to Barnes Office a man
named Purvis, who acknowledged
having committed the assault on Sum.
ner, at the request Of Parshall; that
Parshall was an old friend of his, and
worked on his sympathies until he
| consented to commit the deed. Pur
| Wis also named as his accomplice one
J.C. Rogerson, of Oakland, clerk
in the employ Of Bowen Bros. He
showed letters purporting to be from
Parshall relative to the contem plated
assassination, which were in the same
hand as those procured by Summer.
Capt. Lees, detective, was called in
to the case. He made critical ex'
animation of Purvis, and the whole
affair. A discrepancy was discover.
ed which aroused his suspicious, and
| the upshot of the whole matter is
that Purvis, and subsequently Sum
mer, being confronted with the evil
dence obtained, have finally confessed
that the whole matter, including the
injuries received by Summer, the an
onymous letters received by him, and
the supposed correspondence between
Purvis and Parshall were
A CONSPIRACY .
/ for the ruin of Parshall. The Pos
was informed of the disclosures on &C
count of there being a libel suitagains
it by Parshall. OnMonday Parshal
was notified by telegraph, and on his
arrival Tuesday it was determined t.
proceed at once against Summer, and
this morning suit was commenced
against him in the twentieth district
court by Parshall, with damages a.
| $1,000, for libel, contained in the 60
called ante-mortem statement.