The San Francisco call., 1908-11-08


had not seen her clergyman for lO
days. She did,not tell me whether there
was a quarrel or not and was very
reticent about the matter. 1 then asked
Edna to tell meawho the man was, and
she said Rev. PAyson Young. rector of
St Mary. the Virgin, Episcopal church.
in san Francisco.
4 then asked her if her mother
knew the man and if she knew of
Edna's visits. to his study. She told
me that her mother did not know and
made me promise that | would not tell
Mrs. Mack unless some situation arose
in which / thought / should tell her
mother only saw Edna once after
that and that was on the following
Sunday morning. the Sunday before she
disappeared. At that time she was
with her mother and / did not have a
chance TO talk to her.
IF you find this Father Vincent
think he viii be able TO tell you of the
times when Edna Clark was in the
arms Of Father Young and sitting on
his lap.
When I first saw this man. week
ago Wednesday. l took violent dis
like 10 him. ] mistrusted him. / tried
to be just and put aside all that Edna
had told me. but l could not resist the
feeling of distrust which came over
me in regard to this man. He seemed to
me to be 'sneaky.
For about three months Edna was
visiting his study about every other
day according to her own statements
to me. and ii is about three months
ago since she told me that he had
kissed her. I believe that Payson Young
told Edna to go away. He may have
told her not to tell him where she was
going, but l am convinced that he told
her TO go away.
Edna never told me that she was 60
ing away, but her remark of not telling
her mother unless some circumstances
arose under which l thought / should
tell her mother of Edna's visits to
Young comes back to me with renewed
significance. Where she is 1 do not
know. / only wish I had some knowl
edge of her whereabouts, and l would
gladly give it.
The reports that there was serious
difference between Edna and her
mother are untrue because 1 know that
the girl thought a great deal of Mrs.
Mack. She is not away because of any
disagreement with her mother, because
there was none.
Edna Clark was my chum I often
stayed at her house in Alameda, and
know her very well. From what
know Of Edna it does not seem possible
to me that she was a bad girl. but /
can not get out of my mind the con-
viction that Payson Young sent her
away The Instructive dislike which
Mrs Mack took to this man on the first
occasion that she ever saw him seemed
to be repeated in my case, when l saw
him the day following Edna's disap-
pearance"
on the day following Edna Clark's
disappearance Edna Reynolds went at
once to the rectory of Father Young
at Union and Steiner streets to ask him
if he knew where the girl was. Since
clergyman has been interrogated by rel
atives and detectives. Her impression
after ali of this experience with the
man is that he can tell why Edna Clark
left home.
Edna Reynolds has been acting under
absolute orders from detectives to say
nothing to anyone except the police.
She has been willing to tell everything
she knew. but has been cautioned time
and again not to let the newspapers OBJ
tain the information she had. Accord
ing to her statement s. Bruce Wright.
Mrs. Mack Mrs. Wright and others
have used every effort to keep people
from her, hoping that Edna Clark
would return in the meantime and the
scandal surrounding the rectory would
not become public.
ACCUSES FATHER VINCENT
Father Youngs statements yester-
day afternoon before Miss Reynolds
statement had been made. though void
of any direct accusation, went to in
sinuate that Father Joseph Vincent was
the man who was responsible for the
of Miss Edna Clark. He
brought up the mans name again and
again in his conversation. He limited,
he metiOned rumors ad quoted others,
all the remarks tending TO cast the
greatest of discredit on the absent
priest. His most important declaration
was that he had been told by julius
Bona, one of. the wealthiest supporters
of his church, that Father Vincent had
engaged a room at the ST. Marks ho-
tel in Oakland and had lived there with
a woman who posed as his wife.
Bona emphatically denied making
the statement More than that. He
Immediately telephoned for a notary
and swore TO an affidavit to that effect,
and in intense indignation declared
that the pastor was an unmitigated
liar. Said Father Young:
Il introduced Father Vincent to Miss
Clark He was staying at the rectory
in regard to religious matters, and on
one of these visits he wandered into
the studio and then met Miss Clark
I can not say whether he met her again
or not. He was more or less a secretive
man and 1 paid but little attention to
him.
While in San Francisco he made
himself rather unpopular with my
and l was glad to see him
go When he had, decided to leave and
had gone about bidding his newly made
friends farewell he failed to carry out
his program. Instead of going to
Portland as he had said he would he
went to the St Marks hotel in Oak
land.
This Information Is purely hearsay.
Mr. Bona. at whose house he stayed,
and who Had lent him money, told me
he had gone to Oakland to bid him
goodby. and discovered that he had not
taken the train for Portland at all. IN
stead, he found him in the st. Marks
hotel in Oakland, and told me he later
discovered that he was living with a
woman there. OF course, do not know
how much truth there is In this mat
ter. but that is what / heard.
Il think Father Vincent. from his
actions toward me and from the most
recent developments, was quite capable
Of attempting to influence Miss Clark.
The gas and electric bills in my rectory
showed that he must have been having