The herald., 1896-08-20
MISS OVERMAN CONFESSES
Her Guilty Relations With Pas
tor Brown
NOT DELIVERED IN PERSON
Bu! Is Forwarded by Mail From Los An
geles
Rev. DR.. Brown From the Con.
Rregational Hinistry
Associated Press Special Wire.

fASSOcldtcu I-TcsS SpeClal WlT6s
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 19.-Miss
Matte Overman. of the celebrated
Brown case fame, has at last confessed
to the intimacy with the ex-Congrega-
tional minister that finally caused his
downfall and retirement from the
church.
The confession is in her own hand
writing, covering many sheets of legal
cap, and for the present is in the safe
keeping of Rev. w. w. Schudder of Ala
media, chairman of the Congrega tionaI
committee on credentials. The docu-
rhent bears the date of August 8th, and
was written in Los Angeles, where she
Is now sotourning under the protecting
wing of one Of the Christian missions.
Miss Overman did not present her con-
fession in person, but intrusted 1t to the
mails, and on the 18th inst. Rev. ]. X.
Mclean Of Oakland, who presided over
the council that tried DIR. Brown, was
astonished to have it placed in his
hands.
In her written confession Miss Over
man makes out Dr. Brown to be the
blacklist of Williams and herself to be his
willing tool, ready to perjure herself for
the sake of having him held up to the
world as much abused man. In her
letter she said that her testimony given
at the church trial was untrue from be-
ginning to end, and that every state
ment made by her before the council
had been carefully rehearsed in the
presence of DIR. Brown, that she might
not say anything that would betray his
guilty practices to the people who had
looked upon him as a model of propriety
and virtue.
Miss Overman wrote that she was i'm
PEELED to disclose the true story of her
relations with the former pastor of the
First Congregational church of San
francisco because she felt thai some of
the members of the council had been re-
preaching themselves for the findings in
the church trial. She wished to soothe
their feelings by telling them that had
they declared Brown guilty of one of the
blackest crimes against church and So
ciety, they would not have gone arniss.
| Every word of her former testimony
she said was false. and she did not hesi,
tate to declare that she had maintained
improper relations with Brown on many
occasions She did not specify the times
diiu PidICo iuIHutCIy, VI luSuCH d. I1dH-
ner as to render verification easy, but
she stated in plain terms that Brown
had been criminally intimate with her
many times.
Though there was no studied effort at
bitterness against DR.. Brown, there was
an undercurrent of resentmnet against
her betrayer that was manifest in every
other line. At times the document was
almost hysterical in her confession of
sin, and she went into particulars re-
garding the conetion of others with the
case that the council did not consider
! relevant and were not weighed with the
portions relating directly to the con-
fession. She said that she was trying
to live an upright life and outlive the
past, and that her only hope in doing
so was to confess her wrong doing with
DIR. Brown.
AS pr. Brown had only been suspend
ed by the Congregationalists, meet
ing will be called in the near future to
have him formally expelled.
The Bay conference will at once take
up the case and will summon Miss Over
man from Los Angeles to appaGr be-
fore it and tell about her intimacy with
DR.. Brown. DIR. Brown will also be sum-
moned before the conference.
Although the full confession of Matte
Over1nan has not been made public, GER
tain parts of it are known. Miss Over
man admits her intimacy with DR.. Brown
and says Mrs. Brown knew of their re-
lations Miss Overman charges others
with wrongdoing in addition to DIR.
Brown. Mrs. Tunnel, in her testimony
before the Congregational conference
Monday night. said that DR.. Brown had
paid her altogether about $500 for keep
ing out of the way. She says that Miss
Overman had an operation performed
as the result of her intimacy with Dr.
Brown and that she, Mrs. Tunnel, was
paid to go to Tacoma with Miss Over
man.
BROWN DISAPPEARS
CHICAGO, Aug. 19.-Rev. c. C.Brown
the San Francisco minister whom the
alleged confession of Matte Overman
has again brought into prominence, has
been boarding at 437 South Leavitt
street, but could noe be found there to-
| day. The landlady said he left few
| days ago to visit relatives, but would re-
turn as soon as DR.. Blanchard, his cous-
/ in, returned from Detroit.
Telegraphic inquiries elicit the infor-
nation that DR.. Brown is not at either
| alamazoo or Dubuque
COULD NOT BE SEEN
|