SEARCH FOR NEGRO "MESSIAH"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 81, 22 April 1937, Page 7

SEARCH FOR NEGRO "MESSIAH"

Teleaiaph— Press Aatin.-

Sfabbing Affray Alleged in His "Kingdom" THREE ARRESTS MADE

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(EecexVed 22, 8.45 a.m.) f ' NBW TOiN/ A^?C~2©. 1 A genertl ilarm his been eireuiated by the poliee for the arrest of Father Dildne (leSder of a negro sect) on & Charge of feloniotx# assatdt. He disip|>ear#d shortly after a white maa,( allegediy a process sefver, was itabbed andbeaten in Divine'# Hingdom. Threej other xiegroe# haye already been arrest-j Cd on the same charge. 43%th*r Divine " it a negro religions : reidtnlist, whose real name is Georgef Baker. He was born ift the United; ■ Sfhte# in 1899. He is only 4ft. 6in. I bi^h. Sak#f started a new onit kndwn \ as "DMnitm," which, by 1933, had; ' sptdad lik# rfildfs# in th# HaZleni quafter of N#w York and in other negr'O commUnities. He had hosti of [ wiif# a# w#li as biack diseiflnn.- Thes# ! he convinced that he Was a n#W MSSiiihi and fhat h# had descended into • Hatlem in a cioud Of dr# His headquarterS are at' th# "Divine PoWer : Bpititual Teiaple" in Hariem.- He has tWo mere temples in N#w6rk, NeW dOrsey^ and Kingdoms,, in Washingfo% HaltlmOre, BfidgCport and other" cities erfong. th# Paoific coast and m NeW Jersey and Pennsylvania. To these centres of his sect Baker travels either by his own aefopiane #r autogiro or by road, fot he ha# several motor-carg. He ie posseseed o£ apparently nnlimited flnancial resources, the , ofigin of which is not known. Baker Ha# # corfs of stenOgraphei's, Ev#s lux- : nridttsly and gives ehormou'S f r#e banquets to Ms followers. Four black *' Angels" always accompany him. They are staiwart negresse# who go by the : names Of Truelov#, Peaceful, Faithful and Bouquet. TWo other negrCsses [ known as FMthfui Mary and Bishop i gelkridge acf ai hi# adjutantS at I Newark. | In 1932 ihe #vang'#Ust. WAS arrested ; on Dong Hishd as a pttbEc nnisanc#. An ! inqtury Was held into th# cult in 1933 i by a committe# . appqinted by Snig6 ' HartShorne, of NeW. J#tsey, to decid# whofhet Baker was "a- prophot or a pest* ; Whm it wa# Suggesfed to him- that ke ; wa# breakiag th# law by afiowing I people to worSlip Mm, he Tepixed: ftli fh#y b#K#f# t am 6od and ar# thereby ted to reform th#|t iioes, who am f td : it#f th#mt" Poliee and soclsl Worker# ; stated that th# new religion had had a > resttaining indttsnee over person# for1 ineriy cfimlnab HfJdcnee of aiieged j miracniodi cure# by the "prophet" was | prSsented. Last month dohn Hnnt, a wealthy White foiiower of "Fatbe'r Diin#,f# ; th# so-eaiied "8f. John th# Dirin#," was sought by the poliee under the , Mann Act on a charge of transporting Delxght Jewitt, a Dqnver schooigirl, aged 17, to mAke her the new " Virgin Mary." Protests by Lionel Barrymore and other screen celebrities caused tbe poliee recently to diiperse 200 followers i of Hunt, who used his hom# at Be'w : iey Hifls under the name of .ihe "New BetMehem."'