The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-29

MISS OVerman returned to the City Mrs.
Davidson told her that the position was
not ready for her. She said she intended
to enlarge her store and to employ Miss
Overman as her typewriter and she would
pay for her instruction. Miss Overman
stayed with her till the expose last Thurs
day night, since when she has been a guest
in DR.. Browns house.
Mrs. Davidson is a widow, 60 years of
age. She first made ner appearance in
this City during the Midwinter Fair. She
came from Boston and had stand at the
fair, where she displayed the corsets for
which she is agent.
After the fair she had stand in the mil
lInery-store of P. +. Butler, sos Market
street, and then removed to 225 Geary
street.
She joined DR.. Browns church about
year ago. DR.. Brown questioned her as
to her certificate from the church she pre-
viously attended and she replied that she
had been member of a Baptist church
and did not have her certificate. She was
such a prcfessed Christian woman that
about six months ago she got a Bible class
to teach in the Sunday-school.
Mrs. Frank French says that Mrs.
Davidson is good Christian woman. Her
husband was an officer on General Han
cocks staff during the war and her stories
of the war are intensely interesting.
Personally she did not know about Mrs.
Davidson's past history, but she believed
that she was a good woman. She had told
Mrs. French of confessions made both by
DR.. Brown and Miss Overman to her and
had had written statement prepared for
some time which she had read to Mrs.
French. At the time of DR.. Browns
trouble with DR.. Heron Mrs. Davidson,
at the prayer meetings in the church, had
prayed for DR.. Brown. that God might
make him greater and a nobler man,
and she was one of his stanchest friends.
She was noble-looking woman and had
been as a mother to DIR. Brown.
Mrs. French said her husband had been
engaged by Mrs. Davidson to defend her
and he had advised her not to say any,
thing for publication.
DIR. Brown and Detectives Seymour
and Whitaker hunted for Mrs. Baddin,
but could find no trace of such person
and were forced to the conviction that she
only existed in Mrs. Davidson's magma
ton. DR.. Brown had carefully looked
over tie city directories and found that no
one of that name, either of male or female,
had been in the directory for years back.
Mrs. Mary A. Davidson is lady past 60
and shows in her face and carriage evil
dence of exceptional refinement. She is
from Maine and has lived in the City two
years, most of the time at 225 Geary street.
She has been a regular attendant at DR..
Browns church since her arrival and has
been on terms of intimacy with him, to
the extent of receiving his unlimited con-
fdence. She was a teacher in his Sabbath
school.
She told her story freely after her a tor
ney, Walter Gallagher had given his per-
mission.
"Dr. Browns first confidence was given a
year ago last October" she says, when he
told her he loved Miss Overman.
'She has an education unsurpassed by
that of any woman I ever knew" he is
quoted as saying. "Her intelligence and
purity of character are such as to make
her jewel of woman"
Mrs. Davidson stated that she met Miss
Overman at the meetings of Allen, the
evangelist, where she was accompanied by
Mrs. Tunnel, lady residing on Tenth
street, and gentleman friend.
Miss Overman told her she was DR..
Browns literary assistant, and was then
engaged in assisting him in the prepara-
ton of lectures he was soon to give at Ia
coma and Seattle.
Shortly after, when Mrs. Davidson was
dining at DR.. Browns home Here she in
terjected that DR.. Brown had always man.
ifested kindliness toward her, as he stated,
because her cousin, Theophilus Abbott
president of the Michigan Univer-
sity, had employed him as sub-teacher
and helped him generously in time of
need Miss Overman had announced
her intention of living with the Browns
during the winter and perhaps perma-
nently. Mrs. Davidson said she was much
surprised when Miss Overman called on
her soon after to make farewell visit, and
said that she was going because of Mrs.
Browns jealousy. ~ shall get the best of
her yet" Miss Overman is alleged to have
said.
The following month, according to Mrs.
Davidson's statement, DR.. Brown and Miss
Overman went to Tacoma together.
On his return DR.. Brown brought note
from Miss Overman, in which she said she
would spend the winter in Tacoma, as her
health was not good. From that time the
two ladies exchanged letters on an average
OF twice week. Mrs. Davidson's story
continues:
"Dr. Brown cabled again soon after
ward and took her fully into his conf
dence, as she thought. I love Matte Over
man, he said, over and over again. L ad-
vised him as mother would son. she
said, and told him he should see the dan
ger before it was too late. 1 called the af-
lection an 'unholy passion He corrected
me, by styling it unlawful love-"
"'Does she reciproeate your affection?'
asked. He answered Yes He went