The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-03-09
Dowie's Followers Are Losing
Confidence and Dismissal of
Barnard Causes Alarm.
LAND TITLES ARE QUESTIONED
Investors at Zion City Are Looking
Up Titles to Real Estate Hold
ings.-They Find Little Conn
fore in the Records.

DdIud1uS WHO has UCGu tic uGdO
financial manager of Zion ever since
the city was started, and who pos
sessed the confidence of investors in
Zion City real estate to a remarkable
degree, has caused decided loss of
confidence in the future of the city
among the followers of Dowie, and
unless confidence can be restored in
short order the consequences may be
serious. The situation is evidently
known to the first apostle, and so Sc
rious does he regard it that he has
sent special messenger direct from
Mexico to explain to the faithful just
why Deacon Barnard was discharged
and if possible to bolster up the wan
ing courage of his followers. His
son, Gladstone Dowie, was the bearer
of the message from the first apostle.
He arrived in Zion Sunday morning
and addressed the people at the Sun
day afternoon meeting. The reasons
for the break between Dowie and
Deacon Barnard were not given out
to the people, but were discussed with
easiness seems to be principally
among those who have invested IN
Zion City real estate, and it is appar-
ent that if any further financial
trouble is to come to the city that they
have good grounds to be worried at
the outlook. Ever since Deacon Bar
nard left Zion the Lake county re-
corder's Office at Waukegan has been
besieged by the Zion City property
owners, who have been looking over
the deeds to their holdings and the
mortgages filed against them.
| 1t is stated today by local alb
stract man that the people in Zion
have ample cause to be concerned
over their leases and that when the
breakup comes in Zion, they will be
left 'high in the air."
He points to the fact that most of
the land which Dowie bought for the
site of Zion was at once placed under
mortgage before Dowie started to
subdivide it and that practically none
Of that land is now clear of the mort
cages originally placed upon it.. The
subdividing took place after the
mortgages were placed and it was
then that Dowie started to sell to his
people.
Now, it is explained, when the
"break-up'' comes, the persons hold
ing the original mortgages will come
back onto the land for their money,
and the men who have bought the
land through the lease plan will find
themselves left out, as the mortgage
fact, it is explained, that under the
conditions, the presence of the mort
| cages makes the value of the leases
practically nothing.
/ Another thing that is causing un-
rest is the fact that Deacon Speicher
has been given full power of attorney.
Deacon Speicher has hitherto been
regarded rather as the spiritual head
of the church rather than a man of
worldly affairs, and the people are in
c1ined to think that giving him this
power indicates a lack of confidence
in the new manager, Deacon Grange.
All of the land at Zion was sold on the
lease plan and all the investors in the
| town are in the same boat. For the
| first time these investors seem to re-
a1ize the situation fully, and the loss
of confidence is said to be SO wide
spread as to seriously menace the fu-
ture prosperity of the city.