The San Francisco call., 1896-01-21
The Reverend Gentleman Al
lowed a Week to Prepare
His Statement.
DEACON DEXTER's FLAT DENIAL
The Plymouth Pastor Says the Trial
Will Positively Begin Next
Monday Night.

Ihe meeting was held at Plymouth
Church on the invitation of DR.. Williams.
Those present were DR.. Mooar, DIR. Mclean
and DR.. Williams of the Bay Association
Committee; Deacons Dexter, Vasconcellos,
Hatch, Dewing and Barnard, and Messrs.
Folgers and Westgate of the standing COM
mittee of the First Congrega gational Church.
DR.. Mclean acted as chairman and
Deacon Barnard as secretary, in accord
ance with the organization effected at the
meeting of last Friday night.
The hour set for the meeting was 80
P. NJ, and it was not many minutes be-
yond that hour when all those named
above were in attendance. 1t was 10
o'clock when the conference came to an
end. The result of what had been &C
complished in the intervening two and
half hours is given in the following
official report to the press representatives
by Secretary Barnard:
The second meeting of the Joint committee
in the case OF Dr. Brown was held at Plymouth
Church last evening. Deacon Dexter reported
that Dr.. Brown still unable to meet with
the committee, and the time was spent in q
general discussion of the situation as wing
10 the doctors absence no business of i'm
portance could be transacted. The committee
passed the following resolution bv q unani-
nous vote:
Resolved, That our committee deeply regret the
protracted Illness OF Rev. c. o. Brown, D. D., and
we beg 10 extend to him our sincere sympathy and
assure him OF our prayers for his speedy and COM
plete recovery.
The meeting adjourned to Monday evening,
January p, at 7:3o O'Clock, at Plymouth
Church.
As will be gathered from the foregoing
report Dr.. Brown was not present
Deacon Dexter had seen him Just before
coming to the meeting and reported that
Dr. Brown stated he felt considerably i'm
proved.
In view of the fact that the committee is
now organized great care was exercised to
avoid any waste of time indulging in any
unnecessary delay by informal discus
sion, all proceedings. aside from the adop-
ton of the resolution OF sympathy for Dr.
Brown in his illness, being considered
strictly IN the nature OF a general dis |
cussion.
So desirous was the committee of main
tanning secrecy regarding its doings that
1t took special precautions to keep the
time and place of meeting from the news
paper reports, and the measure of their
success was shown by the presence at the
church OF the usual NUM- Der of press repre-
sentatlyes within few minutes after the
meeting began its general discussion.
DR.. Browns absence, as indicated IN the
prepared report, prevented the investga-
tion proper being taken up, but many
matters incident TO the subject were
talked OF TO some purpose.
The trend of the expressions was to
learn the general feeling of the individual
members of the committee, each member,
however, being careful not to commit him
self to any particular policy or plan of
action. So extremely cautious were they
in this regard that it was only after some
very clever verbal fencing that sentiment
could be sufficiently crystallized to secure
the adoption Of the motion to give the
resolution of sympathy to the press
for publication. After she advisable |
ity of adopting the resolution had
been discussed for some time DIR. |
Williams was requested to read it again to |
the committee, and it was then adopted |
linen came the motion to give it to the |
press. DR.. Mclean stated that the adop-
ton OF the resolution would appear to the |
public as an Endorsement of the claim |
made by DR.. Brown that he was too i'll to
be present. This brought DR.. Williams to |
his feet, and in quiet and reproacnful |
tone he asked whether that reso-
sincerity, and whether it was not |
the true belief of every man present that
DR.. Brown was too i'll to make his state |
ment to the committee. He added that |
ne felt sure this was the belief of ali who |
had voted for it, and that that being so |
there should be no hesitancy in giving 10 |
the public their expression of sympathy |
for DR.. Brown, and at the same time infer |
entlally indicating that they had faith in |
his representation that he was too Ill to be |
investigated.
Then DR.. Mclean, who apparently still /
ielt somewhat ditfident of making public /
the com miItee's confidence in Dr. Browns |
assertions regarding his health, asked what |
course would be adopted in case none of |
the press representatives were about when |
the meeting adjourned.
II know" he continued, "that the place
and time of holding this meeting were not I
to be dlvulged to the press. and what are
We to do should they not be here?''
This precipitated another debate on the
aovisability of keeping the locality and !
date OF future meetings a secret, and il
was finally resolved to take the press and
the public into the confidence of the Joint /
committee to the extent of letting them
know when and where testimony regard |
ing the charges against Brown would be
heard.
During the meeting there was at one |
time danger of dispute between two OF |
the mem bers. The point under discussion
was what would be the course of action nj I
the meeting next week in case DR.. Brown /
should still be unable to be present II |
was the desire of a few to give Dr. Brown |
all the time he desired in making his an
pearance before the committee, but one |
member asserted that he had no desire 10 !
persecute DIR. Brown, but thought il would |
4
go on with the investigation proper at the !
next meeting of the committee.
No formal vote was taken on the propo- !
sition. but the position of the committee |
was indicated by DR.. Williams in an inter
view after the session.
DR.. Williams was asked the direct ques-
tion:. SHOULD DR.. Brown fail to appear at |
the meeting next week, will the committee
adjourn without taking up the matter of
the charges against him?"
10 this he replied: II can state that we
nave not decided upon any definite line OF
way OF taking testimony we would like to |
nave Dr. Browns statement. We would |
lhen Know better on what lines and in |
What direction to follow up the matter. |
GU know It's three times and out"
In view OF the fact that Dr. Brown has
already tailed twice to make his statement |
TO the committee. this remark can only be |
Interpreted in one WaY-if DIR. Brown does