The San Francisco call., 1898-01-26
TESTIMONY THAT BALKED
 (. Q. BROWN An OVerman Affi- davit the Public
 Never Saw. But Mem bers of the Bay Conference Knew
 All About It. Direct and Specific Confession of Guilt Supported
 by Oath.
NO SIGN OF vAGUENESS.
Mrs. Tunneu Contributes a Sworn Statement Showing Her Com
 plicity In the Affair.

After a happy period of relief from Rev. c. O. Brown that individual has again become public. That he had confessed to the Bay Confernece; that his confession has been respect fully received and he straightway thrust from the fold was printed yes terday. But a matter which once oc- cupied so much public attention, in- volved so much scandal, dragged so many names in the mire and rent the social fabric of a great church is not destined to be dismissed the moment a climax seems to have been reached.
 There has been some wonder that the Bay Conference was so little in- clined to be merciful; that Browns pro- testations. of innocence apparently fell upon deaf ears. As a worldly observer expressed it, the conference had some thing up it's sleeve. That staid and dig nified body acted as though certain of Browns guilt; 1t was. It has for a long time been certain that he was much more guilty than the confession" would have appear. In the possession of one of its members has been a 'con
 fession" which went to the length of confessing, and doing it with a partic- ularity stamping it as genuine. With this positive evidence of Browns i'm morality and details of his unministe- rial conduct, the members of the con- ference failed to be impressed by the mans eIoquence. The strongest testi- mony he could produce was of no ef- feet. The hearers to whom fell the duty of weighing it knew it to be false.
 There is no reasonable doubt that the affidavit of the Overman woman, made in Los Angeles, after she had professed to be reclaimed from the ways of sin, and forwarded to Chairman Rev. J. K. Mclean of Oakland, was the greatest obstacle in the path of Brown. Each member of the committee was made familiar with the contents of the docu- ment at once. After this they all con- not by rumor but by fact. Yet the document was withheld from the pub lie, and while it has been seen by a few outsiders will probably never become common property. This course of se- crecy was taken in opposition to the judgment of pr. Mclean, the other members denying him permission to make it known and thus at once clear up matter Of general concern. He has often since expressed regret that he had not made the affidavit public and consulted his associates later.
 His view is now shared by others who opposed him at that time, they feeling that an earlier and definite exposure of Brown would have been advantageous to church veal, and have brought the offender sooner out of a false position.
 When Hattie Overman sent the affi- davit to Dr. Mclean she sent a long letter stating her motives. She said she had been brought back to the lov- ing Savior, from whom in an hour of weakness she had wandered; that she believed in the scriptural injunction, ito confess your sins and he is just and able to forgive them" She had deter mined to lay bare the truth, not spar ing herself. Then followed the confes- sion. which is not of a Brown style of vagueness The substance of it can be given in fewer words than the writer employed. It set forth how she had lived in the Brown household, and told of the love that sprung up between her and Brown. She made up her mind to flee, but didn't flee. In the presence of Brown she forgot all but his affection, and in his absence was torn by re- morse. This continued until exposure seemed certain, and then at Browns suggestion room was secured where