Fulfilment of a Grand Prophecy - Hazrat Ahmad’s Challenge to John Alexander Dowie — Page 68
72. Fulfillment of a Grand Prophecy listened to respectfully while she said that Zion's cause had been misrepresented by the newspapers. . She told how hard she had worked with he husband, and in a pleasant way asked that the work of Zion be given justice. . Then young Dowie got up and shook his fist at the audience and said he wanted to "nail a few lies," and was received with good-natured laughter. Then father and son both too the stage at once and shouted angrily to the people to keep still. . Dowie at his early morning meeting declared that his life had been threatened by fifty different persons in letters just received by him. These letters, the prophet let it be understood, held over him death in a dozen different forms, from shouting to stabbing and dynamiting. "Oh, I see you there!' he shouted, pointing to the main body of the house, in which about 200 persons were seated. 'You have come here with a revolver in your pocket to kill me, but after hearing my wonderful voice you have repented. '. Everybody got up and craned his neck, expecting to see a low-browed Anarchist, but no one was singled out. . The forenoon service was slimly attended. . NEW YORK TIMES, October 25, 1903 "The Ways of Dowie". The following is a letter to the editor of the New York Times written by Mark Marion: "If any person of this community wishes to be received effusively by the leaders of the Dowieites, all he has to do is tell them that he is thinking of buying lots in 'Zion. ' But how any citizen of this nation with a spark of manhood would care to live in a town absolutely dominated by that incarnation of billingsgate and vituperation, 'Elijah,' is incomprehensible. . I was told yesterday by one of the leaders that everybody in Zion must pay 5 percent of his profits and earnings to this champion fakir of the century on penalty of defrauding the 'Lord's anointed. '. They wanted to give him 10 percent, but 'Elijah' said he'd be satisfied with 5 percent. . Here is a town of over 10,000 inhabitants in the most enlightened Nation on earth contributing, willingly, to a blatant blatherskite one twentieth of their substance per annum. Allow me to give you one illustration of the methods used by Dowie in handling his people. This took place on Monday morning in Madison Square Garden: 'I'm now going to introduce to you people,' said the prophet, 'the manager of the Zion Land and. Investment Company. Come Judd! Come Peters!' commanded Dowie, and the persons alluded to arose and walked leisurely toward the platform. 'Come! Step lively!' roared the prophet, and they both jumped like cash boys to his side and stood meekly while he questioned them. Last Sunday he sent the President of the Zion City Bank on an errand to the other end of the Garden to order the guards to fill up a few vacant seats. Who in this town would care to live with a bully like that?"