Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-11-06
DOWIE'S BIG FIZZLE.
HIS INVASION OF NEW YORK
CITY A FAILURE.
"Prophet's" Attempt to Convert Goth
ann Now Regarded as the Mistake of
His Life-Enormous Expense of the
Trip-E1ijah's Waterloo.
New York correspondence:

xrIp-Ellj abs Waterloo
! New York correspondence:
The raid upon New York, the modern
Babylon, on the part Of John Alexander
| Dowie and his host of Zionites has been
failure. The prophet, Elijah H., the
| general overseer, or by whatever term
he sees fit 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 disguised the re-
| spectacle element and delighted those
| who were looking for the Chez ply 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 following
anywhere.
New York has proved Dowie's Water
loo. For two years he planned for tho
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
'NElijah" gives Dowie vastly more wor-
ry. Heavy as will be the direct financial
loss to Dowie through the New York
| fasco, the indirect loss will be far great
err. There is sure to be falling off in
the tithcs of Zion and there is the
chance Of q 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 in the city's enterprises, and most
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 cost Of $4,000, photographs
| for identification purposes were sold to
| the host at total cost Of So25; card
| cases cost the same sum; leather bags,
for the host to carry Bibles in, cost So
$50; white gloves, $2,625; guides to New
York, $S25; Bibles, $3.50; railroad fare,
| $50, 800; new silk hats for deacons, over
seers, elders and evangelists, $4,94S, and
| frock coats for the same body cost $l2,-
| 600. For two meals a day for fifteen
days the host paid $4,000. Hundreds Of
| the Dowieites have gone without meals,
and so little food has been served that
other hundreds have been forced to pat
ronize hotels and restaurants.
Dowies 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,
| the Zionites have spent close to $780,
600. Added to this is $4,000 for the
| rent Of the Garden for fifteen days, and
| S1,15O 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.
| Dowies personal expenses on the trip
amounted to more than $4,000. He
took to New York two carriages and two
| spirited bays. His expenses in the Plaza
| Hotel were SIS a 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
triding Many checks have been receiv-
ed by "Elijah," and they have been
fakes sent by jokers. No rush took
| place for investment in Dowie securities,
| and it is this thathas caused the prophet
much sorrow.
His trip was the most audacious pro-
motion scheme ever launched. 1t asked
! for Sc, 100000 to plant in Dowie's town.
1t asked for 100000 to be placed in
tho absolute control Of one man-John
| Alexander Dowie. But Dowie didn't
take in enough money in New York to
| T. 4. I~,n