The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-06
SENSATIONAL.
AN INCIDENT WHICH CLOSED THE
BROWN TRIAL.
Mrs. Sarah Cooper Charges the "sI<y
Pilot WithI Having Sworn
Falsely Before the Court-Other
Occurrences.

SAN FRANCISCO, March "a SEN
sational incident closed the evening
session of the clerical court before
which the Rev. DIR. G. O. Brown is on
trial. Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper was gran
ted the privilege of sayins; few words
to the council, and in a voice trembling
with mitigation she accused Deacon
Morse of having sworn falsely before
the court. Morse had just left the wit
ness stand. His most important asser-
tion had been that Mrs. Cooper had in
formed him that Mrs. Stockton was a
disreputable woman. Mrs. Cooper re-
piled under oath that she had never
made such a remark. and had never,
in q casual way described Mrs. Stock
tons character with Morse. Morse
testified to another important fact in
the case. He fully corroborated Mrs.
Stockton in her charge that the Rev.
Dr. Brown. contrary to the rules of
the First Congregational church. bap-
tized her in private. Morse further
! succeeded in throwing a disagreeable
shadow over one part of the testimony
of Miss Matte Overman and involving
her and the accused pastor in a strange
contradiction. Miss Overman swore
that after the blackman money had
been paid to Mrs. Davidson the Rev.
DR.. Brown met Miss OVerman on Pine
and Kearney streets and walked with
her out of Pine to Mason and down Ma
son to the church. Morse sWore last
night that DR.. Brown told him he went
that afternoon to the school which Miss
Overman was attending. He met her
| there and together they walked down
Kearney to Geary and to the home of
Mrs. Davidson After making this
cfa Mouse
cred with questions, as every member
of the council saw the effect of the
vital contradiction in the two stories.
The other testimony of the evening
session had only a remote bearing upon
the main issue. The record of Mrs.
Davidson was placed before the council
and an effort was made to show that
her agents had attempted to bride q
woman to pose as Mrs. Baddin.
IN HIS OWN BEHALF.
Rev. C. o. Brown was on the witness
stand in his own defense this after
noon before the Congregational coun-
! Gil. He prefaced his testimony by
| scoring the newspapers on the ground
that an effort had been made to preju-
! dice the community against him. He
| charged that the reporters at the coun-
Gil had suppressed all testimony ia
| vorable to him and had misquoted his
utterances to the council. AT the re-
| quest of the moderator a motion was
adopted by the council requesting the
! papers to treat Brown impartially. DR..
Brown then began his testimony. He
! Stated that he was born in Michigan
| forty-SeVen years ago and learned the
trade of blacksmith. He wished to
enlist during the civil war, but he was
too young to be enrolled. He accom-
panied his father to Shiloh and other
fields as his fathers servant Subse-
quently he served as a bugler in the
Third Ohio. He began to study the
ology at Oberlin when II. and a year
later married his present wife. For
violating the rule that students should
not marry he was obliged to leave
| Oberlin, and so went to Olivet college,
Michigan, where he remained seven
years, supporting himself by teaching
and preaching. He told of trouble in
his first pastoral charge at Rochester,
Mich. when anonymous letters were
scattered about the town assailing his
| character. He recounted the church
council there and read the verdict
completely generating him of the
charge of immortality. He recited the
more important incidents in ms career
until the time of his removal to Ia
coma He said he first met Miss Over
man after he had been in Tacoma six
months His wife had engaged her as
a seamStresS on the recommendation
of prominent ladies. He said his &C
quaintance with her in Tacoma was
casual. Miss Overman sewed for his
wife at the parsonage three times. He
knew that she was trying to acquire
an education and that she worked by
day and studied at night. He was
called to the First Congregational
church in San Francisco in 1892 and
stated he was introduced to Mrs.
stockton by Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper
Directly questioned. he stated that he
had never sustained any improper re-
! latioac NTH MrS Stockton