The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-27
.D0WlE'S SAD
LIFE STORY
Tells Of His Birth and Parent.
age.
FATHER BRITISH OFFICER
Mother Trcked Into Scotch Marriage
and then Married Dowie to Hide
Her Shame Would Not
Change Place.
Tells Of His Birth and Parents
FATHER BRITISH OFFICER

(By Associated Press.)

NEW YORK, oct 26.-In a. broken
voice, with tears streaming down his face
and his body shaking with emotion, John
Alexander Dowie stood on the platform In
Madison Square Garden tonight before
an audience OF ten thousand persons and
announced that. In truth. he was not tho
son of John Murray Dowie, OF Essex. Ia,
from whom he takes his patronymic. but
that his father was British army officer
OF high family by a Scotch marriage"
He heaped villification and pronunciation
upon John Murray Dowie. who. he de-
clared. had made his mother believe her
marriage to Dowie's father was shameful,
and the army officer having been taken
away By his relatives, h!s mother In tho
first flush OF her shame had sought to
give her son n name by marrying John
Murray Dowie.
The revelation was made at the end OF
an hours TRADE against the press OF
this city, Its treatment Of his work and
himself being styled a conspiracy OF
yellow dogs. poisonous reptiles, who
have wrecked thousands OF homes and
broken thousands OF hearts,
Dowie paid a tribute to his mother az
the sweetest, purest woman that ever
was" and told this story OF his birth:
MY mother was a noble woman. A6he
was greatly beloved by the privates and
officers of one OF the foremost regiments
Of the British army Our home was near
the post Itof the regiment. My people
had been connected with the army for
centuries. / supposed was the son OF
John Murray Dowie who now lives IN
Essex Iowa, and / never ceased to Won
der how he could have been my father.
He was mean and hypocritical, and as
the years rolled on he grew worse. I
had no sympathy for him. For many
years did not see John Murray DoWie
Then evil times came. upon him and at
my own expense, brought him from
Australia and gave him home In my
own house. one day later he gave mo
some papers which explained everything.
II knew that had been robbed of my
brthright by that villain sitting In front
of mo. I knew that I was not his son.
knew that he had married my mother
In March and that ! had been born IN
May. And with the knowledge that bad
come so strangely to me, | saw at once
that my good. noble mother had been
tricked into Scotch marriage with a
British army officer of high standing,
whose relatives had hurried him of the
way, and that my dear mother. to hide
her shame had married that vile scoun-
drel who sat there before me and had
done that which, had ! known OF 1t
twenty years before would have given
me my right place In the world. What
that place might have been is not for
me to say i shall never seek 1t, for II
It carried with 1t the finest ducal coronet
In the United Kingdom would not want
to change 1t for the Office hold and the
ministry minister to God"
The last words, pronounced with So
lemnity over the great still Garden. fell
on the audience like an rrevocable die
tun, and in few seconds great burst
Of applause greeted the speaker