The San Francisco call., 1896-12-13
Rev. Brown and His Cousin
Talk About Sarah
B. Cooper.
An Enmity That Grew Out of the
Assault of the Pastor on
Ingersoll.
Audacity of the Disgraced Divine in
Commenting Upon the Career Of
Christian Woman.

CHICAGO, I'LL, Dec. 12.-"During all
the time that DR.. Brown was pastor of the
First Congregational Church in San Fran
cisco he was opposed by Mrs. Sarah b.
Cooper" said Rev. John T. Blanchard of
437 Leavitt street to-day. Rev. Mr. Blanch-
ard Is pastor of the Covenant Congrega-
tional Church, on the West Side, and
cousin of Rev. G. o. Brown, DID,, whose
sensational trials on charges brought by
women of his congregation attracted uni
versal attention about year ago. be
rises to defend DR.. Brown and deplores
the reopening of the discussion in which
his relative and brother-pastor was in
volved. In addition to this Mr.. Blanchard
gives a reason FOR the enmitY of Mrs.
Cooper, who with her daughter died from
gas asphyiation in San Francisco yester-
day morning.
GAS all but willful enemies OF DR.. Brown
know" continued Rev. Mr.. Blanchard,
s'the accusations brought against him in
San Francisco were plain blackmail and
he was proved not guilty, both by the
civil courts and the ecclesiastical court
which SAT on the case an entire month.
AS to Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper, who was a
prominent member of his church and be-
came his opponent and accuser in the
trial. 1 can give you an explanation of the
whole matter.
MRS. Cooper was cousin of Colonel
Robert Ingersoll, and though opposed to
him in religious matters always main
tanned a warm friendship with him. Be-
fore DR.. Brown went to San Francisco he
was pastor of the First Congreg ational
he attacked Colonel Ingersoll and made
one of the best arguments against the
agnostic lecturer that has ever been pub
Gshed.
Friends of Ingersoll in Dubuque sent
him copy of what had been said and he
made an answer to the sermon, but would
not come to Dubuque TO debate with DIR.
Brown. The latter. however, preached
another sermon in rebuttal, and the whole
matter continued for some time. Mrs.
Cooper did not desire DR.. Brown for the
pastor of her church on that account. She
had no reason, of course, TO oppose him at
the start, and ostensibIy was his friend.
In reality, however, she was his enemy.
This she showed at the trial, though she
never gave any testimony and had no real
evidence to give, but simply made state
hent which was believed to be of dam
aging character.
"As TO Matte Overman being reformed,
do not believe it. She reformed once be-
fore and was taken into the home of Dr..
Brown by him and his wife. The result
was that she tried to blacken his reputa.
ton and ruin him, she being a member of
a party which went into a conspiracy
against him."
Rev. o. o. Brown lives at $50 West Polk
street. When seen to-day he declined to
say anything about Mrs. Cooper or her
daughter.
at would be very much out of place,
after their death. to dig up an old story, :"
said he. 81 cherish no i'll feeling against
them. Mrs. Cooper was a remarkable
woman and did great good in her work;
but she made the mistake of her life when
she attacked me. Itcaused her the loss Of
nearly all her friends. 1 received letters
Just recently saying that the people who
were her best friends before that time had
forbidden her coming to their house, and
she was generalIv summed"