The San Francisco call., 1908-11-07
CLARK ENIGMA
AGAIN INVOLVES
MEN OF CLOTH
Father Joseph Vincent New
Figure in Mystery of Girls
Disappearance
Rev. PaysOn Young Also Faces
Anew Limelight of Suspi-
ciOn in the Case
Mother of Vanished Young
Woman Nearly Frustrated
by Situation

Vincent there has been drawn into the
mystery surrounding the disappear
ance of Edna Clark, the Alameda art
student, another member of the
priesthood And by series of COIN
cidences, strange and inexplicable,
the trails yesterday led back again to
Father Payson Young, making him
once more the central figure in the
investigation.
Father Young has maintained his
ignorance of the mystery, despite the
continual sweating, the systematic
questioning and constant trailing by
private detectives.
Nevertheless, the finger of fate, ma
nipulated. perhaps, by the hand of the
private sleuth, persists in beckonfng
him back again and again into the
spotlight; and the latest theory, that
the girl has eloped with Father Vim
cent, sees him involved almost to as
great a degree as his reverend col
league.
Like the others, the clew is without
stability. 1t was built upon hearsay
and bolstered by supposition. its
strongest point being somewhat un-
enviable reputation which Father Vim
cent is said to possess.
Father Vincent was brought into the
mystery by the discovery of photo
graph in the studio of ID. w. Griffith at
"a T9iO
a woman who, it was at first thought,
was the missing girl. The resemblance
was so strong that the detectives i'm
mediately forsook the trails of the
dozens of mythical Edna Clarks who
had been seen by various persons in
half dozen different counties and be-
gan to trail Father Vincent. The scent
Vincent, it developed, had come to San
Francisco about three months ago
and-here the detectives thought the
search was at an end-had lived with
Father Payson Young at the latter's
rectory. The links were being con-
nected Furthermore, he had celebrated
mass at Father Young's church and
had been introduced to the parishioners
by Father Young.
WAS ANOTHER GIRL
When the photograph was taken.
September Is, Father Vincent had di-
rected that the proofs be sent to him,
in care of Miss Gertrude Postel, 2196
Union street. Miss PosteI, it was
learned, was a member of Father
Young's church. There was a rush of
detectives to interview Miss Postel-
and the entire laboriously worked out
girl in the photograph was not Miss
Clark, but Miss Postel herself She
explained thus:
Father Vincent was introduced to
us by Father Young. He told me he
had been a Roman Catholic priest in
France, but had been recently ordered
out of the country by the French gov
States, he said, he had left the Roman
Catholic faith and 1 presumed he had
adopted the Anglican church.
While on a vacation with my mother
and brothers at Mountain View Father
Vincent visited us, bringing with him
a letter of introduction from Father
Young to my mother and, of course, he
was received by her with the custom
ary courtesy and welcome in such
cases. While at Mountain View he be-
came very attentive, bul 1 put his man
nerisms down to nothing more than
simple French gallantry and paid. little
attention to it. One day, about the mid
die of September, drove him down to
Palo Alto in a buggy and while there
he asked me to go into a photog-
rapher's studio and have our pictures
taken. 1 did not like the idea but he
was so insistent that I finally agreed,
never thinking that it was anything
more than holiday joke. When l re-
turned l told my mother of the occur
renee and she became very angry The
upshot was that the pictures were de-
stroyed. did not think of the mega
tive, believing that it was safe with
the photographer When father heard
of the incident he informed Father
stop and that it would be better if he
left Mountain View"
The girls father told a similar tale.
but in a more forceful way Il did
not like his ways" said Postel 1T an
pearad to me that he was carrying his
confounded courtesies too far AS he
was our guest my daughter had to
treat him as SUCH and, rather than dis
please him, foolishly consented to
have her picture taken along with
him. 1t was a piece of folly actuated
by the best motives in the world"
FIND ANOTHER CLEw
When this clew had been worked out
there Immediately sprang up another.
1t was to the effect that Father Vim
cent, while being introduced into So
ciety by Father Young, might have
met Miss Clark and turned his atten-
tions to her. Whereupon hunt was
started for Father Vincent, but he was
not to be found. According to some
reports he was in Paris, to others in
Portland. He was supposed to have
gone to Portland a month ago, but as
to whether he came back or not could
not be determined. An investigation
showed that on his arrival in san
Francisco he was almost penniless.
and had 1t not been for the tender
mercies Of Father Young, to whom he
appealed for aid as a brother of the
cloth, would have been in sore straits.
He was absolutely without creden-
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