The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-12
Sister Martha, Once Matte
Overman, Encounters
Rev. Brown.
While Speaking to Christian
Workers She Beholds the
Man She Lied to Save.
But After One Glance at the Reformed
Woman the Saame.Faced Elk.
Pastor Sneaks Away.

CHICAGO, Ill, Dec. 1L-An evening
paper printed the following to-day:
1.-THE Lord saves. He has saved me-of
all sinners the lowest"
Uttered with devout fervor, these words
rang from the lips of a young woman at
Salvation Army meeting in Willard Hall
last Tuesday noon. The face Of her who
thus cried aloud was beautiful, was evil
IDENTIFY that of a person OF culture and re-
tnement, but there was q sadness IN its
expression that was in pitiful harmony
with the pathos of her words. AS she
spoke her eyes wandered over the little
sea of heads bowling in prayer.
At the sound of her voice one of the
heads turned involuntarily toward her.
A man with a pallid face started as
though about to rise. The eyes of the
two met for moment and there was a
flash of mutual recognition. Then the
man recovered control of himself. He re-
sumed his seat, and through the re-
mainder of the services sat with bowed
head and shame-faced mien. Few in the
audience saw the scene, but in the brief
glance the years OF two eventful lives
we're rehearsed.
Those two-the pleading woman and the
shame-faced man-were the principals in
the notorious Overman- Brown church
trial in San Francisco, the sensational
charges which attracted so much attention
at the time. The Rev. c. o, Brown was
the pastor of a church in San Francisco.
Miss Matte Overman was a member of
his household. The Clergyman and his
wife frequently quarreled. Then a scan
dial began to be noised abroad. The pastor
got a letter from member of his congre-
CATION, who claimed to be a confidant of
Miss Overman.. The writer asked for
$1,000 and said if this were not forthcom-
ing she would make charges against the
pastor to his church.
The Rev. Mr.. Brown was unable to get
the $4,000. but he scraped together $500 and
gave his note for the balance. Later he
learned from Miss Overman that he had
been duped-that the writer of the letter
was no confidant of hers. Then the pastor
refused to honor his note and the charges
were brought before the church. In the
trial that resulted Miss Overman nobly
stood by the man in whose home she had
been living. She denied everything.
At the close of the trial Miss Overman
went 10 New Mexico. Here, hard pressed
Brown, asking for little assistance. In
return came an impddent reply. Not
knowing what to do or where to go she
returned to San Francisco. Then she be-
came penitept and corroborated the
charges made against the pastor.
Wandering into mission one night by
chance she fell among the Crittenden
workers, and seeking forgiveness through
repentance was taken in and made one CT
the little army of workers for fallen
humanity. Henceforth she was known as
Sister Martha.
1t was while on her way to Washington,
d. c., where she goes to assist Mrs. Emily
Waller Barrett in rescue work, that Sister
Martha happened into Willard Hall.
When the meeting was over she went out
and went straight to the Anchorage Mis-
sion, there to address an audience of
young women.
The Rev. Dr. Brown when the meeting
was over went his own way, and that
brief glance during the services was their
only meeting. What the clergyman is
doing in Chicago no one seems to know.
Shortly after the trial he left San Fran
cisco and drifted East, to be lost sight of
until his dramatic meeting with the
woman whose name was once linked with
his own