Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-09
VOLIVAPREPARES FOR DOWIE
New 0verseer Of Zion Conducts Notable
Service in the Tabernacle.
MEMBERS OF COLONY ENDORSE HIS ACTS
Adjures Them 90 Ignore DOwie when
He Arrives and Not 60 Go and Hear
Former Leader ShOuId He
Attempt TO speak.

I
pit In Shiloh tabernacle today and they
| approved of It, or at least as many Of
! them could crowd into that vast meet
| ing house sgnihed their willingness in a
manner that left no doubt of sincerity to
| follow in the footsteps of the first apostle s
successor, General Overseer Voliva Zion S
| new leader was the man that told Of
Dowies alleged misdeeds and the more
bitter and scathing the words of denuncia-
tion, the more general and enthusiastic
the approval of his listeners
! When after denouncing Dowie as a
"spendthrift," liar" and traitor to his
trust and his people," Overseer Voliva
suddenly stopped in his announcement Of
! the founder of the sect and al the end of
a moments hesitation demanded a decision
of the audience as to who should be their
future leader, the 5000 people arose as
one person and signified their willingness
| to follow Voliva to the end.
Today's meeting was called for 2:30 O'Clock
in the afternoon. but as early as 10 o'clock
| this morning all the streets around the
house of worship held Zionists, some walk
| ing, others riding in carriages, but all
headed in one direction-Shiloh tabernacle.
BY the time Overseer voliva accom-
panied by Mrs. Voliva and their little
| daughter. reached the meeting house the
place was full to overfiowing with the
| former adherents of Dowie, who had been
patiently waiting for hours to listen to the
public exposure of the man who made
Zion what it is today.
VOIiva Talks Plainly.
! on the platform with voliva were Mrs.
John Alexander Dowie, Judge Barnes.
head of the law department of Zion City,
and OverseeTs Specher, Excel, Cantel and
| Granger. At the conclusion of a short
prayer by Overseer Speicher the newly ap-
pointed head of Zion, clad in a robe Of
simple white and black, a decided depar-
ture from the gaudy raiment assumed by
| the first apostle on similar occasions,
stepped to the front of the platform and in
a slow, calm and studied voice made the
announcement that he was going to take
advantage Of today's meeting to tell them
| a few truths about the man whom they
| had been so faithfully following for many
years. He then told the vast audience of
the "deplorable" conditions he found at
Zion City when he arrived here a month
ago from Australia add took up the man
| agement of the home OF the Catholic
Christian church at Dowies command.
| The speaker did not mince his words, but
told in the first few words he uttered of
When most bitter in the denunciation Of
his former master. there was no one in the
tabernacle who showed their approval OF
his remarks more than overseer Jane
/ Dowie. wife for thirty years Of John Alex
ander Dowie and the mOrher OF his three
! children. At one point I'm his remarks
where voliva in angry tones exclaimed. II
will see that all the costly furniture and
| expensive library adornIng Dowie's Zion
j City residence and which were purchased
! by that hypocrite while many of his peo-
| pie were in need Of food are sold and the
money turned into Zion City's storehouse," :"
Mrs. Dowie half rose from her seat and
! with her voice and hands loudly applauded
the words of the speaker
JustIneA the Revolution.
Overseer Voliva, in justification of the
overthrow of zions first apostle, told how
money had been squandered foolishly for
Dowies own comfort, while the creditors
! and the people of Zion were calling loudly
for money. AS an illustration of this state
of affairs Voliva cited his own experience
| in lions church. He declared that he had
been compelled to keep himself and family
of five on so month, allowed him by
Dowie. and that out of this monthly salary
he had been compelled to turn over a tenth
| in tithes to the church. He then asked /:
What has become of all this money that
has been flowing into zion for so many
years?"
He then asked his congregation IL they
wished TO return TO the Dowie regime or
preferred to follow him and the business
committee of twelve overseers which he
had appointed and all of whom we're a
unitNin the action taken deposing Dowie.
I
in all that had been done for Zion since
! the movement against DUwie was begun.
/ In bringing, his announcement of Dowie
! to a close, Overseer Voliva said:
Alexander Granger owns this tabernacle.
He owns this entire estate, What want
! you to do is to send all tithes and offerings
] to Zion in the name of Overseer Granger
| instead Of I'm the name of John Alexander
| Dowie. Make all checks and all CONNER
eial paper OF every description payable to
| Alexander Granger. The day has come
when you ought to act as men and women
and exercise your God-given free will. I
! do not want you to do anything by con-
straint I want TO be calm and straight
| forward and present these matters In a
way that none can truthfully say that Won
4 were excited or acted on the impulse OF the
/ moment. II you want TO stand for down
I right dying. hypocricy, shameful misuse OF
/ money. keep your seats. but all who are
tired OF his lying. his exaggeration, his
! misrepresentation and his Inconsistencies
and his hypocricy and his gross ignorance
! of all business laws and principles stand
! up as an evidence Of your announcement
| OF Dowie and his methods"
Endorse VOIiva's Leadership.
The response TO this request was in
slant every one in the building rising to
. their feet IN acknowledgement OF Voliva's
leadership.
After the singing OF a hymn Voliya
stated that If Dowie imagined that upon
his arrival in Zion City on Tuesday that
. he Dowie) would be able to frighten Vo-
/ liva into submission he never was more
/ badly mistaken in his life.
Volva then requested all present TO keen
1 away from the railway station next Tues
day, when Dowie is expected TO reach
( Zion City. Il don't want you to go down
there and listen to his egotistIcal ba
rsngue,' said Voliva. IF he should trv
any Of his spectacular antics on his ar
I rival here we will soon put a stop 10 II
He cannot hold a meeting in Shiloh taber-
nacle because we will not let him. Should
he succeed I'm securing a house I'm which
! 10 hold a meeting 10 address the peonle
L OF Zion I want Won ali 10 reuafp ~ -.