The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-27
WOMEN WEPT.
Even John Alexander DoWie
Himself Shed Tears
At the Close Of His Harangue
at Madison Square Garden.
TOLD HIS LIFE STORY.
Newspaper Articles Had Forced
Him to DO 1t.
The Audience Cheered and
Cried by Turns.
TOLD HIS LIFE STORY.

New York, Oct 27-In a broken
voice with tears streaming down his
face and his body shaking with emo
ton, John Alexander Dowie stood on
the platform in Madison Square Garden
last night before an audience of 10000
persons, and announced in truth he was
not the son of John Murray Dowie of
Essex, Iowa, from whom he takes his
patronynic, but of British
army officer of high family by
a Scotch marriage" He heaped Will
fication and denunciation upon John
Murray Dowie who. 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 name by marrying
John Murray Dowie. The revelation
was made at the end of an hours TRADE
against the press of this city, its treat
ment of his work and himself being
styled "a conspiracy of falsehood,' the
reporters denounced as yellow dogs,
poisonous reptiles, who had wrecked
thousands of homes and broken thou
sands of hearts,
He led up to the publication of ex-
tracts of letters passing between him
self and John Murray Dowie. indicating
Dowie's denunciation of the latter as
parent, and which were responsible for
the general overseer's partial exposition
of the great secret of his life
Shouting at one moment in fit of
violent rage at the newspapers, Mr..
Dowie would the next moment speak in
the most gentle voice of his mother al d
his 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 meeting in chi
cago in which he had told of an attempt
to blackmai1 by a man writing from
Boston, who claimed to have certain
letters which had passed between hl1n-
self and John Murray Dowie. Ilat
man wrote me-" said Mr.. Powie, that
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 Chicago
newspaper Garbled extracts from
these letters were published in a paper
in this city this morning chaiienge
that paper to produce the original let
ters that which was printed being only
rnisrepresenting extracts, distorted quo
tations and largely pure concoct1ons OF
either from the man who tried TO piacK-
mail me a year ago, or else John Muf-
raw Dowie. poor wicked man, who IS SO
far lost as to sell the letters OF hlm
who he falsely said was his SON Inese
letters have come either by ropoery OF
a sin much deeper ana more Wlcheo'
the baseSt of all sin.
Mr. Dowie was becoming greatly ex-
cited and tramped the platform with
nervous steps, his frame qulVerlng WIFI
the intensity of his emotion.
''The best proof that John Murray ln,st
Dowie was not my father is" he shout
ed. that he has given up my letters TO
him rebuking him for the most terrible
sin a man could ever comInlt. III my my
Judgment. Were it all against mVssd sead
I would not care, but there IS one. the
dearest. sweetest, purest woman that
ever was. who is now ten Years. thank
God, in heaven-mv mother
81 denounce the publication or these
letters because they are false in many
particulars, large extracts being omit
ted. thereby distorting the meaning OF
the rest
Mr.. Dowie up to this point had told
the history of the letters from his
knowledge, and explained that he had
laid the matter a year ago before some
of his high church officials He calied
out Overseer V. V. Barnes, formerly
iudee in South Dakota and now judi
cial arbitrator of Zion and general
counsel. and Charles J. Barnard, lions
financial agent
Have I told the truth, Elder
Barnes?" asked Dowie.
You have stated the facts to my
Knowledge" was the reply.
"Have 1 told the truth. Elder Far
nard - he asked of the financial agent
It's true, general a,a oversee; rss,is, every
Overseer Excel also verified the truth
of Dowie's statements. Then with dra-
matte intensity the Zion leader began
his recital OF the facts behind the let
ters.
NOW that this has come before the
world'' he said, "I had better tell the
story. I had determined long ago that
if ever it must come out, wherever ]
was. no matter what the assemblaEe. L
should tell my story.
my mother was noble woman. She
was greatly beloved by the privates and
officers of one of the foremost regi-
was near the post of the regiment. My
people had been connected with the
army for centuries. I supposed 1 was
the son of John Murray Dowie, who
now lives in Essex Iowa, and I never
ceased to wonder 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 l did not see
John Murray Dowie.
Then evil times came upon him, and
at my own expense | brought him from
Australia and gave him a home in my
own house One day he became ill
He dared not call upon God to save
him, and as was passing his door he
called me in. He asked my help, and I
said: You will never recover. nor will
Cod ever hear you, because your re-
ligion has been a sham. Something is
on your conscience, and you will have
to confess He said in fe.tering
voice. John. that's true. but I am SO
sick cannot tell you now, but I will
| if you wait until I am better. Ask God
to help me- 1 prayed and John Dowie
was saved. One day later he gave me
some papers which explained every
thing. I knew that I he'd been robbed