The San Francisco call., 1896-03-21
THE VALENTINE LETTER.
A Mythical Reporter Claims to
Have Written 1t Under
Orders.

The Bulletin of yesterday published al
most in its entirety letter received by the
council just a week before adjournment.
1t reads as follows:
Brown Council First Congregational Church ::
1t has come to point where shall give you a
few pointers relative to the scandal which you
would not otherwise obtain, and at the same
time show up the work OF some of the inside
msnipulators. I am an ex-newspaper man.
and have been doing some of the crooked
work in this case for the Bulletin and Chronicle
for pay, which did not get.
In the first place l will explain the Valentine
letter. which wrote at the direction of Free
Older, managing editor of the Bulletin. AS
sample of writing to initiate was given two
brief notes from Brown to Mrs. Cooper, both
dated some time in 1894. The only reason
why Valentines name was used was to utilize
that single meeting with Brown, which it
was supposed no one else would know
about. AS to the knowledge that Brown
had never met Valentine but the once
that is easily explained. About the latter part
of last October l was looking for position,
and heard OF some possible changes in the
auditing department of Wells. Fargo & Co.
Among half a dozen men approached with
view of getting letter of introduction to
Valentine was this man Brown, who was asked
by a relative of mine. Brown replied that he
did not known Valentine and had only met
him but once in his life, and then only in
sort of informal way. He did not say when or
where he had met him. In talking this matter
over with Older he told me the occasion must
have been at Ira P. Rankin's funeral, as the
Bulletin reporter who reported that funeral
saw Brown and Valentine get into the same
carriage. This letter was to serve two pur-
poses, to give the Bulletin sensational scoop
and to aid in working the damnation of
Brown. The letter did not prove very satisfac-
tory as lar as chirography was concerned,
for the three different experts to whom Older
submitted it for comparison with Browns
writing said it was entirely different. Finally
one of the Bank of California clerks said it
resembled it. Older never mentioned the
opinion of the three experts, but exploited the
bank clerks idea for all it was worth. The ex-
perience with this letter scared off the use of
three others. l had my wife write three let
tiers signed with Mrs. Baddins name. Two of
these were dated Livermore and addressed to
Mrs. Davidson. One said the writer was going
to work in LilienrhaPs hop ranch, with some
other little news and gossip. The other was
more recent in date and lmpoItuned Mrs
Davidson for some money which Mrs. Baddin
was anxious to get. The third one was of
compromising nature and was to be sent to Dr.
Brown. He was then to be interviewed and
asked if ne had got any letter from Mrs Bad
din. These Baddin letters were to be first used
in the Chronicle and the Bulletin was to re-
hash them that evening.
Both Older and Simpson, the former OF the
Bulletin and the latter of the Chronicle, have
been working off their personal spite against
Brown, assisted by Mrs. Cooper and her friend
Bickford, the pay for these services coming
from Mrs Stockton's friend Tevis. This man
Bickford stole the Overman letters from Mrs
Tunnells bureau drawer He said that when
he showed them to Older, Simpson and Hatch,
and it was decided that If they could not be
sold for good sum they had better be pub
lished in the Examiner, so as to make it ap-
pear that the Bulletin and the Chronicle were
not doing all the bounding. There were two
letters withheld because they did not have
anything in about DR.. Brown, although they
were of the same dates as two others which
did refer to Brown, while the latter contained
all the news and gossip that was in the former
two.
One OF the chief propagators of the scandal
is Mrs. Cooper. She has been the chief source
OF information for both Older and Simpson.
It is not known outside the Bulletin office, but
she furnished that paper with the story about
the Rochester scandal. Older said she did not
want to be known doing this. For that rea-
son she has been kept in the background, with
the exception of publishing daily interviews
with her, and almost daily pictures.
Many newspaper men in this City knew Mrs.
Stockton and her associates and haunts and
no one knows them better than Mrs. Cooper,
for they date back to the time when Mrs.
Stockton was one of Mrs. Cooper's teachers.
Mrs. Cooper is now standing on the solid coin
side OF this case, as she always does on all
others. Tevis is putting up the coin. know
this, because l have had some of it myself.
How much Older and Simpson are getting
don't know, but have got very little, and that
is what am kicking about. Simpson has been
boasting for weeks past of what he has been
doing to Brown, in Norman's saloon on Bush
street and other places. He says he will make
Brown either commit suicide or sneak out OF
town. Simpsons dislike for Brown dates back
to the time when some deacon of the church
was in trouble.
These are samples of the leg-pullers and
thugs who are working the Brown scandal for
coin on the outside. They have done me up
and now do them. Older and Simpson were
to pay me for writing the letters. / got $5
from Older, but Simpson, nit. He says he
would try to work it in on space bills only for
John P. Young, who goes over all bills with
microscope.
This JOB don't need any proof outside the
two papers, the Bulletin and the Chronicle.
They quote from each other and any one can
compare their cooked-up accounts with all the
other papers in the City. The malice of CO n
spiracy backed by coin shines out in every
paragraph.
Let the council summon Older, Mrs. Cooper,
simpson, Bicktord, Hatch and Donley and
question them on lines above set forth.
HENRY MAYER.
Commenting on the above, Mr.. Older,
city editor of the Bulletin, said:
"On the day preceding the conclusion of
the taking of testimony by the council,
when DIR. Brown felt that he had failed to
inject into the minds of the councilmen
doubt as to his guilt, he decided to make
last attempt to swerve them from the
conclusion which seemed inevitable. !.