The herald., 1898-06-29
LUCY WOULD NOT PRAY
SAMUEL BOWLING COMPELLED
HER TO DO so
TROUBLE OVER DEvOTI0NS
Religious Employer Who Had Trouble
Putting His Beliefs Into Practice.
Arrested for Battery

If Samuel Bowling, colored, of 1906 West
Twenty-second street, had lived in the
days of the Roundheads he would no doubt
have been the official chopper-down of
Maypoles and the torchbearer at the burn
ing of alleged witches in New England, for
apparently he believes in compulsory god
illness. Nor does it matter to Samuel
whether or not a horse wants to drink af-
ter being led to water, the colored man will
exert his seasoned vigor to compel the ami
| NAL whether of male or female persuasion,
to quaff of the life-giving fluid. Indeed,
| Samuel is fearless in the face of duty
as was the biblical bearer of the same
name. In consequence of the desire on
the part of Samuel to compel a young
colored girl to quaff the waters of the spir-
itual fountain to which he had led her, he
| found himself before Justice Owens yester-
day to answer to charge of battery. Lucy
Bailey caused the arrest of Samuel.
| 1t appears that Bowling conducts a laun-
dry at his home on Twenty-second street
and, appreciating the proximity of cleanli-
ness to godliness, thought it but his duty
to actually unite the two, so far as lay in
his power; so he tried to make them neigh
|
washing with prayer. All the coons work.
ing about the place looked alike to Samuel,
and whether of Methodist persuasion or
| Baptist sentiment were required alike to
attend the prayers in the morning. This
short session of prayer might be termed
the leveling of the descendants of Ham,
for proprietor and employees met upon the
same equal plane of humility during the
NV, no h,,t wi
the final amen each and every person in
the room went scurryng about like the in
mates of hill of black ants.
On Monday morning all the colored folks
were summoned to prayer, and it looked as
if the ceremony would soon be ended and
everybody at their respective duties, but
according to Samuel Lucy Bailey dis
turbed the equanimity of the gathering
She jumped up and declared that she was
sick of all the praying and proposed to take
lay off from that part of her duties. she
was demonstrated with, but to no avail,
and to show her independence Lucy rushed
over to the stove, opened the door and then
slammed it shut as if to demonstrate that
she did not give slam for Samuel and the
balance of the crowd.
"Ain't yo' shamed O. yo'sef, yo' Lucy"
Indignantly demanded an old nanny, to
whom the morning prayers were as invig-
Grating as brandy and soda to Califor-
MIA clubman.
well, I amt a enjoyin' myself dis here
way no mo-" snapped Miss Lucy, with
n't-care-if-you-never-c toss
of her head. can Use a-gwine to quit dis
yer prayin'. I does my prayin' in church
an not in laundry like Chinaman,' she
added, with darkly insinuating hauteur.
During all the excitement incidental to
the religious rebellion Samuel had stood
speechless In fact his tongue could no
more move than a duck tackled to the
| floor. At last he found his tongue but not
words adequate to express his Indignation
He hesitated an instant as if to issue a call
for volunteers, but on second thought de-
cided to play it with lone hand Leaping
over a chair Samuel started toward the
rebel, but halted when within a yard of
her, for Lucy was ready for his onslaught.
She had no "razzer," but bowling her head
stood prepared to do the goat act and butt
/ Samuel over the instant he came within
range of her woolly pate. Lucy had long
before declared herself to be a girl of few
| words, but she was apparently ready to
| act.
| Samuel is far from being a coward, but
even he in the midst of religious zeal, is
| willing to be discreet. Had it been an an
cry goat which threatened him. Samuel
would have known exactly how to have
acted, but a human battering ram was as
much a novelty to him as a game of stud
poker to a Christian Endeavorer. So he
halted. Indeed, a Teddys Terror would
have done some tall old thinking in the
same place.
| Being an individual of determination,
| Samuel decided that he preferred being
| butted to being baked, so, unmndful of the
| creases in his overalls and guarding his
| solar plexus, the meek and humble Samuel
rushed onto the waiting Amazon. There
was more excitement than on judging day
| at baby show, but 1t wa not for long.
Samuel, armed with religious fervor,
| scored as brief and decisive a victory as
| the ebonian cook of Commodore Dewey
| could have effected in the same period
| Like Commodore Perry. Samuel explained
| the result of the conflict in laconic style.
! 81 grabbed her by the wrist" he said to
| officer Richardson, who made the arrest,
land then we prayed"
Justice Owens set the trial for this af-
| ternoon.