The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-07
HE USED THREATS.
How DR.. Brown Wanted Mrs. Stock
ton to Perform With Young

Now that the details of DR.. Browns
acquaintance with the gay Mrs. Stockton
have came to light, many members of his
congregation have begun to compare dates
and events, and the result of these COM
parsons is a feeling of Indignation that 1t
was after the preachers acquaintance
with the lady of rather romantic history,
after the kisses, the car rides and the
dinners at the Maison Richie, that DIR.
Brown used all his ministerial power to
force Mrs. Stockton on to the programme
of q public entertainment. which was par
ticipated in by young girls of the congre-
cation.
In May, 1894 a Turkish tea was being
arranged for the benefit of the church.
Mrs. Frank French had charge of the pro-
gramme, and when Mrs. Stockton was
proposed as performer she made no OBJ
lection, as she knew nothing against that
lady's reputation. B fore the entertain
ment was fully mapped out, however,
Mrs. French received information which
made her decide that it would be doing
| the girls great wrong 10 allow them to
appear on the programme OF public en-
tertainment with Mrs. Stockton.
Not wishing to wound the lively lady's
feelings, Mrs. French wrote a note TO her
stating that she had decided to limit the
programme to young girls. She added
that there were other and graver reasons
which it would grieve her as much to write
as IT would the recipient of the letter to
hear, and she concluded by stating that
Mrs. Stockton would no doubt take the
| hint and not try 10 force herselfup them.
when her presence would be likely to cast
a slur upon innocent girls.
Instead OF taking this letter in good part
Mrs. Stockton laid it Immediately before
the pastor. Dr. Brown was extremely in
dignant at the slur cast upon his protegee,
and. after PRAYER meeting on the evening
of the receipt of the letter, he requested
Mrs. French to remain at the church, and
tor two hours he and Mrs. Stockton threat
ened, argued and protested to induce Mrs.
French TO change her mind and include
! Mrs. Stockton among the performers. The
! lady remained firm, however, in her de-
! clsion to limit the programme to young
girls
To have his authority SET aside in this
| fashion was not DR.. Browns idea of the
! way in which church entertainments
| should be conducted, and two days later
| he paid a visit to Mrs. Frank French S
home, accompanied by Mrs. Brown and
| Mrs. Stockton. Viewed in the light OF
later revelations, it is not considered to
have been very pastor-lile act
for the reverend gentleman to take
| the woman upon whom he had
been lavishing illicit kisses and dinners to
the house of a lady Of spotless reputation
for the purpose OF threatening that lady
into putting the woman he had kissed and
dined into prominence in public enter
tainment participated in by the young girls
of his flock.
DIR. Brown acted in this manner, how
ever. Supported by Mrs. Brown
and Mrs. Stockton he demanded an
| explanation of the unjust charges
brought against the latter stating that
| ba rTitb Il Of bcr ha
gramme would be likely to iniure her
standing with the congregation. He also
Indignantly demanded the names OF the
people who could bring charges against a
lady OF Mrs. Stockton's responsibility,
and reproached Mrs. French with hav-
ing believed instead OF investigating
the slurs. Mrs. French, who knew
nothing OF the Brown-Stockton affair,
said it was from Washington that
her information came and that she was
sufficiently satisfied with her authority
not TO jeopardize the young ladies' names
by allowing Mrs. Stockton TO appear with
them. DR.. Brown. filled with apparent
righteous wrath, threatened Mrs. French
with an investigation, with reporting her
unchristian conduct 10 the committees oil
the church and with all the other ministe-
rial thunders at his command, but though
the argument ragged for three hours she
stood firm in refusing to put Mrs. Stockton
! on the programme.
From that day Dr. Brown showed an
animosity to Mrs. French that has been
the cause OF much comment in the congre
CATION though the cause OF his dislike has
not been known until now. He not only
opposed Mrs. French in the church, but
when her name was proposed some months
ago for membership in the Congregational
Monday Club, DR.. Brown worked so hard
against her admission that a split of opin-
ion in the club was threatened. To avoid
dissension Mrs. French refused to allow
her name to be proposed.
The fathers Of the young girls who took
part in the Turkish tea are the people VINO
feel now that they owe a debt of gratitude
to Mrs. French, and since the publication
of the Stockton-Brown episode one or two
of them have expressed pretty strong
| opinions about the ministerial effort to put
the Stockton woman before the public in
company with their daughters.