The San Francisco call., 1896-03-14

Tossing to her series of violations of the
seventh commandment show that Mrs.
Davidson entertained for DR.. Brown the
highest possible respect, speaking OF him
as truly called of God to do great work
in the church IN San Francisco, and a man
filled with the Holy Ghost" He was not
in those letters anywhere referred to as
IAN old reprobate" by Mrs. Davidson.
DR.. Brown instanced the tone OF his own
letters to Miss Overman, partly extending
over the same period, as proof that no
illicit relatious existed between him and
her. In connection with this matter the
doctor remarked that any man who would
be fool enough to have illicit loves would
be fool enough to write illicit letters. He
asked the council whether they considered
his letters to Miss Overman love letters or
were they what upon their face they pur-
ported to be-letters of advice on literary
and spiritual matters.
These SANDERS, continued the doctor, in
burst of Indignation, were circulated
against man who had led spotless life
for forty-eight years; "who had never been
known as ladies' man and who had rather
been regarded and remarked upon as an
icicle among women"
The speaker proceeded in his argument
to contend that the theory of his guilt
came into collision with all the admitted
facts of the case. The specific charges
against him by Mrs. Davidson were
five in number: First, adultery with Miss
Overman; second, that his crime was COM
mitted on November "a, 1894; third, that
it was committed at certain specified
place, namely the corner of Sixth and
Bryant streets in this City; fourth, that
that place was lodging house, and fifth,
that that lodging-house was kept at that
time by one Jane Elizabeth Baddin.
Here were five specific allegations cap
able of being proved or disproved. No at
tempt even had been made before the
council to prove them, he said.
DR.. Brown in commenting favorably
upon the testimony of Detective seymour
referred to him with much apparent fervor
mour, who, during these months of trial,
has been a second brother to me-"
DR.. Brown made very ingenious argu-
men. as 10 the reason why he paid Mrs.
Davidson $500 on demand and why he
had refused to pay anything to Mrs. Stock
ton. He cited the fact that Mrs. Stockto
was her own only witness. She was not
backed up by white-haired woman be-
lieved to be a sincere Christian person and
of good standing in the church as Mrs.
Davidson was. When he turned Mrs
Stockton's lawyer out of his house he had
not made so many enemies, except by his
position on the public school question, but
that enmity was not personal. The church
Of Rome was not friendly to his course,
but he would say that mem bers of that
church had given him personal assurances
of their sym pathy and help in this trial.
He added:
In the midst of all the vicious malignant
and slanderous articles ever written about me
the Monitor has been silent, and there is a
significance in that which l shall not now at
tempt to explain.
He should forever honor the men who
had been able so completely to bury their
prejudices and forget their pride and to
RENE m Der only the elements of common
humanity which bound them to suffering
man.
DR.. Brown proceeded to argue that pub
lie sentiment was not specially alert and
aroused over crimes against the seventh
ommandment at the time Mrs. Stockton's
lawyer visited him and made certain de-
mands upon him. That was in Novem-
Der, 1894, but in November, 1895, he argued,
there was totally different set of circum-
stances. Mrs. Davidson was believed 10
be noble Christian woman and she pro-
fessed to believe the story alleged against
him. He was led to believe at that time
also that there were three women in
league against him, namely, Miss Over
man. Mrs. Baddin and her lodger, who
would swear that he was guilty man.
That was formidable array as compared
with the unsupported word of Mrs. Stock
ton.
Public sentiment at that time had been
aroused as it had never been aroused te-
fore in San Francisco against the offense
which Mrs. Davidson had alleged against
him because of the North Beach ex-
posures. Besides that, he had aroused