Evening journal., 1903-10-27
.DOW|E IN TEARS
BEFORE 10000
Shaking With Emotion, He
Declares He Is Not John
M. Dowie's Son
HIS LIFE SECRET REVEALED

New York, Oct. u. - In broken
oice. with tears streaming down his
ace and his body shaking with emo
on, John Alexander Dowie stood on
ne platform in Madison Square Gar
on before an audience of 10000 per
ems and announced that in truth he
vas not the son Of John Murray
)owie, of Essex. Ia, from whom he
axes his patronymic, but that his IA
her was a British army officer Of high
amily by a Scotch marriage" he
deaped villifcation and denunclation
upon John Murray Dowie, whom he
declared had made his mother believe
her marriage to Dowie's father was
shameful, and, the army officer having
been taken away by his relatives, his
mother, in the first flush of her shame,
had sought to give her son a 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 falsehood," the reporters denounced
as yellow dogs. poisonous reptiles,
who have wrecked thousands OF home
and broken thousands of hearts"
He led up to the publication Of ex-
tracts from letters passing between
himself and John Murray Dowie, indi-
eating Dowie's renunciation Of the lat
ter as a parent and which were re-
sponsible for the general overseers
partial exposition of the great secret
Of his life.
Shouting at one moment in a fit
of violent rage at the newspapers, Mr..
Dowie would the next moment speak
in the most gentle voice of his mother
and wife. The great audience was
moved by his evident emotion. Wo-
men wept, and at times bursts Of ap-
plause greeted his declarations.
Dowie announced that just one year
ago he had addressed a meeting in Chi
cago, at which he had told of an at
tempt to blackmail by man writing
from Boston, who claimed to have cer-
tain letters which had passed between
himself and John Murray Dowie.
"That man wrote me-" said Mr..
Dowie. chat the letters If published
might cause me annoyance and in the
generosity of his heart said that for
$1,000 he would turn them over to me
instead of to a Chicago newspaper.
Garbled extracts from these letters
were published in. a paper in this
city. challenge taht paper to
produce the original letters, what
was printed being only misrepresent-
ing extracts, distorted quotations and
/ largely pure connection, obtained either
from the man who tried to blackmail
me year ago. gotten by him from
John Murray Dowie, Of Essex, Iowa
or else John Murray Dowie. poor, wick.
ed man, was so far lost to me as to sell
the letters of him whom he falsely said
was his son. These letters have come
either by robbery or a sin much deeper
and more wicked, the basest of all
sin"
Mr.. Dowie was becoming greatly ex-
cited and tramped the platform with
nervous steps. his frame quivering
with the intensity of his emotion.
THE best proof that John Murray
Dowie was not my father" he shouted
''is that he has given up my letters tC
him, rebuking him for the most terri
BILE crime a man could ever commit, in
my judgment Were it all against my
self, / would not care, but there is one
the dearest. sweetest, purest woman
that ever was. who is now 10 years
thank God. in Heaven--my mother.
Il denounce the publication of those
letters because they are false in many
parts, large extracts being omitted
thereby distorting the meaning Of the
rest.
Il want to say that never wanted
this story to come out. but Il is known
that am not the son of the miserable
scoundrel, who, in order to strike al
me. sold the letters in which l re
preached him to the vile press Of New
York"
Dowie burst into invective OF the
bitterest type against the press fol
publishing the letters. He ragged like
a man crazed by the enormity OF in
jury done him, and then, as if spent
by the exertion of his TRADE broke
down and wept He said he was glad
his wife and son we're away, so that
he bear the humiliation alone. He
likened himself to David and Solomon
but added that he did not consider he
was illegitimate.
At the close of the address Dowie
pronounced this benediction: "God
look down upon the irresponsible band
OF criminals who write the papers and
publish their lies. and have mercy on
them. Have mercy. oh, God, and grant
grace to the country, and may it muz
zle, and. if needs be, destroy the news