The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-13
SAYS IT'S Alb SPITE
REV. LEONIDAS BROWN DENIES
THE CHARGE OF HARRIET
ROBERTSON.
SAYS SHE WISHED TO MARRY.
WHEN SHE HEARD OF HIS EN-
GAGEMENT TO ANOTHER SHE
BECAME REVENGEFUL.
US SHE WISHED TO MARRY.
YOUNG MINISTER IN COUNTY JAIL.
Members of His Flock Believe He Is
Innocent and Offer Him Assis-
tance-EXaminatiO Today.

church. the story of whose arrest on
the charge of criminally assaultlng
Harriet Rogerson, the fourteen-year-
old tep-daughter of Frederick Ogley,
of North St. Paul, was told in the
Globe of yesterday, was brought
to the city yesterday morning and
lodged in the county Jail. New infor-
nation was filed against the young
divine with the assistant county at
torney, and the preliminary hearing
set for 2 o'clock this afternoon in the
municipal court. Not having been yet
arraigned. Rev. Mr.. Brown made no
effort to secure bail, though number
of his congregation at North st. Pau
called upon him at the jail with Oh
fers of security IN amounts as high
as $4,000 An application for liking
the amount of bail will be made to-
day by ]. NJ. Hawthorne, who has been
retained to look after Rev. Mr.. Browns
interests.
The formal charge against the young
minister is made by Frederick Ogley,
the step-father Of the girl, who ac-
cuses Mr. Brown of Wronging her.
At the conclusion of his sermon Sun
day morning, Rev. Mr.. Brown was
taken into custody in the presence of
his congregation, as he descended the
pulpit steps. The arrest created a
wild sensation. When they had
learned the particulars of the case,
members of the congregation flocked
about their pastor, and, with assur-
ances of their belief in his innocense,
promised to stand by him in his hour
of trial. The young pastor was taken
to the village hall, followed by many
Of the villagers, who stood about dis
cussing the sensation the remainder of
the day. Mr.. Brown has many warm
friends, who have no hesitancy in de-
claring it as their opinion that the
arrest is the result of pure spite work
Charles RetZlaff, with whom Mr.
Brown lived at North st. Paul, made
an effort to secure the prisoners re-
lease Sunday afternoon, but Justice
Mclean, who had issued the warrant
for his arrest, refused to accept bail
on the ground that the nature of the
offense charged placed the matter Of
bail beyond his jurisdiction.
The complaint charges the offense to
IS. Harriet Rogerson is fourteen years
old, and her mother was married To
Frederick Ogley last fall. The girl
is employed as a domestic in the fam
lily of Martin Conlin, of North st. Paul
and, according to the story told by her
to the assistant county attorney yes
terday, Rev. Mr.. Brown lay in wait
for her beside the road near Seventh
and Division streets, as she returned
from her place of employment, dragged
her into the bushes and committed the
assault. It was about $50 o'clock in
the evening, according to the girl, and
she struggled desperately, but did not
call out for assistance. The girl said
nothing to her parents of the alleged
assault until later, when Mrs. Ogley
claims her suspicious were aroused
from the appearance of her daughters
clothing. Under questioning of her
mother, the girl told the above story
when a warrant was sworn out for
Rev. Mr.. Browns arrest.
Rev. Leonidas Brown is twenty-five
years of age, nearly six feet tall, with
an athletic physique, which with dark
brown eyes and hair, pleasing features
and manners. He shows no hesitancy
in talking about his unpleasant posi-
ton. and is as cheerful as possible
under the circumstances. To a report
er for the G b e he absolutely denied
the charge against him and branded
the entire proceedings as malicious
ness. Speaking without reserve he
said:
81 have been an ordained minister
FOR three years, having had charge of
churches in Montreal, Can, until I
came to st. Paul last fall. Upon ar
irving in this city 1 entered HamIine
university and studied there during the
year, having resided with John Miller.
of Hamline, until October, when I re-
ceiYed the appOin tment to the pastor
ate of the North ST. Paul church, rem
dered vacant by the death of Dr.. Tur-
ner. Since taking this charge I board
ed with the family of Charles Retzlaff
During the winter I conducted a series
of successful revival services, out of
which afterward grew the establish
ment of Swedish church at North ST
Paul. 1t was at these services that I
first met Harriet Rogerson. Since
that time the girl has constantly per-
secuted me with her attentions which
were in no way encouraged by me-
and when she and her parents learned
three weeks ago, that l was engaged
to marry Miss Anna Erickson, another
young woman whom I had met at the
winter revival services, this charge
was trumped UP against me as a meth
cd of revenge. I had called at the
girls home in the line of my pastoral
duty, occasionally, and Mr.. Ogley took
every opportunity to throw myself and
his step-daughter together. About
month ago he called me into his house
and asked me if 1t were true about nv
engagement to Miss Erickson. At this
time Miss Erickson and myself had
not made our engagement known,
though it was entered into with the
full consent of her parents, and l told
MI Ogley that 1t was not so. He ap-
peared very much pleased and asked
me to call often.
with this turn of affairs Miss
Erickson and myself decided to make
our engagement public A. week Iater
after the Sunday services. Harriet
ROgersOn told me at the church that
she desired to speak with me privately.
L invited her to the church study.
where she demonstrated over nv en-,
gagement to Miss Erickson, weeping
bitterly and declaring she couldn't live
without me. This was very distaste
full to me, and as 1 had not encour
aged the girls attention, I gave her
no sympathy. She asked me to meet
her at o'clock in the evening on a
night shortly after this occurrence, at
a place on the roadside This / re-
fused to do, and after informing Miss
Erickson of the Rogerson girls re-
quest, spent the evening, until II
o'clock. at the home of my betrothed
with her and her parents. This whole
matter is the result of spite work and
L am perfectly innocent Of, in any
manner, injuring this girl. Feeling
runs somewhat high in regard to the