Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-29
DR.. BROWNS CASE.
A Remarkable Asdress Delivered By tie
San Francisco Minister

a Remarkable Address Delivered l,v tia
San Francisco Minister.
Chicago. October 2S.-In vo;cs
shaken by emotion, in words of deenesi
eloquence, with an appeal to the hearts
of his ministerial brethren. with Ma
for his wife which made the tears coma
to her eyes. DR.. Charles o. Brown
ended to-day his earnest almost des-
perate prayer to his brethren in con-
ference TO give him back what tbev
could of his ministerial standing.
! The council in session at the New
! England Congregational church there
upon took recess and later began in
secret session to deliberate upon the
famous case of the former San Fran
cisco pastor The members began a
! long and heated discussion as to
whether Dr. Brown should be rein
stated in the ministry or whether his
suspension by the Bay conference
1 should be allowed to stand.
| DR.. Brown talked several hours. 1t
was his last stand. He had been
| driven out of one church after another
and out of the ministry. He had been
| fighting for year and a half for what
was as dear as his life-his reputation.
He had appealed to the highest tri-
/ bunal of the church.
| His accusers had told their story
! They had left him at least under the
/ ban OF suspicion. He arose to make
! the effort of aflifetime to keep at least
little ground under his feet. For over
two hours he used sarcasm, illustra-
| ton, apostrophe, denial. denunciation
I every known form of argument. He
arraigned his aecusers bitterly. He
questioned their motives. He attacked
their logic. He strove to excite SYM
! patty for his position, mixing at times
prayer and invective. His voice was
rich and earnest, his gestures emphat-
| ic. At last he led up to his peroration
by telling the story of DR.. Barrow's
case in California, where similar
charges drove the man accused into a
maniac's grave. The speakers voice
filed as he was relating this narrative
after his DEATH he said, raising his
voice until it rang loudly, when it was
/ too late for reparation, the general as
sociation said: It's lie
There was a moment of complete sill
ence. Now" he resumed, impressive
ly, Il want you to declare that of me
before I am in my grave" Waiting
| minute for these words to take effect,
! he turned and pointed at his wife, who
| had been silent listener.
Il want you to think of my wife" he
! said, in a choked voice. THAT little
woman has been an example of fidelity
through all of this. Think how she
| must feel"
! Mrs. Brown. the only woman in the
room, bowed her head and wept
DR.. Little, the moderator broke in
! He reminded DR.. Brown that he was
going outside the rules OF procedure.
Il have DONE" said the latter II
! am sorry If | have transgressed, but
that is all have to say
! Rev. c. r. Brown, representing the
Bay conference, said a few words on
the other side and then the recess was
taken and the deliberations resumed.
Dr. c. O. Brown commenced his adj
dress by ridiculing those of the other
side and calling their arguments an ar
ray of sophistries and innuendo. He
scored his name-sake, c. r. Brown, as
coming across the continent 1900 miles
to spring into the controversy year
past with the zeal of a neophyte and
the persistency of veteran"
Dr. j. A. Mclean, the leader Of the
other side, was treated as a treacher-
! Gus enemy.
There were many more such sting
| ing sentences as these. At times the
recipients of these attentions could not
sit quiet under them. They rose to re-
tort and there were several spirited
controversies.
The speaker then went into = review
of his side of the case. He explained in
| direcaiy-direct explanation being ruled
out of order-that he had paid hush mon
ey to Mrs. Davidson, not because he was
guilty but because he realized the con-
| sequences the scandal would bring upon
| an innocent man. He dismissed the
charge of being unable 10 answer salts
factorlly Matte Overman's letters. II was
urged that the San Francisco council had
held the evidence was not sufficient to
convict him Of the charge brought there
| fore, as the letters bore on this alone.
they now had no discriminating power
1T is said that / connived at the alb
sence of Mrs. Tunneh," he shouted, Il de-
ny it,"
Or. B<own then declared at length that
pubic sentiment in San Francisco was
not against him sufficiently to make his
removal from the ministry imperative.
Twice he pointed his finger at the three
men opposing him before the conference,
| accusing him Of double dealing ana OF fos-
! tering unjust suspicions
I'D rather you'd have shot me-" he said
in terrible tones, than do what you did
to me-"
There was sneer in his voice as he
added And now you are trying 10 salve
your conscieEces by sweet piatitudes"
DR.. Mclean jumped to his feet and there
was a passage at arms DR.. Brown re-
sumed shortly. IT was nor long before he
was in the midst of a dramatic prayer
20 Thou Nazareue.' he said, pointing
his right hand above him, uplifting his
face ard speaking In a voice Of the deep
est earnestness. whose feet have tro0
the thorny paths, ! beseech Thee to srnits
from the minds Of this council that sus-
picion always arises from some cause
This led to the thrilling peroration.