Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-11-10
DOWIE'S BIG FIZzLE.
HIS INVASION OF NEW YORK
CITY A FAILURE.
Prophets" Attempt to Convert Goth
am Now Regarded as the Mistake of
His Life-Eaormous Expense of the
TriD-Elijah's Waterloo.
New FORK correspondence:

New .lork correspondence:
Tie raid upon New York. the modern
babylon, on the part of John Alexander
bowie ind his host of Zionites has been
a failure. The prophet, Elijah H., the
general overseer, or by whatever term
he sees MT to call himself, utterly failed
to win either souls or money in the me-
tropolis. When he and his host first
came and started their propaganda of
the modern Zion the meetings were at
tended by thousands who came to see
the man who had captured the allegiance
and the money of so many of Chicago's
phantom chasers, but the general abuse
and personal vituperation which the old
man of venerable aspect and coarse
speech poured forth disgusted the re-
spectacle element and delighted those
who We're looking for the cheaply sensa-
tional. New York could not but wonder
how this man with the ways of the
mountebank and the manners of the boor
had succeeded in securing a following
anywhere
New York has proved Dowie's Water
loo. For two years he planned for the
invasion of that city. Just two days
in the metropolis condemned him to fail
ure. The result of his mission has ia
tally wounded Dowie's pride More i'm
portant, it has hurt his pocketbook and
shaken the faith of his followers. Hard
as defeat falls on the army of the pro-
phet, the blow dealt the enterprises of
elijah" gives Dowie vastly more wor-
ry. Heavy as will be the direct financial
loss to Dowie through the New York
6asco, the indirect loss will be far great
er. There is sure to be falling off in
the tithes of Zion and there is the
chance of a big desertion of the thou
sands who worked for Dowie and who
willingly returned to him a large por-
ton of their earnings.
Everything in Zion belongs to Dowie.
He is the real and only head of the Zion
City Bank, the Zion Land and Invest
ment Association, the Zion Lace Indus
tries, the Zion General Stores, the Zion
Fresh Food Supply Association, the
Zion Sugar and CONNECTION Association,
and the Zion Building and Manufacture
ing Association. He controls and directs
building brickmaking, breadmaking,
heating, lighting, telephone service, lum-
Der yards and the plumbing and tin
shops of Zion City. He is the moving
spirit III TIE city GuleEDTlSeS. anu luOSl
of his time is taken up with material
rather than spiritual things.
Expensive to His Followers.
Every anticipated item of expense was
figured by Dowie before the army left
Zion City. AS is usual with him, the
figuring placed most Of the expense on
his followers. His guards bought uni
forms at a cost of $4,000, photographs
for Identification purposes were sold to
the host iat a total cost of 1925; card
cases cost the same sum; leather bags,
for the host to carry Bibles in, cost 3d.
250; white gloves, $2,625; guides to New
York, 1926; Bibles, $1,750; railroad fare,
$52, 800; new silk hats for deacons, over
seers, elders and evangelists, S4,94S, and
frock coats for the same body cost $12,-
600. For two meals q day for fifteen
days the host paid $4,000. Hundreds of
the Doweites have gone without meals,
and so little food has been served that
other hundreds have been forced to pat
ronize hotels and restaurants.
Dowie's loss is all that his host has
spent, for what belongs to his people
belongs to him, and the rule does not
work the other way. In round figures,
me LlOulleS nave spent ClOse 10 gIOO,-
600. Added to this is $4,000 for the
rent Of the Garden for fifteen days, and
81, $50 for the hiring of Carnegie Hall
for four meetings. About $4,000 has
been spent in building a platform for the
white-robed choir and in fitting the Gar
den for his use. No less than $500 went
for the building of the pool in front Of
the platform in which Dowie had expect
ed to immerse thousands of converts.
Dowie's personal expenses on the trip
amounted to more than $1,000. He
took to New York two carriages and two
spirited bays. His expenses in the Plaza
Hotel were $50 DAY, and in the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, Where he moved to be
nearer his work, his expenses were the
same, if not more.
The collections in the Garden were
trifing. Many checks have been receiv-
ed by Elijah" and they have been
fakes sent by jokers. No rush took
3lace for investment in Dowie securities,
and it is this that has caused the prophet
much sorrow.
His trip was the most audacious pro-
motion scheme ever launched. 1t asked
for $5.000,000 to plant in Dowie's town.
1t asked for 100000 to be placed in
the absolute control of one n-an-John
Alexander Dowie. But Dowie didn't
take in enough money in New York to
pay his hotel bill.