77 ACRES ALL THAT REMAINS Dispute Between Davidian Sects Reaches Waco Court Waco News Tribune Staff By RAY BELL "advent" of Christ's earthly| mained. A few of the homes A bitter, long-smoldering church dispute--hinging on a prophesy which apparently failed -wound up in Waco's 19th District Court Wednesday afternoon. The civil suit, styled General Association of Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, Inc., vs. General Association of Seventh Day Adventists and others, involves 77 acres of land. It is all that remains of a once-prosperous religious settlement, a 941-acre farm east of Waco, which during its peak years was known as New Mount Carmel Center. It was national headquarters for the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists. The group once claimed membership of more than 10,000. Call Was Answered In the spring of 1959 the Davidian headquarters in Waco sent out a call to its national membership. Nearly 1,000 persons responded. They sold their property . they came to Waco . and they gathered on Mount Carmel's grassy hillside near the Elk and Oak Lake communities to await "certain events" which would herald the kingdom. It was wet, miserable weather. The group erected a tent city, and they' were cheerful as they worked and worshiped, sometimes in twice-a-day services. A "sign" was expected on April 22, 1959. Apparently it never came. In the weeks which followed, most of the group trickled away from Waco and tried to pick up some thread of a former life. A few--the really devout-re- mained at New Mount Carmel. Operated Dairy By mid-1960, about 50 persons remained at the , center, mainly operating the modern dairy. They had livestock, machinery, a huge dairy barn, a neat little church, a large administration building complete with offices and office equipment, and 18 small, neat frame Then, in 1962, the "Davidian council dissolved the sect. Waco attorney Tom Street was appointed trustee for the organization. The dairy herd, most of the land, and much of the equipment was sold. The homes, bam, administration building, and 77 acres re- White's Shopping Now! Sale! SMALL SELECTIONS A Top Quality"Texas BICYCLE Reg. $34.95 gift tree! chain Monthly Payments As Low As $51 Mary Poppina DOLL SET The Doll Every Little Girl Will Want It's Or URBANA, barber pole and causes ALWAYS were rented . . . mostly to older Davidian couples who elected to stay on as ex-officio caretakers. Weeds Sprouted Paint on the buildings began to chip and peel, Weeds sprouted in the once-neat gravel streets, and the dairy barn, into which nearly 1,000 persons once crowded for services, slowly sank into disrepair. In April 1965, Benjamin H. Roden of Odessa returned to Mount Carmel. He contacted Street and offered to buy the remaining property. For Roden, it was somewhat| of a triumphant homecoming. Roden heads a splinter group of Davidians known as The Branch, and, during that disappointing spring of 1959, claimed he was "forcibly ejected" from the Davidian meeting. Roden first arrived at Mount Carmel on April 22, 1959. He and his followers believe his arrival was the "sign" for which the Davidians waited. Colony in Israel According to an Associated Press wire service story from Haifa, Israel, Roden and his followers have established colony in Israel. The group also claims it has thousands of members, with colonies in England, South America, Australia, and India. Establishment of a colony in Israel was one of the 1959 Davidian aims. Shortly before arriving in Waco this year, Roden contacted Street and made a down payment of $2,500 toward purchase of what remains of New Mount Carmel Center. Later in the year, an additional $25,000 was placed in escrow. Purchase Blocked The purchase was blocked by the current civil suit, already pending several months. several facets depending on the outcome. Basically, the suit involves "second tithe"* contributions made toward care and support of elder Davidians. At least four separate groups are represented, and a total of six Waco attorneys-Street, David Kultgen, Carl Anderson, Rollin Khoury, Clint Allen, and Charles Wallace-are in the courtroom. Also present is the former Mrs. Victor T. Houteff, now remarried, whose first husband the Davidian group in the 1930's. Plans Rest Home About 30 spectators, most of them elderly, were in the courtroom as the suit got underway with first testimony Wednesday afternoon. Roden said he wants to purchase the property to carry out the original Davidian aim of establishing a rest home for the sick and elderly. He also said he plans a Peace Corps-like project to train people for work in other lands. Roden is not directly involved in the current lawsuit. 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