The Washington times., 1906-04-08
Dowie a Bigamist?

N"AS "a 0A6oAhAoNs
Today was the most picturesque day
of all the dramatic and picturesque days
that followed the overthrow OF Dowie
just a week ago.
Day by day. following the sensational
action of Zion casting out the leader
who had been followed blndly for a
decade, came new sensations-the
charge that he had taught polygamy,
that he had made love to Ruth Hofer.
that he had beaten and abused his
wife. and planned to divorce her, that
he had misappropriated $500 OF Zion's
money and lost a cold million in Wall
Street speculation, that he had planned
a polygamy colony in Mexico where he
was 10 espouse seven wives after divorc-
ing Mrs. Dowie. that ne was insane, or
possessed of a demon, and that he
planned to form a band OF seven YES
tai Virgins" who were to be his per-
sonal attendants in Zion.
Today. however, come the crowning
climax 1t became public.
Dowie was accused of having secretly
married the Hofer woman in Europe,
thereby becoming a bigamist
He was q devotee of Scotch high balls
and lover of Italian wine and kept a
He planned TO drive his wife and son
from Zion as outcasts. lie was too at
tentive to every pretty woman he met,
and caused women in Zion to rebel by
bestowing the Apostolic kiss too free
~. In the face OF these sensational rev.
Citations. General Overseer Wilbur Glenn
Noliva MADE preparations for the stern
battle, with Zion City as the stake. thar
lie
hurries northward from Mexico. breath,
ing threats Of vengeance and destruction
upon his pigs of enemies"
Voliva's Trump Gard.
The new leader of the city and the
faith gathered together his forces.
gained signed pledges of support from
nearly every leader, furthered his plans
TO finance the city under new plans. and
prepared his bombshell for the great
meeting OF all the faithful tomorrow,
when, it is expected, he Will hurl the
bombshelI that will defeat Dowie even
before the battle begins.
Before every Dowieite, or former
Dowieite, that can be crowded into Zion
Tabernacle. il Is expected he will, to-
morrow, make public mysterious and
terrible charge, which, he affirmed,
would make the earlier charges look Ike
the beatitudes.
Overseer Voliva refused positively
TO state what his charge would be, but
81 is general belief in Zion, that the
bigamy charge. based on the alleged
marriage Of Ruth Hofer, was the
trump card Voli1-a was holding up his
sleeve. This charge was made public
by a dignitary of the Zion Church. I'M
I'll recently a deacon. and who is daily
in close touch with the plans OF the
new administration.
Married in Scotland
The bigamoUs marriage is said to
have taken place in the late summer of
1904. when Miss Hofer first became
known in connection with Dowieism.
The ceremony was said to have been
performed In Pollock Fields. a suburb
of Glasgow, Scotland. in the presence
OF two witnesses, a man and a woman.
whose names are not yet known. II
was not an official nuptial ceremony
performed by a church official or a
civil magistrate, but was an espousal
under the common law, it is charged
Dowie took the Hofer woman by the
hand and said solemnly, according to
the charges:
II take unto myself Ruth Hofer as
my true and lawful wife"
Under the Scotch law and the COM
mon law in the United States this con-
stitutes a marriage which may not be
broken save by legal divorce