Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-04-24

the prosperous city of Denver, Colo.
They were the Rev. Kent White and
Mrs. Alma "Mollle" White. He was
sincere. She was Mighty"
Under her persuasion, White started
a church of his own in Denver and 1t
was known as The Pillar OF Fire"
Complications arose in Denver when
certain of the converts to the fire pill
lar" were reticent about giving their
farms and homes to the cult, OF which
Mrs. White was the active head, that
they might be saved.
Then 1t was that Mrs. White took to
travelling. She visited Sioux City and
the Churchills lived here. In fact,
Churchill operated street car for the
Service company nearly u quarter OF
a century.
Attended Revival.
When Mrs. White opened meetings
at Fifth and Jackson streets about
ten years ago. the Churchills felt it
their duty to attend. Mrs. White was
Il splendid speaker. An educated wom-
an. she was commanding.
Churchill says she Is now big and
fat and she couldn't pull the wool over
my eyes"
AS the services went on the Church.
| ills, thinking to do all they could In
| return for the good things they had
| received in life, consecrated their
daughter Alta, then 13 years OF age. to
-, the work in which Mrs. White was en-
| gagged.
! Alta went to Denver and remained
year or two. Then she returned ITO
! Sioux City and stayed with her par
ents for year.
The spell was too great, however,
and the simple. honest folk, who were
! father and mother, decided that If the
daughter wished to return to the work
of 1.-The Pillar of Fire it was not their
privilege to say no.
In the meantime Mrs. White, after
! a run in with the heads of another re-
ligious cult, The Burning Bush" had
established school for converts to her
religion" at Bound Brook. n. j. The
I Burning Bush" cult wanted the land.
but Mrs. White prayed fervently with
the owner and the latter conveyed the
property to her. There was no money
| in the transaction, it is said: Mrs.
White merely told the owner, a Mrs.
Stats, that it was the owners duty
to give the eighty acres of land to the
good Of the work.
On the tract "Zarephath" sprang up.
1t is the home and college ground of
THE Pillar of Fire and its location Is
almost half way between the cities OF
| Philadelphia and New York.
| Zarephath Is spoken Of in Kings in
the holy writ as the home of widow.
where the prophet Elijah performed q
miracle.
Search For Girl.
Alta Churchill continued her"studies. =
which the father declares was tho
work Of a slave, at "Zarephath" for
many months. One day Churchill told
the Service company he wished to take
q vacation of two months He and his
! wife went east with their savings and.
after a visit in Carolina. turned their
faces toward "Zarephath.' Once there,
they scrubbed and swept and baked,
and Churchill says he kept his eyes
open.
! All did not seem right to him about
the cult house and Churchill spoke his
mind on several occasion to Mrs.
White. This incurred her enmity and
the daughter was sent on long trips.
Once she was sent to a place near
Atlantic City to be kept in hiding, Mrs.
White feared that the father would
coax her to return to Sioux City. After
a search in the hours of the night,
Churchill found his daughter.
That was the last visit we ever had
together" says Churchill. Il can set
the look that came into the poor childs
face now as her mother and left her
standing on the board walk at Allan
tic City after happy holiday"
The gray fathers eyes grew moist
and he drew a handkerchief from the
clean jacket he wore and wiped away
a tear.
Mr.. and Mrs. Churchill returned to
Sioux City after that. They wrote ia
their daughter frequently and eacn
time the letters were returned. Post
office officials looked into the matter
without success.
Denounces Parents.
The parents became convinced,
finally that their daughter was being
held against her will. Eighteen months
ago a. letter in the handwriting or the
daughter came to Sioux City in which
she denounced the old couple and
stated that she could not serve her re-
lision and continue to correspond with
her parents or have anything to DO
with them.
But she didn't write that Of her own
free will" says Churchill. She was
forced to do it and by Mrs. White.
Chicago Needs Them.