Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-26
Gets WIRELESS
FROM HEAVEN
JOHN AHRENs, CONVERT OF
BILLY SUNDAY RECEIVES
MESSAGE TO SELL OUT.
TU ms EVANGELIST
Prominent Business Man OF Sterling
Ill.,, startles World by Proclaim
ing That God Spoke to Him in
Mystic Manner.

Converted four years ago by Evan.
geilst Billy" Sunday, who was at that
tlme conducting series OF revival
meetings in Sterling, H., his beliefs
| augmented by a course in the Moody
institute in Chicago followed by line
or experience in conducting street
meetings In that metropolitan city.
John Ahrens, until recently pros
porous and leading merchant of Steg-
llhg has now startled his friends bus
mess associates and the world at large
by declaring that he has received y
wireless message from Heaven, pro.
claiming 1t his duty to sell out his
business interests and devote his life
to the salvation of mankind.
Sincere in his BELIEF that the tele.
pathic message was direct from God
and earnest in his desire to be an az.
tive leader for Christ, Ahrens has fol.
lowed the advice Of the mystic mes
sage, has sold his interest in the big.
sest department store in Sterling and
has turned evangelist. The act comes
as finale to a sequence of stages in n
gradually growing religious enthusi.
asm and application.
Billy Williams, the minstrel evan
gellst was the spark which ignited the
eVangellstic finder in Mr.. Ahrens'
system. About two weeks ago Will.
1ams landed in Sterling, unheralded,
and started an evangelistic movement
which didn't take. 1t fell cold and
showed signs of dying natural death.
The ministers failed to show any great
amount of enthusiasm the collections
Waned, Williams grew Respondent and
It is claimed had some little difficulty
in meeting his room rent. Then John
Ahrens stepped in.
Always Favored REVEALS.
Mr.. Ahrens has not only been theo-
retlcal supporter of such movements.
but he has also been practical Since
he arrived in Sterling, driving a farm
wagon, when he was a boy, and start.
ed and built up his big department
store on capital Of nothing, he has
been successful and liberal He start
ed In to help out the Respondent evan
gelist and advanced him sums ,fI
money enough to enable him to keep
the wolf from the door But still the
rellgionists of Sterling did not re-
spond. Then Mr.. Ahrcrs took the bull
by the horns.
At a public meeting held under his
auspices he told the story of Mr.. Will
Jams lack of success, denounced the
Christians Of the city for their apathy,
and declared that it lad driven Mr..
Williams and his family to a point
where they meditated self-destructiop
He added that previous to this time he
had practically made arrangements 70
&C to Nebraska but that he had receiy- |
ed wireless message from Heaven
to stay, and that he proposed TO re. |
main in Sterling and carry on the
work which he felt was sorely needed |
This statement of Mr.. Ahrens has since !
been denied by Williams, who declares |
he never meditated any such thing
and he has brought action for IS 900 |
against Mr.. Ahrens alleging SANDER.
Created Surprise.
To say that this was casting a bomb
into the midst Of Sterling society il
but putting It mildly. Mr.. Ahrens has
always been known as deadly in
earnest in everything he has under |
aiken, even if at times he YVES regard |
I'd as somewhat spectacular. Moreover
about everything he has undertaken |