The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-03-08
HARLEM'S Cod
AGAIN TRIUMPHS
OVER ENEMIES
Father Divine Gets Cash
From Heaven. Insists
Aid: Gives Bail.

F. Trffrf Tr..F
NEW YORK. March "A Rolls
Rovce lnched along a Harlem street
packed with praying and singing
humanity. The crowd surrounded
~ IN every side. screaming: There's
God flasher Divine is God. There's
Grd.~
Tn ttr interior u the Rolls Royce
vas @. fat Negro with shaved
ra4r toothbrush m0Istache,
iuu-.Iateiv tailored IN chocolate
rr.rrrd suit. mauve shirt. blue neck
t- ana spats. This was Father
Divine Harlem evangelist. whom
thousands believe rs God Beside
him Uas a buxom Negro woman
nearing So. as exp nvivelv dressed as
ha She vas Faithful Nary
They were on route home from
another triumph before the bar Of
Justice. Various persons had in
sisted that Father Divine was eX-
plotting The CredIirl-ce n many By
claiming -o be God. but no one could
prove that he had ever taken
penny from any n the numerous
faithful 0r had preached any doc
trrr. even remotely Objectionable
Maj -ra-e Anthony F. Burke reluct-
au-lv hold him and his Faithful
Mary for trial by a higher court.
operate Several Heavens
Father Divine and Faithful Mary
were charged with operating a
boarding house without a license.
Prom the house. agents Of the So
cisty for the Prevention Of Cruelty
% Children had taken six children.
Tire house was one Of a number Of
~heayeus" maintained by cult men,
bers. where men and women. white
and black. live under the same roof
on communal basis.
MAGISTRATE Burke ordered Father
Divine 10 post $500 bail for both
himself and Faithful Mary. He
peeled tvo $50 bills from a huge
roll
Judge Burke wanted to know
where fhe money came from d.
vine said 90 came from God. All his
efforts to ascertain the source Of the
sdluenre Of The cult and its leaders
brought that response. Faithful
Mary outlined the charges paid b.
residents Of the various heavens"
They were so nominal as to make
them seem impossible Of meeting
expenses, much less bringing a
profit
Followers Jam Streets
The courtroom and the street out
side were damned with Divines fol-
lowers. AT each lull. they chanted.
'He is Godt Father Divine is God
He BIS Cod" 20 the tune OF March
inE Through Georgia"
Faith I'll Mary said she had never
received any money from Father
Divine. never saw him receive any
money. said that any contributions
made bv followers would be returned
forthwith because Father Divine got
money from a heavenly source and
had mo- need Of earthly aid
She said that before she met Fa-
Their Divine she was often arrested
for drunkenness.
Vincent PIssarra. who prosecuted
the case for the ChiIdren's Society.
admitted that the heavens" We're
Immediately clean. tina, health
conditions were generally good. But
the children were being taught Fa-
ther Divine was God.
Every Ones Her Brother
why We took a 15-year-old white
girl out there and We asked her if
she had any brothers or sisters"
said Mr. Pissarra. and she told me.
Every ores my brother. even you
Magistrate Gurke said.
"She evidently believes IN the IA
thcrhoOd OF God and the brother
hood If man. We didn't have 10
wait for Father Divine TO come along
70 trii us that one"
mr.. PiS-5rra hesitated before re-
plying
eve stated my case"