Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-15
SURROUNDED BY ONLY THREE AT
PENDANTS, ELIJAH H." PASSES
FROM EARTHLY CAREER.
OLD POWER COMES BACK
Apostle" His Life Ebbing, Resumes Dig
nifty of His Prime and Denounces
His Enemies.

mer and winter to hold services on Sun
day afternoon in the parlOr of Shiloh
House. About 800 Of his original fol
lowers remained faithful and attended
these services. Dowie always wore his
apostolic robes and made a characteristic
address. Five weeks ago these meet
ings ceased. and Dowie appeared no
longer in public. The Sunday meet
ing was still held by his adherents. Since
that time Dowie had gradually been
failing
Regains Spirit on Death Bed.
Friday afternoon, however, there was
10 indication of approaching death. He
received a few followers. and prayed for
some people. His condition seemed to
be about the same as for the last two
or three weeks. One Of the attendants
remained with him until midnight, and
was relieved by the other attendant.
Shortly before / O'Clock this morning
Dowie became deliriOus and his talk was
the same as at Il religious meeting in
the days Of his prime He denounced
people with the old time vigor, ordered
the guards to throw out disturbers, ard
acted just rs he had on 50 many pre-
rIouS occasions. He gradually became
weaker ana weaker and the attendant
telcphoned for Judge Barnes, who
reached. Shiloh House at Z a. IN. Forty
minutes IdteF bOWle dIed.
Illness and Then Downfall.
Last October he was stricken with
paralysis while on his way to Mexico.
where he contemplated the founding of
another Zion City. His condition i'm
proved somewhat and he returned to the
United States. but it was ONLY for n
short time. He soon found himself
obliged again to seek d warmer climate.
Before lefSrtinS for Mexico a second
time he appointed one of his followers,
NOliya. who had been his principal agent
i'll Australia. as general Overseer
But the crisis was fast approaching.
A considerable element of Dowie's fol
lowers had begun to lose faith in the
so-called prophet. Scandal became rife
The man who had declared he could do
no wrong was said to have urged pOlyg-
amy on his followers and his name was
coupled unhappily with those of certain
women of his colony. Finally an open
revolt broke forth in Zion City and
NOliva proclaimed Dowie dethroned. and
threatened the so-called prophet with ar
rest for the misuse of funds if he re-
turned. Dowie. however, was not to be
deferred. Rallying his fast failing
strength he left Mexico and hurried
back to Chicago. Zion City refused to
receive him and he appealed to The
courts for assistance. Voliva fought
him at every step and had the support
of most of the influential members of
Zion. DOwie was permitted to return
to Shiloh house and to hold services at
intervals in the tabernacle, but he failed
to secure restoration of his former
power.
Career of Strange Contrasts.
The career of Dowie was one of
strange contrasts. lie showed in the
building of Zion City, the assembling of
factories and business interests. the or
ganiZatiOn of large enterprises like that
of the New York crusade, executive ge-
MUS of high order But in religious
matters he was either a seif-hypnotized
hysteric or a knave. He was said to
possess 4 strong veil of Scotch mysti-
cism-fruitful soil for the self-suggestion
that resulted in his boast that he was
the prophet foretod by the prophet Ma
lach. On the other hand, however,
stood his over recurrent demand for
money. Millions poured into his hands.
yet he asked for more The widest
spendthrift could not match Dowie for
schemes to rid himself of money. 1t is
estimated thai the invasion of New York
by the Zion army cost Dowie $3J0,OOO,
and the trip was a fat failure.
While lis people We're starving and
the city under the shadow of a receiver
Dowie spent $150,000 in a Mexican irri-
CATION colonization scheme. He paid for
options which he could not take up and
then made 4 trip around the world,
which cost a fortune
The sumptuous furnishings Of his Ii
brary and offices in the administration
building 1T Zion City cost 100000. He
had 10000 volumes of the rareSt edi-
tons of English and French authors,
which cost easily another $4,000. Shi-
lob house, where Dowie lived. is the
largest house in Zion and was furnished
luxuriously. His country house i'll Mich
igan cost $4,000.
Never Explained Source.
Dowie never explained where the
money came from which paid for all
these luXuries. The consensus of opin-
ion, however, was that he bled his fol-
lowers, which gave him his start, and
by good business ability and real estate
speculation managed to amaSS q for
tune which was estimated at one time
TO amount to several millions. The ex
travagances ard disasters of the last
few years, however, swept away the
entire fabric.
Dowie Born il Edinburgh.
The history of Zion begins with the
birth of John Alexander Dowie-a son
of Scotch parents, who declared that
the man he called father was not his
father.
John Alexander Dowie was born near
Edinburgh on May %. 1917. His moth
er was a Scot-an Alexander. During
the New York trip, which probably
wrecked Zion, Dowie declared that John
Murray Dowie was not his father. and
that he was the offspring of an English
army officer, member or the nobility.
He said his mother had been led to be
heve that her marriage to the army Off
Ger was invalid. and that, TO save her
name. she married John Murray Dowie.
John Murray Dowie was 4 COngrega-
tionaI minister of comfortable fortune,
and young DoWie received a fair foun-
daton for his education. In 1860 the
family removed to Adelaide, Australia.
and for seven years young Dowie served
as q clerk in a mercantile establishment.
He even then displayed remarkable apti
tude for business. Also he displayed
religious tendencies. and ut the age 1T
Is declared that he had been cured OF
dyspepsia by divine aid.
Educated in Scotland
In 1867. when he was 20 years old
Dowie returned TO Scotland. and. op tho
money he had saved while working in
Australia. took FIVE years course in