Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-12-09
RECEIVER FOR ZION.
DOWlE AND HIS MUNICIPALITY
CALLED BANKRUPT.
Federal Court Puts custodians in
Charge of All the Property of "Eli-
jah the Restorer"-Town Ia Seized
Defendant Alleges He Is Solvent.


What looked to the outside world like
the end of the economic experiment OF
John Alexander Dowie at Zion City, H.,
but what Dowie himself declared to be
only the glaEcing blow of malicious enc
mics came Tuesday afternoon when
Judge G.. g. kohlsaat of the United
States District Court in Chicago ordered
him to appear before him on Dec. IL and
show cause why he should not be ad-
judged bankrupt.
Receivers were appointed Immediately
and at 10 o'clock Tuesday night they
took Zion City and all its industrial en-
terprises into custody.
The order of the court was zeRd to
Dowie himself, a custodian was placed
at Shiloh cottage, and the surrender both
of his own papers and those ct the bank
was insisted upon.
{ Frederick NJ. BIount, cashier of the
Chicago National Bank, and Albert Dean
Currier, of the law firm of Boutell, Cur
rier & Freeman, were named as the re-
ceiyers. The court action took place at
8 o'clock. BY s o'clock they had quail
fed by filing their bonds for 100000
and were on their WY to Zion City with
a heavy escort OF United States mar
shals, constables and lawyers.
Small Debts Cause Crisis.
Three creditors, with a total OF claims
amounting to only SLIGO, forced Dowie
into the hands of receiver. They were
the II. b. SrAth Machine Company, OF
Smithville, n. e.. with a claim of S401;
Elizabeth McCrimmon. of Batavia, Ill.,,
with a clam of 5000: snd Meyer &
Wenthe, of Chicago, with a claim III
500.
The attorneys for these three creditors
were obliged to appear twice before
Judge Kohlsaat before he would grant
their petition. Early in the afternoon he
held that Dowie should be notified before
such action was taken. At the second
hearing, however. the argument was
made that such a notice would act
against the rights Of the creditors, Civ
ing Dowie a chance to conceal assets.
The appointment, accordingly, was
made
Dowis knew that the receivers and
their aids were coming, however, an hour
before they arrived. He talked over the
long distance telephone to Chicago, say
ing he would take no step in opposition
TO the officers of the law, though he con-
sidered the court action an outrage
This is not law" he said. This is
a midnight marauding party"
He declared that Zion City was thor
oughly solvent, that all claims presented
would he paid, and that his attorneys
would appear in court to get relief from
the receivership.
1--WE will take action the first thing in
the morning" he said, yitriolically, "to
rid ourselves Of these bandits"
The lawsuits of the last month against
him-the joint causes of the present
disaster-he characterized as wicked,
and malicious, and shameful actions,
brought TO produce a ruinous condition"
The debts of Zion, he asserted, did not
reach one-ffteenth of its assets.
Has He Reached His Waterloo?
1.-The public, however, without uues-
tioning the assumption that the assets
of Zion far unbalanced its debts, win
believe that Dowie and Dowieism have
reached the field of their Waterloo"
said one of the attorneys in tie case.
1.-The lack Of cash is the insurmounta Die
obstacle to the restoration of tie com
UuulLy 10 SOu'tl Ai-diCluI Stdii-Au5s 4Ao
property itself, however valuable, cannot
be turned proftably into money. Only
money can pay Dowie's debts to the sat
isfaction of his shrong of creditors. That
the city of Zion can be kept intact under
the powers of receiyership is impossible"
Ovorseer Jane Dowie is abroad and
thus one source of advice and comfort is
lacking to Dowie. Rumors have been
current for a month that most of the
tangible assets of Zion, outside of real
estate. went along with her, and are now
outside the jurisdiction of American
courts. Attor Jacob Newman, for
the plaintiffs IL the present. case, init
mated that this might be true Dowie
intends to go abroad the first of the year.
The New York trip of the restoration
host looms up as the Moscow in the ca
reer Of this Napoleon of religion. Tha
defeat there was not only religious but
financial The failure aroused the dis
trust of Dowie's creditors. Within
month after his return nearly forty suits
were filed against him.