The herald., 1896-03-04
Evidence Given in the Trial of
DR.. Brown
MISS OVERMAN TESTIFIES
Mrs. TunuelI's Absence Ia the Country
Is Explained
ParaIysis-Meetings Hereafter
Will Be Held In Secret

Associated Press Special Wire.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 3.-The w;ntry
weather could not keep curious people
away from the Brown trial today and the
Congregational church was crowded. DR..
Brown was ill and sent word that he could
not be present. Miss Overman was placed
on the stand for cross examination. She
wes handed copies of the famous blckmail-
ing letters which she wrote Mrs. Tunnel,
and pointed out wherein they differed from
the originals. She said the original letters
had been destroyed after they had been
stolen from Mrs. Tunnel. Miss Overman
said all the parts Of the letters, which had
reference to DR.. Brown or that we're dam
aging to him had been put in by her for
purposes of blackmail, but that otherwise
she had stuck closely to the original text
in forging the letters. It was pointed out
to her other parts of the letters were in a
style leading up to the references to Brown
and she said that in some cases the spirit
of the letters had been changed by her.
At tonight's session it was announced
that DR.. Browns physician had stated that
DR.. Brown was threatened with paralysis
of the right side, besides suffering from
loss of memory and severe pains in the
head. DIR. Brown sent word that he would
try to attend tomorrow nights session of
the council.
Miss Overman was late in appearing and
pending her arrival, Joel Merchant, a men,
ber of the church and one of the vestibule
committee, was called and stated that he
had never seen DR.. Brown in the company
of any woman other than his wife and as
the church, to know all or nearly all that
was going on, he would have surely known
it if DR.. Brown had left the church in Mrs.
Stoclkton's company as often as Mrs.
Stockton had sworn he had. Witness had
once heard DR.. Brown introduce Mrs.
Davidson to q stranger as "a second Mrs:
Cooper" which witness thought was great
compliment to both ladies. He had heard
DR.. Brown call upon Mrs. Davidson to
speak OF address the Wednesday night
prayer meeting and thought that he had
asked her to do this shortly before Mrs.
Davidson was arrested and charged with
blackmail. Never saw Mrs. Stockton in
conversation with DR.. Brown.
| Miss Overman took the stand and was
| questioned by DR.. Williams on the trip to
| Tacoma, but nothing new was ELECTED.
| Miss Overman smiled broadly when ques'
toned as to her feelings toward Dr. Brown
before and after the trip to Tacoma. She
eaid that she never wished that DR.. Brown
| would forget his wife for her. She stated
| that she had supplied Mrs. Tunnel with
money to go to Tacoma. She said that heI
present feelings toward DR.. Brown we're
! those of sincere pity and sympathy. She
| expressed herself as astonished that people
doubted her story, and stated that she was
repentent and telling the whole truth.
When asked by DR.. Sink if she believed
her statement would be believed in the next
world. she replied that she was confident
of it. She had never shown any outward
manifestations of her feelings toward DR..
Brown. DR.. Brown had never furnished
her money for her schooling.
She gave the council as reason for q
second visit to the Chronicle after Mrs.
Davidson's arrest that she wished to re-
fresh her memory and that of the city
editor of the paper as to the facts. Knew
that she was doing wrong when she at
tempted to steal the letters from Mrs.
Tunnell's room. She had never told Mrs.
Tunpell that if she could not give evidence
in favor of the Brown side to leave town,
but had asked Mrs. Tunnell IL she could
swear that Miss Overman had never told
her that she loved Brown, but Mrs. Tunnel
could not, and said that she would 60 to
the country to escape testifying. She
stated that she had destroyed all her letters
and could not produce the answers that
Mrs. Tunnell had written her in reply to
the letters that she had written.
Tonight's session was secret, only report
ers and friends of witnesses being permit
ted to listen to testimony. 1t was voted
that future meetings would also be carried
on in secret.