The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-28
Witnessed by
]. JOHNSON,
R. B. RosEBERRY,
OWEN JONES.

The land, Wilderman told his eager
auditors, lay in fertile valley about six
| miles from Ensenada. He has not yet ex-
planned how he got it. considering that the
Mexican Land and Colonization Company,
an English enterprise, owns the Hueller
concession CT the Mexican Government to
nearly the whole of the peninsula of Lower
California with the exception of the so, 900
acres General Andrade claims.
There is quite an interesting story in
connection with Wilderman's title to the
land which Mrs. eastman of 942 Valencia
street tells. Mr. eastman is the author
of THE Keys to the Kingdom, or Heaven
on Earth" She was identified with DR..
Bowen's "Order of the New Life" an Ala
media association of idealists.
DIR. Bowen's aim was to have colony of
"spiritueIle" people like that of Thomas
Lake Harris at Fountaingrove, near Santa
Rosa.
The story Mrs. eastman tells is that
Wilderman and McCrindle got this land
through a spiritualist m Medium, who went
into trance, rolled her eyes, had a vision,
awoke and told Wilderman of the splendid
opportunity near Ensenada. Waterman
was governed accordingly.
There were only two conditions of men,
bership in the society. One was that each
applicant had 10 be a believer in the
divinity of Christ; the other, that this
tenet would be ccompanied by a cash sub
scription of $780, All that Joined believed
in the divinity of Christ, but only few
put up the 800.
Over a hundred members had their
names put on the roll, the society was in
| corporated and then trouble came. Rev.
Jonas Bushell, Baptist minister and
temperance-worker of Port Angeles,
| Wash, became interested, and came down
| to San Francisco and visited Mr.. Wilder
man on the Fourth of July just as Mrs.
| Anna F. Smith was critically viewing the
! holiday parade. Rev. Bushell had already
become member, and was director. He
| talked with Mr.. Wilderman, and could not
| agree with hlm-there was not the true
| affinity between them which would war;
rant Rev. Bushell ri,king cold, hard coin
| in Mr.. Wllderman's venture. Soon after
ward Rev. Bushell resigned his director
| ship, and withdrew from the society.
| A little later the whole board of direct
| Mr.. Wilderman. Neither could the So
ciety, so a reorganization entirely was eff
| fected and a new board of directors was
chosen. Mr.. Wilderman was the only
member of the old board that was in
| cluded in the new, and that was as matter
| time on the other ten of the board of
| eleven directors set themselves in deter
| mined opposition to Mr.. Wilderman, and
| the hight is still on. The society is in the
throes of constant battle, all because Mr.
Waterman is trying to GUST the other
eleven directors.
Another elem emit of discord was due to
the mission which Wilderman started with
the help of "Major" Robinson formerly of
the Salvation Army.
Robinson had been accustomed to hold
forth in the basement of the Nucleus build
ing on Market and Third streets. He had
| achieved prominence as a laborer with
souls in Oakland and Santa Rosa. Wilder
! man Installed him in "Chrfst's Mission"
| at 81 Fourth street, and the mission lasted
month. The directors refused to indorse
| it, and as they would not allow any money
for its support it had to be given up.
There was also wrangle between Wild
erman and the new board of directors after
the incorporation of the society as to
| whether his offer of land should be ac-
cepted in lieu OF the regular cash subscrip-
| ton of 500.
Secretary Donald McRea opposed it very
| strongly but finally the land was accepted
Secretary MoRea said yesterday afternoon
| that he wouldn't give cents for the
| land and others say it would cost S., 00o,-
600 to get water on it for irrigation.
The people who did put up the S1o0 each
| We're: Jacob knudsen, Donald McRea, L.
| w. Spencer, Thomas J. Weaver, Henry G.
| Derbaum, Mrs. M. F. Tunnel and j. K
| Ahern. All of these except the two last
| named are In the present board of directors
| Mr.. Ahern has had his certificate Cancelled
| The other directors are President Wilder
man, Mrs. r. Kincaid, who has paid SOS is
| over to Treasurer Weaver. Mrs. a. Ander.
sou, N. G. Anderson, L. T. Price and Louis
| G. Rasmussen. Quite number of the lis
certificate holders had paid from SIS to SIS
| Two OF the old board of directors, John
| D. Moreland and G. K. WEIGH, had paid
SIT and IS Is, respectively. Arthur Bergin
paid $25.
| An effort is to be made at the next meet.
ing of the board of directors to GUST vii.
derman by reconsidering the action &C,
cepting his offer of land.