Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-15

the university. The records show that
he was a remarkable student especially
of languages and of religious history.
DOwie, on graduation from the Givin-
lty school, at once took orders in the
Congregational church, and, in 1872, re-
turned to Australia and began preach
ing in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney.
He continued in his work with success.
his magnetic oratorical powers drawing
large crowds Once, when asked con-
corning this period of his life, he said
They have said | amounted to moth
ng in Australia Well, the then premier
of New South Wales. Sir Henry Parks,
offered me the Portfolio of education for
the colony"
Becomes a "Healer by Faith"
In 1873 Dowie suddenly deserted the
Congregational church and started as an
evangelist, preaching healing by faith
His power at once attracted attention.
He declares that he first learned of his
power to heal by curing girl of a vast
ing disease that had already killed thir
ty members of his congregation. He
went to Melbourne, built a big, rude
looking tabernacle, and began his work.
In ten years be had built up a large
congregation. but he was not satisfied.
He started for England. He had mon
ey. but not a large amount
In 1880 DOWie landed in San Fran
cisco. Ho started his divine healing
crusade, but was driven from that city.
1t was in 1890 that Dowie dawned upon
Chicago. Out in Western Springs,
little prairie suburb at that time, Dowie
started in Ito fight SIM in Chicago. By
and by some correspondent found him
out there preaching to a handful OF tol-
lowers and wrote Il story about him.
That was the first Chicago heard of
Dowie. but in the spring of the follow
ing year DoWie moved upon Evanston,
and there he remained until the spring
of the worlds fair year when, with
dozen followers. he rented a house down
near the Midway, and, almost with his
own hands, he built Zion tabernacle
| No. l. He had at last found his oppor-
tunity in America.
Becomes General Oyerseer.
On February -. 1896. Dowie organ
| lied the Christian Catholic church i'll
Zion and appointed himself general over
! seer, with his wife. Jane DoWie, as over
seer. His work began to attract atten-
ton all over the country. Then DoWie
| purchased big tract Of land and the
| buildings near Fourteenth street and
! Michigan avenue. He was arrested over
| 100 times i'll 1899. the year of persecu-
! ton but only 4 few times in 1896. He
purchased the big ten-story building al
| Twelfth street and Michigan avenue and
| sent his deacOns all over the United
| States to bring in converts.
| In 1900 Dowie was mObbed in Ham
! mOnd, attacked i'll Evanston, and he got
! a lot more good advertising. His idea
! from the first was the Capitalization of
! all the money of all the followers into
the treasury OF Zion, and he grew rich
amazingly fast, for he, John Alexander
| Dowie, was Zion, holding all its monies
| and properties III his own name, i'll trust
| fIp lao Gln Ia q
power.
Chicago had almost begun to forget
| Dowie when, June .. 1901, standing be-
fore great crowd in the Auditorium,
he declared himself Elijah III. He de
clared that Elijah the Destroyer reap
was Elijah the Preparer. and that he,
! Dowie, was the third and last manifes
tation Of Elijah. He called upon his
people to believe this and they be
| lieved.
Luckless New York Invasion.
This Elijah idea was what interfered
| with his business. He startled Chicag go
over a year ago by sending down
swarms of his followers from Zion City
to make yisitations from house to house
and tell about Elijah III. But not much
attention was paid to it until Dowie an
nounced that he intended to take his
host and restore New York. His inva-
sion of New York was the most spec
tacular thing Dowie ever did. He took
over 5000 of his followers, put them
on ten special trains, and rushed them
down to New York, where for fort
night he conducted meetings in Madison
! Square garden and in Carnegie hall.
That trip drained Zion City of its sur
plus working capital. M5took over $500,
600 out of the new town and left it in
bad financial condition as far as working
| capital was concerned. Then came the
rush OF creditors.