This article appeared in the September 22, 1911 Brooklyn Eagle. Notice the "general counsel". It is obviously Rutherford.
CHURCH A SALESROOM FOR 'MIRACLE' WHEAT AT $60 PER BUSHEL
Offered the Faithful Who Read Pastor Russell's Magazine.
SOLD AT THE TABERNACLE.
Anyone Who So Desires Can Purchase the Precious Grain at Hicks Street Headquarters.
Many of the devoted followers or Pastor Russell,
whose Indefatigable efforts in the vineyard of the Lord has attracted wide attention
in Brooklyn, are awaiting with interest the result of a new experiment
emanating from his headquarters in the Tabernacle, 13 and 17 Hicks street, this
borough.
The experiment is “Miracle Wheat”.
The society of which Pastor Russell is the head wants it distinctly understood
that It has nothing whatever to do with the wheat itself beyond the fact that
the grain is being sold from its headquarters, and that it expects the faithful
follower who produces it to give the society the returns froth the sales.
Because of the miraculous powers of the wheat in question, it is being sold at a slightly higher rate than that commanded by the ordinary variety. Generally speaking, the price of the “Miracle Wheat” is $60 a bushel. tI [sic] can be bought in small lots at about $1 for a pound. Or, if one desires, it can also be purchased at the rate of fifty-five pounds for $50.
The price of ordinary wheat for which farmers claim no extraordinary or divine qualities is, according to the latest quotations, about 59 cents or $1 per bushel.
Brother Dockey (first name refused to inquirers) is the watchdog of the wheat treasury. Brother Dockey states that from thirty to thirty-five bushels have been sold thus far, which, according to the price quoted, has netted from $1,800 to $2,100. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society gets this money, accord., to Brother Dockey. The society's receipts last year from the sale of religious literature, donations, etc., was $150,000, and the money realized from the sale of wheat at $60 a bushel is expected to swell this year's revenues to an even higher figure.
Brother Dockey says that Brother J. A. Bohnet, who, Brother Dockey understands, has “a farm out in Ohio,” first discovered "miracle” wheat. This was in 1907. Since that time he has experimented with it, and other "brothers" have been told the secret, until now Brother Bohnet of Ohio and Brother Flemming of Indiana and others are able to grow enough “miracle” wheat to have it placed on sale in Brooklyn, the brothers generously agreeing to donate all the proceeds to Pastor Russell's society. The following advertisement in the Watch Tower, the semi-monthly of the society, explains the proposition:
Brother Bohnet's Generous Offer Set Forth in Detail.
A DONATION OF MIRACLE WHEAT
Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumulated a crop of miracle wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to The Watch Tower readers. He will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire proceeds to our society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. This will keep mail on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours.
Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship
this wheat by August 1. He says miracle wheat should be sowed one-fourth as
thick as common wheat. Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times
as much proportionately to the amount sown. To save keeping account, money
should accompany the order. Watch Tower readers will have the preference up to
August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so long as
the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall.
Brother Dockey says that some of Pastor Russell’s followers in this city came
to the Tabernacle personally and bought “miracle” wheat, while others in other
cities and states sent in their money by mail and Uncle Sam carried the
precious grain.
For years wheat experts in America have
tried to produce wheat with the yielding qualities claimed by Brother Bohnet’s
grain. Yet here is a marvelous grain that has been in existence for four years
and not a big grain man in the country has known anything about it, or it would
have been commercialized long ago.
No Guarantee Goes With the Wheat, However.
At the Tabernacle in Hicks street no guarantee is given with the “miracle” wheat that is sold that it will yield “from ten to fifteen times as much proportionately to the amount sown.” Brother Dockey admits the possibility that the “miracle” brand isn’t so wonderful as all this. He says that Brother Bohnet doesn’t claim this. Brother Dockey in substantiation of this statement points to the advertisement above quoted, pointing especially to several certain words, to wit., “ordinarily it should produce.” Brother Dockey figures that this relieves Brother Bohnet of all responsibility in case any particular lot of “miracle” wheat should prove to yield only ordinary results.
Brother Dockey says that a wrong impression is got by anyone who, reading the advertisement, believes that Pastor Russell or the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society guarantees the worth of “miracle” wheat or that either Pastor Russell or the society has anything to do actually with promoting the sale of the wheat.
“Here’s our lawyer right here,” said
Brother Dockey today, motioning to a tall man in black who was standing near
by. “He’ll explain that this society has nothing whatever to do with ‘miracle
wheat.’”
The tall man in black said he was “general counsel” for the society. He did not care to give his name.
“Brother Dockey is right,” he said. “Anybody
who says that Pastor Russell or the society is selling wheat is a liar. Brother
Bohnet offered to donate his ‘miracle wheat’ and the society accepted his
offer. He is merely allowed to place the wheat on sale here in the Tabernacle.
Brother Dockey sells it. Neither brother has a voting share in the society.
Brother Bohnet has kindly agreed to turn over all the money received for the
wheat to the treasury of the society.”
Neither Brother Dockey nor the “general counsel” make any claim that the “miracle
wheat” has an intrinsic value of $60 a bushel.
“The advertisement in the Watch Tower does
not say that ‘miracle’ wheat is worth $1 a pound,” said the general counsel. “It
says simply that Brother Bohnet is willing to sell it at that price. It is
purely a donation sale, for the benefit of the society, and those who buy at
the price quoted, do so with the understanding and the idea that they are
voluntarily giving aid to the society. I might place high value upon worthless forniture
[sic] if I wished to, and if people wanted to buy at the price I named they
could do so if they wished, though I made no claims that the furniture had any
real value beyond that of ordinary furniture.”
Although Brother Bohnet is not a member of the society, according to the “general
counsel,” it is a fact that he finds time between tending his “miracle” wheat
on his Ohio farm, to lecture before Bible classes. Brother Bohnet just now is
lecturing out in Washington or Canada. Brother Dockey is not sure just which.
So this one article tells us:
1) That it was easy to know that this was extremely overpriced.
2) That the Society received around $3.7M in 2016 dollars in 1911
3) That any person who knew anything about wheat would know this wasn't really "miraculous". If it was, then more people would know about it.
4) They were already planning for failure, "you didn't read the fine print".
5) Rutherford called himself "general counsel", not "judge", was prideful, and possibly knew they were selling worthless things at a high price.
