New-York tribune., 1901-12-15
TOPICS IN CHICAGO.
DOwIE MEETS NEW ENEMY IN his
BROTHER-IN-LAW.

Elijah H." by his own proclamation. overseer
Of the Christian Catholic Church, founder Of
Zion City. and millionaire by the holding of
his faithful flock. is facing the law in what
appears 70 be a more desperate case than he
has ever experienced since ne came out OF Aus
traIia a poor man and founded church for
himself. The interest which is now attached 70
the court proceedings springs largely from the
fact that out from attacks of the press and the
legislature hitherto DOwie has come with added
strength. due TO the feeling among his people
that he was being prosecuted by the unreligious-
These spasmodic attacks have been directed
against his methods Of healing largely
Investigations have been held over deaths
among his followers, at whose deathbeds Dowie
refused to permit physician rC minister His
nurses and disciples have gone 70 jail pend
ing such Investigations. Dowie himself, and
more often his Iieutenants. have been mObbed
in the streets of Chicago. and have been "eSged''
in Evanston or driven out of other suburbs And
despite all these upr:sings the unique Divine
Ruler has continued 10 prosper. But now comes
his newly made brother-tn-law, a hard headed
Scotchman. founder of Of the largest lace
manufactures in the world. to declare in court
that under the guise Of religious communism,
the great overseer' swindled this hitherto prac-
teal business man out of several hundred thou
sand dollars The story is remarkable. and it
has been styled publicly within the last few
days the disclosure of "a get rich quick scheme
This new enemy is named Stevenson Some
three years ago Dowie visited England. IN
spected the thriving lace plant and converted
Stevenson to Dowieism- Stevenson came TO
Chicago and joined the Zion flock subsequently,
marrying Dowies sister Dowie accompanied
them on their honeymoon trip back to Scotland
and on the way the bride took sick and died
On the day before they set sail from America
Stevenson signed the final contracts under
which the lace factory. with skilled hands, was
TO be transplanted to Chicago, Stevenson 20 Do
its general manager. supposedly, at munlncenI
salary besides holding the majority or STOCK
in the newly formed company The negotiations
prior TO the signing Of the final papers were
interspersed with Dear Brother in Christ, ex-
bortations and the spirit Of love and brother
hood.
Stevenson and Dowie and the lace plant re-
turned to Zion City, and one morning Stevenson
avvoke 10 the fact so he has told the court
that Dowie Is the owner OF the valuable rights
and property and that he has lost upward oh
100000 He has abandoned Zion, mas r.
nounced Dowieisrn. and has sued for damages
The gray haired "Overseer," appearing in court
under protest the first day Of the trial. endeaV-
ored to manage the proceedings as he would
his church services. The court promptly sar
down upoo him" and informed him that in the
ewes Of the law he was not Elijah" but as any
o+ber citizen. Since then he has allowed his
LAWYERS to talk for him In Zion City. thirty
miles to the north Of Chicago. and all through
this city thousands OF men and women VINO pc
Heve their leader is infalible are praying night
and day for his deuverance from MS perse-
cutors." while other thousands and tens OF tnou-
sands are wondering if the time has finally
come when this remarkable man VIII De cdAieo
70 account for his unusual doings-
The Senate succession has been Of especial m
terest this week. Coming on the heels OF Gov
ernor Yates's brief and sudden visit to PRESIDENT
Roosevelt the announcement Of A J. Hopklns
as a candidate is regarded as signihcanr OF an
alignment Of the observation-disclosures follow
ngs 1t is asserted that the object OF 1t all IS 10
direct a blow at both the Mason and Dawes
forces and so TO divide the field in advance OF 3
choice as to materially injure the chances OF
either of these men TO secure necessary votes Tor
election and to pave the way for Lorlmer him
self or a so-caIled dark horse
Sir Robert Hail. the English astronomer, has
created stir this week both in social and sclen-
tffc circles. Luncheons have been given in his
honor at the Chicago University, and in the LIST
Of invited guests appeared the best families in
the city. Lecturing before q select audiences on
Thine and Tide" he astounded his laynen
hearers by announcing that sixty million years
hence the day Will be fOrty-e1ght hours long,
since it will then take the earth that time. and
not tventy-f0ur hours, to revOlve on its axis.
Whatever may be thought in the East OF the
Chica go Mayors ukase against the private wine
rooms If is a serious matter here for those in
terested at least and there can De no doubt OF
the Mayors intention to have his orders carried
out He has decreed that two persons OF op-
posite sex shall not be permitted 70 dine IN a
private room at restaurants and order drinks
with their meals TWO men or TWO women nay
do this but what has been declared a perntctous
evil leading to serious consequences must STOP
says Mayor Harrison
Many Of the complaints lodged by visitors
from rural districts Of the loss of money have
followed dinners served ito two in these prf-
vate wine rooms And so the Mayor has ordered
his chief OF police and the latter has ordered
his subordinates TO see that all partitions ara
removed within fifteen days Many or Ch1cago,s
well known eating houses will be aneeteds
whether detrimental or not TO their nnancla1 re-
turns the proprietors do not know
The Chicago Federation has now determined
to give some of its attention to the puonc
schools and their management The members or
the legislative committee of the Federation OF
Labor have conceived il TO be their duty 20 MAKE
investigation. and they say they propose 70 see
efficient and useful way Present methoos are
wrong" they nave openly declared
1T IS alleged that children who ought 70 %
receiving practical common school educauon
which may be of speedy service to them in earn
ing a livelihood engaged IL making nluo pies;
There are too many fads and isns. and we reel
that by our influence change may De Mrousnt-
President Harris of the Board Of Education
says he welcomes investigation and any N
teIIigent criticism
What Chicago had come to consider a valuable
relic has been destroyed by fire Th1S IS tne
MCKINLEY carriage which conveyed the Pres1-
dent through the streets Of CHICAGO during the
s.neace Jubilee parade Of 1898. and which
fat Of "a