The San Francisco call., 1896-11-11
DR.. MCLEAN TO
MISS OvERMAN
Recent Letters That Did
Not Produce the De-
sired Effect.
Dr.. Browns Nemesis Will Not
Swear to Her Confession
Before a Notary.
MRS. TUNNEL sUSTAINs 1T.
The Committee of Three Will Force
the DubuQue Association to
Discard Brown.
MRS. TUNNRLL sUsTA1Ns IT.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,
9OS Broadway, Nov. 10. {

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO OALL,f
90S Broadway, Nov. 10.
A very interesting correspondence be-
tween Rev. ]. K. Mclean, DID,, and
Miss Matte Overman has just closed and
will play an important part in the future
of Rev. G. o. Brown, now of the Dubuque
conference. 1t will depend solely on DR..
Brown whether or not the committee ap-
pointed week ago make public the con-
! iession of MISS Overman mailed by her to
DR.. Mclean three months ago.
The Bay Conference decided that it was
absolutely necessary that the confession
of Miss Overman should be sworn to be.
fore 8 notary. S. W. Condor, an attor-
ney, and who is president of the Alameda
County Christian Endeavor Union, was
engaged to prepare an affidavit embody.
ing the points in Miss Overman's written
confession. The document when pre-
pared was sent to Miss Overman by Dr.
McLean, with request that she take it
before notary and swear to it.
= DR.. Mclean received a reply in which
Miss Overman refused to swear to it. 1t
was very evident that she did not intend
to willfully commit perjury. She replied
that she would not swear to her con-
fession and referred to the fact that she
had once taken an oath and had imme-
diately afterward told multitude of false
hoods. She concluded by saying that she
did not intend 10 take any more oaths.
In this letter she told DR.. Mclean that
. she had only done her duty and had writ
ten nothing but the truth. She had for
given Dr. Brown and did not cherish any
grudge against him and had no desire to
enter into any spite work against the best
Interests of DR.. Brown. She concluded
by saying that the matter was now in the
hands OF the Lord and that he was at
tending to DR.. Brown and would not let
him remain in any pulpit or do anything
that would hurt the cause of Christ on
earth.
81 wrote back" said Dr. Mclean to-day.
telling Miss Overman that it was all very
well to say that the matter was in the
hands OF the Lord, but that we also in
tended to take a hand in the matter
Brown is back in the field al present and
is telling ialsehoods by wholesale, and the
Bay Association viii be held responsible
If he does in another chnrch as he did in
San Francisco. 1 told her that it was
necessary for Us TO have sworn statements
only for use in case we needed them IN
the future"
This letter OF DR.. Mclean was un-
answered for two weeks, and then the
affidavit came back. 1t was not sworn to
before notary, but was signed by Miss
Overman, Woo reiterated her statement
that it was true. Accompanying it was u
short note, in which Miss Overman prac-
tically said that she would not take any
more trouble to please the ministers.
Attorney Condor then procured an affi-
davit from Mrs. Tunnel supporting the
statements of Matte Overman. These
documents are now held by the committee
appointed couple of weeks ago. and will
probably remain secret.
"If 1 had my way" said DR.. Mclean
tonight, II would eliminate one para
graph in Miss Overman's statement and
would give the whole thing out for publ
cation. Ny reason for leaving out that
one paragraph is that it contains refer
ence to an innocent party and would Work
a hardship on one who had no part in the
scandal. l am guided, however, by the
will of the majority, and the affidavits
just obtained Will be held against Brown
for all time.
The Dubuque conference, which re-
Gently took Brown in fellowship, did not
fully understand the situation, and l have
every confidence that it will rescind its
former action. The vote to admit Brown
was only % to IL, and a majority of the
majority were votes of the church that
wanted him and of the church where his
son is pastor.
''Dr. Brown is now deliberately lying in
the East, but ii will not be for long. I