1917 Watchtower Bible Student Schism - A2Z.org

HARVEST SI.FTZNCS
EPITOAdE OF FACTS HEREINAFTER ESTABLISHED ,
That you my fntdligantly follow tho evidence hereinafter set fonh, I first give a brief outline of
wbt the fact8 prove:.
(1.) That Brother P. S. L. o k n was rent to Europe last November to do pilgrim work for the
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AN d TRACT SOCIETY an4 in ofder to procure a passport, was given a letter
of authority which he undentood in fact limited him to preacbrng the Gospel and asccrtafnina by inquhy
certain facts about the work there md reporting them to the Socidtp; that for some cause he eretrtep~od
hir authority; that he chuged'reveral brethren with dhloyaltp to Brother Ruasell; that he discharged, mtbout
authority, two of tho m~rugvs of tho Socictp'r London offico a d compelled them to leave tho M o a
33 tthel.
(L) That tho Executive of the Society appointed a commission of five able brethren of Groat Britain
to go to London and aaccrtab tho frcta'md re ort; that Brothci ohnson attempted to -duly inlltronce
thi. commission beforo.lt met; and b&g -bg to do lo, he repuLd it ad refused to appear b@lwe it;
that he war recalled from Englurd by cablegram,
(3.) That Brother Johnaon announced Sa rarioru placer kr England that he was the "~tewud" of tho
"Penny" mendoned in the Lord'r pamblc (Matt 209). md claimed dl the POQeiS urd authority that Bmther
Rusell porsessed; that he had a well-hid plan to take full control of all the Society's work in Gnat
Britain and to establish a new WATCH TOWER there.: that he announced to the friends in Gtrat Britain
that he ahould have been the Society% President but detkned to accept.
(I.) That when the commission met in London for the Purqore of
into the facts, Brother
ohnaon then repudiated the action of the Sharrholdem in electing the Prestdent of the Socie at Pihimg4
Januuy 6, 1917, and ignored the President and be- to communiute wih Brother A. I. '9;tchie .nd,
through him, to appeal to the Board of Directors.
(6.) That when he was resiated by Brother Hemery, the remaining manager Sa the London oSco.
Brother Johnson, together with m accomplice, got possession of the keys and forcibly took posseadoa of tho
London oSce,.the Soeietg's mail, opened the aafe md extracted therefrom a lar e rum of money belonging
to the sociev and tho. instituted a hw suit in the High court of chancery in London. in the mame 01 tb.
Society by hrmaelf as special repraenhtive, againat the manager of the London officeand against the Bad
where the Society's fun& wao deposited and tied up the money in the Bank; that this law ruit waa decided
advetrely to Brother Johnson, and his rolicitor war required by the High Court to pay the cost, and ttnt
later Brother Hhh and .Ilia and at tho instance of Brother Jobon tried to have the Society pay Brotbu
Johnson's solicitor ia the use, but failed.
(8.) That everything at the Brooklyn office was moving unoothly, with no discord, until Brothrr Johson
dermnded of the Society's Prtaldent that he be returned to England and, being refused, the4 axcrhia
influence over Brothers Hhh, Houkins, Wright and Rttchie and induced them to believe that tha President
war ignoring them. He Muenced them to ask for a meeting of the Board of Directors to gtxe h h
the third hekg about what 'he did in Europe; that when the Reddent refused to call a meetiag for tbrt
ose, then he advised them to aet aside a by-law which the Shareholders had paused urd a& tho
=d of Directon had puud,:and take am). from the Prcaident .L1 of the authority and turn It o w to
there four brethren.. Brother Johnson, on the Sth day of July last admitted that the. trouble' hroiaifter
described was the result of the refurl of his demand for a re-hearing with a view to his being rsat back to
England.
(7.) Thatlthe other four brethren, acting under the advice of roth her Johnson,. began a ryatemrde ermpdgn
amongst the brethren, charging that the'prcaident is ignoring Brother Russell's will md goiag cox-
trrry to the precedent established by Brother Rusaell. That a plan was outlined by them and they, acting mder
the advice of Brother Jobon and the lawyer, 'set about to influence some of the prominent brethr- agrinrt
tho President md bring pressure to beu upon him to surrender his authority of the Society to these four
brethren. That they outlined a come exactly paral;el to that pumued by Brother Johnson in Englnnd, and
openly stated that if the President and the PEOPLES PULPIT ASSOCIATION resisted their action that
they would resort to the courts of law and tie up a11 the money of the 6ociety, so that it could nor be
used, and that.they would either run the Society or wreck it; and that their wrongful action ms prevanted by
the President
BROTHER JOHNSON GOES TO ENGLAND which Brother Johnson agreed. It then be- neccrsav
Brother Russell had arranged last Fall for Brother Johnson for him to have a letter of introduction to the Lbndoa o&c+
to visit Europe, and those left in charge after Brother a d of course this had to be written consistent with the
Russell's departure thought well to arr~r out his wishes and other letter, because the Government of Grut Britain would
rend him. Brother Johnson called at the State Department examine all of his papers when he arrived at the border,
at Wuhington, and the Bureau of Citizenship in New York and anything inconsistent would probably recult la rending
for infomation concerning passports. Returning he in- him out of the country, hence we wrote a drnilar letter to
formed the Committee that it was necusaq for him to have the London office with the same understanding.
credentials showing that it was im erative that he visit the
foreign countries in the interests O! the Swiety; otherwise TROUBLE BEGINS IN ENGLAND
the government, because of the war, would not grant the About the 6th of F~bruary a cablegram wu received from
pwpa Myself and Brother Johnson together prepared Brother Johnson, reading as follows :
a letter to present to the State Department, with the under- "Situalion intolerable. Sheam, Crawford, disstanding
that it was for the plocunng of (1 parsport. When missed. Appealing to you. Withhold answer pen&
it came to the sign in^ of the letter Brother Van Amburgh, ing my mail!'
the Secretary, refused to sign, because it granted sweeping
rutharitg to *rotha phruon* Then it wu urplained in the
About the same time another caMe~r~m was received from
rmnce of Brothers 'i7 aa Amburgh. Ritchie and myself, and and Cnwfo** as fotlows:
brder Johnson, tha the o~ly Ptrrposr of the letter was to "Astoundinu d~velop.ments, ~fiice and Tabunadc,
enable Brother Joh~oa to pfwre a passport, and that his Please defer all judpmant"
authoritp would really be.the tame as my other pilmim or The IN~EPNATIONU B m Sfm)=s Assocunoar, o m -
Iercr. Brother Ritehie then rtmuked to Brother ohnson ked under the kwr of Great Bdtofn, hu a council of five
that it would be rdl for him to inqdn n the dwgeiews nenba, Bmthcvs Hatry. Sheam tmd Cnwford cordo&ea
he dsited in Eumpe and get all the information he tutcd the mmberr in England, white Brother Russell and
could about tha manner of conducting tho work to all of myself were the two members hwa The same three brethren