MU NTANGO z’umwaka wa 1916, Intambara ya mbere y’isi yose yari imaze umwaka urenga iriko irabica bigacika. Impande zompi zariko ziratana mu mitwe zaratakaje abantu benshi.

Umunara w’Inderetsi wo ku wa 1 Nzero 1916 wavuze uti: “Kimwe mu vyo iyo ntambara yashitseko ni uko yatumye abantu benshi barushiriza kwitaho ivy’Imana no kuzirikana kuri kazoza.” Wabandanije uti: “Nimuze dukure amaboko mu mpuzu, ntitugire ubwoba ahubwo twamamaze ivyerekeye Imana n’ubutumwa bwayo tubigiranye umwete.”

Icanditswe c’umwaka wa 1916 cahimirije abavukanyi kuguma ‘bakomeye mu kwizera,’ nk’uko bivugwa mu Baroma 4:20 (King James Version). Ivyo Abatohoji ba Bibiliya benshi barabigize, kandi Yehova yarabahezagiye cane.

Abacungezi b’ingenzi b’Ishirahamwe Watch Tower baragira ingendo bava mu gisagara baja mu kindi, bakaremesha Abatohoji ba Bibiliya bakongera bakabaha ubuyobozi. Mu 1916,  abacungezi b’ingenzi batari munsi ya 69 baragenze ibilometero hafi umuliyoni bari muri ico gikorwa.

Walter Thorn yari muri abo bacungezi. Igihe yariko arashikiriza insiguro i Norfolk muri leta ya Virijiniya, yagereranije urugamba rw’umukirisu na ya Ntambara ya mbere y’isi yose. Yavuze ati: “Vyiyumvirwa ko ubu abasoda bari ku rugamba bari hagati y’imiliyoni mirongo ibiri na mirongo itatu. . . . Hariho abandi basoda bari ku rugamba isi itazi. Ni abasoba b’Umukama. Nka kumwe kwa za ngabo za Gideyoni, na bo nyene bariko bararwana, ariko ntibarwanisha ibirwanisho biboneka. Bariko barwanira ukuri n’ubugororotsi, kandi bariko barwana intambara nziza y’ukwizera.”

Mu Bufaransa, mu ntambara ya mbere yabereye ku ruzi Somme mu 1916, abantu barenga umuliyoni barakomeretse abandi na bo barapfa. Mu tundi turere tw’Ubufaransa, abavukanyi bariko baritanga cane mu gushigikira amashengero naho bitari vyoroshe kubera intambara. Umunara w’Inderetsi wo ku wa  15 Nzero 1916 warimwo ikete ryanditswe na Joseph Lefèvre, Umutohoji wa Bibiliya yirukanywe mu gisagara iwabo ca Denain mu Bufaransa, igihe ico gisagara cigarurirwa n’ingabo z’Abadagi mu 1914. Yaciye aja i Paris maze atangura kwifatanya n’ishengero rimwe gusa ry’Abatohoji ba Bibiliya ryari ng’aho. Naho yari afise amagara make, ni we yahagarikira amakoraniro yose.

Mu nyuma, Théophile Lequime yahavuye amusangayo, na we nyene akaba yari yahunze ava mu gisagara ca Denain. Umuvukanyi Lequime yabanje kuja i Auchel mu Bufaransa, aho yatangururiye guhindura ibiganiro vyo mu Munara w’Inderetsi agaca abirungikira abavukanyi mu tundi turere tw’Ubufaransa Abadagi batari bwigarurire. Abategetsi ba gisirikare bahavuye bamwirukana muri ico gisagara kubera bari batewe amakenga n’ivyo bikorwa vyiwe. Umuvukanyi Lefèvre yabona ko kuba Lequime yari aje i Paris ari inyishu y’amasengesho yiwe.

Igikorwa abo bavukanyi baranguye i Paris nticabaye impfagusa. Lefèvre yavuze ati: “Ubu dufise ishengero ry’abantu mirongo ine na batanu . . . Abatari bake muri bo baramaze kwibonera ivyiza biva ku kwihebera Imana, kandi bariko baratera imbere ningoga mu vy’impwemu. Nka bose baritaba ikoraniro ryo gushinga intahe tugira buri ndwi (ikoraniro rigizwe no kwigana ivyabonywe).”

Kubera ko iyo ntambara yatevye guhera, abavukanyi benshi barahanganye n’ikibazo co kuja mu gisoda. Mu Bwongereza haratowe itegeko ryasaba abagabo bose bafise imyaka iri hagati ya 18 na 40 kuja mu gisoda. Ariko rero, Abatohoji ba Bibiliya benshi baranse kujayo.

Nk’akarorero, Umunara w’Inderetsi wo ku wa 15 Ndamukiza 1916 warimwo ikete ryanditswe n’umuvukanyi Warden wo muri Ekose. Yanditse ati: “Umwe mu bahungu banje aheruka gushikana imyaka 19. Aramaze gushingira intahe nziza Umukama mu kwanka kuja mu gisoda, kandi naho vyoshika akaraswa kubera yanse, ndizigiye ko Yehova azomufasha kwumira ku kuri n’ubugororotsi.”

 Umutsimvyi akiri muto w’i Edinburgh muri Ekose yitwa James Frederick Scott, yararengukijwe muri sentare kubera yanse kuja mu gisoda. Ariko rero, sentare imaze kwihweza ibimenyamenya vyose, yasanze umuvukanyi Scott “ari mu bantu ingingo zimwezimwe z’iryo tegeko ziha uburenganzira bwo kutaja mu gisoda,” ica ivuga ko ata kimwagira.

Yamara rero, abandi benshi barimwe ubwo burenganzira. Muri Nyakanga, mu bavukanyi 264 bari basavye kuronswa ubwo burenganzira, 23 baremerewe guhabwa ibindi bikorwa atari ivyo kurwana. Abasigaye na bo “bahawe ibihano bitandukanye” hamwe no gukora “ibikorwa vy’iterambere rusangi, nko kwubaka amabarabara, kwimba ubutare, n’ibindi.” Abavukanyi batanu gusa ni bo bahawe uburenganzira bwo kutaja mu gisoda.​—Raporo yasohotse mu Munara w’Inderetsi wo ku wa 15 Gitugutu 1916.

Ku wa 16 Gitugutu 1916, Charles Taze Russell, uwari ahagarikiye Abatohoji ba Bibiliya ico gihe, yaratanguye urugendo rwo kuza arashikiriza insiguro mu burengero bwa Amerika. Ntiyagarutse muhira. Ku muhingamo wo ku wa kabiri igenekerezo rya 31 Gitugutu, umuvukanyi Russell yarapfuye afise imyaka 64 ari mw’igariyamoshi, i Pampa muri Texas.

Abavukanyi benshi ntibabona ko hari uwundi yosubirira Russell. Mu rwandiko yanditse imbere y’uko apfa, urwasohowe mu Munara w’Inderetsi wo ku wa 1 Kigarama 1916, yarerekanye ivyipfuzo vyiwe ku bijanye n’igikorwa yari amaze igihe kirekire ahagarikiye. Yamara rero, benshi baguma bibaza bati: Ni nde azomusubirira?

Ico kibazo cokwishuwe kw’ikoraniro ishirahamwe Watch Tower rigira buri mwaka, ryari ritegekanijwe kuba mu ntango z’umwaka wa 1917. Abaryitavye baragize amatora, maze bose bahuriza ku muntu umwe. Ariko rero, ivyabaye mu mezi yakurikiye vyarerekanye ko ukwo guhuza kutomaze na kabiri. Hari ibigeragezo bikomeye vyari birindiriye abavukanyi.