The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-04
MEAD TELLS
THE STORY
OF HIS LIFE
Still Stoutly Maintains
His Innocence.
PLAUSIBLY EXPLAINS ALL
NOTORIOUS CHILLY" MEAD, HE
SAYS, rs lis BROTHER.
Police Reiterate That the Couple Are
Impostors and Are Guilty of
the Crimes Charged
to Them.
PLAUSIBLY EXPLAINS ALL
NOTORIOUS CHILLY" MEAD, HE
SAYS, rs lis BROTHER.

Sinned against or SHINING? Are J. M.
Mead and his pallid-faced little wife what
they pretend to be, or are they the vile
creatures the police and few denizens
of the tenderloin would stamp them?
If their statements are true-and GER
tainly they bear every impress of truth
no greater injustice was ever heaped
upon two guiltless persons. If they are
guilty of the offenses against society
they are charged with, no more consum-
mate actors ever appeared in the role of
| injured innocence.
There are some things that seem to
bear out their assertions In the first
place the woman, although convicted, is
at liberty on her own recogniZance, SEN
tence having been suspended for thirty
days, while the man is out on $3.50 cash
bail. Were they guilty their natural i'm
pulse would be to escape, for to such
people the bail would be of secondary
consideration. Instead, they have re-
turned to their rooms at 125 Turk street,
never denying themselves to visitors and
giving no thought to flight Fear of i'm
prisonment does not concern them; on
the contrary, all their energies are bent
toward clearing their name of the ter
rible stain upon it.
Seated in the front room of the base
ment at 125 Turk street, which is a. once
their parlor and sleeping room a Call
reporter yesterday afternoon listened to
the life-story of the Neads, and the hus-
band told it, ana read letters from min
listers of the gospel at the East and on
Puget Sound addressed to Mead and
couched in terms such as only men of
the cloth would use in addressing one Of
their number. Lying in the bed her
features white and drawn with suffering,
but withal clear-cut and refined and illu-
minated with big. fearless blue eyes, lay
who occupy the upper part of the house,
for she. was very i'll, and the doctors
coming was anxiously awaited.
1t was a simple story, simply told al
though once or twice the man, not robust
physically and by no means giant intel
lectually gave way to his emotions and the
his apparent efforts to hide them, while
the little frame on the bed shook with
sobs. Particularly was this the case
he e asserted serted was q the ms By Nead
dispatch in yesterdays Call from Sioux
City referred to.
gospel" said Mead. land have devoted
much of my time to mission work in
Sioux City and throughout that section of
the country. Ny wife's father was a mail
carrier there before his death and one of
her uncles is a preacher. My wife was a
aei 9 none operator pr1or 10 our marriage,
know her and her family intimately.
While l was in Sioux City l was engaged
ing wagons out through the country.
did an extensive credit business and final
~ became deeply involved. One of my
Eastern creditors sent In printed slip
containing number of questions as to
my liabilities. AT the bottom was the
question, ~, Have you any confidential
standing which my first wife agreed |
when we were divorced, to take up out of
afterward assured this had been done, |
consequently l wrote No after that ques- |
ton My former wife, however, had not
met the notes and when 1 was forced to |
assign the Eastern house caused nv ar
rest for attempting to defraud m! ed
itors. 1 was honorably acquitted the
went to Seattle. My health was very bad |
there, and | wrote to Rey G. W L
of Sioux Falls, what he thought about my
returning there and devoting my time to |
mission work. Rev. Mr.. Brown and 1 are
old friends and have been much together |
in church work: Here is his reply"
letterhead Of the First NJ: E. Church of
1t was most friendly in tone and spoke of |
their long friendship. It frankly advised
the prejudice, that might exist were he to
enter upon church work there.
Other letters were also shown, among |
them being one from Rev. A. Warren of
Blaine, Wash; Rev S. Fletcher Mcclure, |
washington, S Oak, and Pierce Ratliff |
president of the Sioux City Rescue Home.
and spoke of Nead's labors in the Chris |
Mr. Warren wanted me to go to Blaine
''but we decided to come to San Fran |
cisco. Since we have been here we have
not ATTENDED "a any church
ship for the time. We have not formed |
the acquaintance of ministers here be-
cause did not care to until / was ready |
to found my mission: I thought it better
not to make myself known as long as 1
was in the cigar and confectionery bust
ness
Asked about the Sioux City dispatch in
yesterdays Call Mead burst into tears
and, when he had collected himself SAID
the "Billy' Mead referred to was his
brother whose career he had been fuzzy
aware of for fifteen years.
This and much more did Mead state. He
told about renting one of the rooms on
the floor occupied by him to a woman,
and said he had been obliged to ask her to
vacate 1t because on two occasions there
had been such disturbance there late at
night 1t may have been that she was q
dissolute character, and the police, seeing
her enter the he PLACE had Mo formed similar
to the officers, and 1t is certain that not
once during the interview did he by word
or action convey the impression that he
During the forenoon Mead appeared in
Judge Conlans court amt pleaded not
ff ornesys DEMANDED jury trial. and ND the
case went over until next Monday, the
defendant being released on $3.50 cash
asked that the case of Mrs. Mead be re-
opened, and the Judge promised to COM
ply with the request upon The filing of the
evidence had been discovered.
Last night The Call received dispatch
from Sioux City stating that Rev. G. w.
L. Brown had been transferred to another
part of the State, consequently no state
ment could be obtained from him.