The San Francisco call., 1896-03-26
MRS. DAVIDSON
NOT GUILTY.
Sudden Collapse Of the Cele-
brated Blackmail
Case.
NO CRIME WAS PROVED.
DR.. Brown Said He Paid Five
Hundred Dollars Out
of Curiosity.
WANTED TO FIND MRS. BADDIN.
Judge Bahrs Asked Questions Tending
to Assist in the Prosecution of
the Woman at the Bar.

When the jury, by order of Judge Bahrs,
yesterday morning returned verdict of
acquittal in the case of the People against
Mrs. Davidson on the charge of extortion,
the entire audience deafened any further
remarks by loud and continued clapping of
hands and stamping of feet, and when the
aristocratic looking old lady turned to
leave the courtroom with her face beaming
with smiles, she ran the gauntlet of hand
shaking from hundreds of men and
women who crowded forward to extend
their congratulations.
The fact that she was acquitted on
mere technicality did not at all cool the
warmth of her reception, and did not at
all cloud the Joy which shone in the faces
of her sympathizers. Among these were
many persons who did not approve of DR..
Browns personality or of his methods, and
they rejoiced because they reasoned that
Mrs. Davidson's acquittal would be con-
strued as rebuke to the bellicose pastor
who had stirred up the dregs of religious
scandals as they had never been stirred be-
fore.
1t was openly said in the courtroom and
in the corridors by the spectators that the
whole affair looked like preconcerted ar
rangement; that it was more than likely
that DR.. Brown did not care to have the
details of the ride to Tacoma discussed
and to have the whole Overman scandal
raked over in a court which could compel
the attendance of witnesses, and which
could oblige DR.. Brown to give the name
of the railway official who, according to
his story before the council, approached
Mattie's berth in the Pullman sleeper and
alarmed her. 1t was a court also that
could demand evidence for the innuendoes
cast by DR.. Brown upon several persons
during the so-called investigation by the
ecclesiastical council.
1t was rumored yesterday that Dr.
Brown and his friends were heartily sick
OF the whole affair and wanted peace.
However this may be, it is certain that
DR.. Brown could not have testified in any
other way than he had done before the
church council, so recently held, even had
he desired to do SO, because that testimony
before the religious tribunal was given un-
der oath, with great deliberation and with
ample opportunity to amend. correct, am
plifY and explain everything in connection
with the incidents related by him. Hence
any variation from that testimony would
have been fatal to his case in the Superior
Court.
He was in a quandary. If he had told
the truth before the council he had to
stick to it before the Superior Court, and
if what he had sworn to before the council
was untrue he had to stick to it, no matter
what the consequences might be, for those
consequences could never by any posi-
bility be as grave as those resulting from
an admission that he had committed per-
Jury before body of his fellow ministers.
Long before 10 O'Clock, the hour an
nodf for fhar of floT
was crowded, an unusually large Der
of baldheaded men being observed in
the front row. Downstairs, in what would
correspond to the dress-circle of theater.
two long benches, well to the front, were
occupied by Christian ladies' all of them
apparently on the cloudy side of forty. A
few younger women stood near the report
ers' table, and were among the most inter-
ested spectators in the room.
DR.. Brown sat behind his lawyers; Mrs.
Brown between him and Deacon Morse.
The doctor spent the greater part
of the time IN studying the sphinx
like countenancss of the jurors. The
prosecution was strongly represented
by District Attorney Barnes, Carroll Cook,
Walter S. Hinkle and ex-Judge Louder
back.
Next in point of interest to the doctor
was Mrs. Davidson. She retained through
out all the proceedings the dignity and
self-possession of thoroughbred member
of society and impressed the spectators
with the idea that she was very superior
old lady indeed, and they did not wonder
that she had succeeded in inducing the
doctor to borrow $500 of bank and to pay
it to her on account of a Mrs. Baddin,
whom he had never seen or heard of be-
fore. Her neatly arranged gray hair was
topped with black velvet turban. Her
cloak was an elegant mantilla of black
L l.. :
a kings at least a parsons ransom.
The court waited for fourteen minutes
for Juror Nolan, who TOOK his seat with
out any remark, as a matter OF course, and
who began blushing violently when Judge
Bahrs asked, with just little satire,
whether his alarm clock hadn't gone on
strike. Judge Murphy, who sat with
Judge Bahrs as visitor, enjoyed the
satire so much that Juror Nolan's embar-
rassment threatened to drown him in
crimson confusion.
Almost before Juror Nolan had time to
recover from his bushes, Mr.. Hinkle be-.
gan to make his opening statement. There
were no oratorical fireworks In 1T, it being
simply adidactic narration of facts which
the prosecution expected to prove by DIR.
Brown.
DR.. Brown was called to the stand. In
response to questions by Carroll Cook he
proceeded to tell the story of Mrs. David.
sons visit to him on November q of last
year. On that evening. in his Office in the
church, Mrs. Davidson told him that
certain woman-a lodging-house keeper
had informed her that some time before
that conversation minister Of the Gospel
and a young woman had called at her
lodging-house and had been observed by
her and a lodge1 in the commission of a
certain act The story went to the
effect that on another and subsequent oc-
casion the lodging-h house keeper visited
her and told her that she had identified
the minister and the young woman as DIR.
Charles O. Brown and Miss Matte Over
man.
Or. Brown swore that Mrs. Davidson
followed this up by calling his attention
to the excited state of public sentiment
over the arrest of Lane and Meyer, and
also to the fact that DR.. Brown had
made large number of enemies within
and without the church by reason of his
attitude on social questions and in the DR..
Heron CONTROVERSY. Mrs. Davidson said
further thai the lodging house keeper in
tended to publish the scandal if DR.. Brown
did not pay her a sum of money. and that
she Mrs. Davidson) held the secret OF the
lodging-house keepers life and was acting
as her agent in this matter.
Mrs. Davidson said that the lodging