The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-04-13
Interesting Story Connected
With "EIijah's" Downfall.
WAS TOO FOND OF LADIES
Former 0Watonna People Had Much
To Do With Turning The
Old Fakir Down.

with the sensational announcements of
the deposition of the profit" Dowie
from the sinecme he has enjoyed as first
apostle and dictator of Zion City, the
papers on Tuesday printed some state
ments to the effect that Dowie's moral
reputation is seriously attacked by his
former dupes, and, what is of more in
Owatonna, that the names of Mrs. Emily
Ware and her daughter, Miss Harriet
Ware, former prominent Owatonna peo-
pie, were being dragged into the mat
ter. The allegations made in the twin
city papers were that Dowie's private
teachings had been for some time unmis-
takably leading towards final declara-
ton for polygamy, and that ne had
made proposals of polygamons marriage
to Miss Ruth Hofer, the Swiss heiress
whom he induced to come to this coun-
try to Join the Zionists, and also to Miss
Ware; and that the latter instance was
at the bottom of the abrupt departure
of Mrs. Ware and her daughter from
Zion.
A reporter has interviewed Mr.. Willis
Sperry, father of Mrs. Ware, who left
Zion City at the same time the Wares
did, and has received detailed and
straightforward account of the things
that took place. Mr.. Sperry. who has
long been a most respected citizen, and
whose statements no one here will
doubt. declares that there is no truth
in the allegations that Dowie made any
improper proposals to Miss Ware. As to
Miss Hofer. he is not able to say so
much, for it was Dowie's actions with
regard to the Swiss heiress, his neglect
and i'll treatment of Mrs. Dowie, and his
private teachings squirting towards
polygamy, which were at the bottom of
the hostility of Mrs. Ware and her
daughter towards him which resulted in
Mrs. Ware was an associate editor of
Leaves of Healing Dowie's famous news
paper, and was also employed by Dowie
to teach Miss Hofer English; while Miss
Harriet was employed by DOwie to give
vocal and instrumental music lessons to
Mrs. Dowie, to Dowie's famous ''unkiss-
ed" son Gladstone and to Miss Hofer.
Consequently the Wares were in much
closer touch with the Dowies than the
great bulk of the Zion people. Their in
sight into Dowie's home life, his rela-
tions with Miss Hofer and the tendency
of his private teachings was such that he
finally stood revealed to them in his
true character. Their sympathy was es-
pecially aroused by the ill-treatment re-
ceived by Mrs. Dowie from the profit.
THE new dispatches say that both Mrs.
Dowie and her son Gladstone have pub
licly repudiated Dowie and are hand in
hand with those who have dethroned
him in Zioh.)
The situation finally became such that
Mrs. Ware commenced a fight against
Dowie, to open the eyes of his follow.
ers, to the things into which he was lead
ing them. Dowie was too powerful, how
ever, and his influence over his people
was too great, so that the result was
they were driven from Zion City under
distressing circumstances.
Mr.. Sperry states that Mrs. Ware has
been employing her time ever since in
preparing a book on Eighteen Months
in Zion," intended as an expose of Dowie
and his polygamous leanings.
Mr.. Sperry denies emphatically, how
ever, that any insults of the kind alleg-
ed in the papers were ever offered Mrs.
Ware or her daughter by Dowie. He
points out how the allegations evidently
came about on account of the one time
intimacy of the Wares with Dowie and
Miss Hofer, already alluded to.
Mr.. Sperry states that Mrs. DOwie
was terribly jealous of Miss Hofer, and
confided her troubles to the Wares. AT
one time Mrs. Dowie was having spasms
which nearly caused her death.
Mr.. Spery describes the luxury in
which Dow;e lived, and the manner in
which he lorded it over his people When
Miss Ware first began giving music les
sons in his household, in their magni-
fcent $l5O,OO0 home in Michigan, she
was treated as servant, but this did not
last more than day.
A Chicago paper makes the following
statements in lengthy article on the
subject of Dowie's deposition, which
points to the correctness of Mr.. Sperry' s
denial that Dowie had offered insult to
1irs. Ware or her daughter:
Mrs. Ware and her daughter, Harriet
came to Zion City, two years ago from
New York. The daughter is rs and Mrs.
Ware is 45 years old. Mrs. Ware was
assistant editor of the Leaves of Heal
ing and her daughter was the star sing
er in the choir. Mrs. Ware complained