The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-29
ROYALTY In NEW JERSEY
A Limited Monarchy in the Noun
Holly NeighbOrhood.
King Armstrong Ruling Over His
Subjects in the Colorcd Settlement
Of Timbuctoo-An Orator by M
ture md n Solomon i'm the ADJUST
ment of His Peoples Disputes.

MOUNT HOLLY. n. J., April S.-For
many years the colored settlement oil
'Timbuctoo" on the Rancocas turnpike,
two miles below Mount Holly. has enjoy
ed or rather submitted to nominal form
of government that would appear to be
entirely repugnant to our republican in
situations. 1t is. in fact limited mon
archy. with a hereditary sovereign in the
person of Lewis B. Armstrong, who has
for many years enjoyed the title OF
liking" The first man who occupied the
throne was David Parker-'King David"
as he was known from one end of the
county to the other-and a wise ruler he
was. For over forty years he bossed the
affairs of the municipality in a way that
pleased his constituents and gave great
delight TO the white politicians on the
borders of his kingdom. King Dayid's
word was law. He settled all disputes that
arose, and when one of his subjects came
home from Mount Holly on Saturday night
with an extra load of applejack and at
tempted TO break up housekeeping the
King did police duty himself and walloped
the offender in fine style.
At the close of the Parker dynasty,
which was brought about nearly twenty
years ago by the sudden demise of King
David, due to an overdose of scrapple, his
subjects decided to call Lewis B. Arm
strong to the throne, as he had long been
identified with the Commonwealth, was
well posted on all legal matters, natural
born orator and the owner of a horse and
wagon in his own right. The latter con-
sideration was perhaps the most powerful
one. and the result was there was not
dissenting vote. For long time all went
well. King Lewis handled his people with
rare Judgment, his scheme being to keep
them amused as much as possible. He gave
watermelon parties frequently when the
season arrived for that delicacy and always
kept a bottle Of liniment under his throne
for use in the event of any of the brethren
getting the collie from overindulgence.
Then when the camp-meeting season
opened he would secure first-class talent
and for weeks the entire population lived
in the woods, sang hymns. ate chicken and
had a good time generally until the nights
began to get too frosty. when they
would break camp and return to the settle
ment with enough money realized from the
basket collections TO keep the religious de-
partment in good shape all winter.
Recently it was decided TO put the Bucto
Church under the charge OF the African
Conference as this was thought to be
good move, and would result in having a
preacher always available. King Lewis
offered no objection to the plan, as he
had been shrewd enough some time pre-
vious to this to buy up a mortgage on the
church, which he thought would give him
the necessary pull in the event Of any
attempt on the part of the conference 10
oppose his wishes. Then it was that the
trouble began. Some OF the newcomers in
the kingdom were disposed to buck against
the King in the conduct of the affairs OF
the church. which made him all the more l
determined to rule the temporal as well /
as the spiritual affairs of his bailiwick. |
Finally a faction was formed against the !
King and the preacher stood in with the l
faction. The altar committee wanted to /
paint a red dado around the coal scuttle |
and change the lock on the coal bin King /
Lewis vetoed both propositions and locked /
the preacher out of the church. For |
while there was no religious consolation /
distributed in the Kingdom, but a truce |
was finally patched up and business was
resumed at the old stand, only to be rude
" disturbed a few weeks later at the OPP
ening of the cunning season in the fail, |
when some of the members wanted to pre-
sent the preacher with hound dog and
double barreled gun, as he was very fonc
OF hunting and the rabbits were numerous.
- Twontdo," was King Lewis answer
you'd better pay the debt Omen de choTch
first fore you go buyin' dogs en- guns for
de preacher. I'll give him dog myself
and you kin hand de gun money over ter
me-"
When the preacher learned that King
Lewis had headed of the testimonial ne
resigned and departed for more promls-
ing field of labor, ard for considerable
period the Bucto Church was without a
pastor. -,
went well until the recent watch night !
services when some one stuffed the SEX /
toms overalls in the chimney and smoked |
the entire congregation out In trying |
TO locate the blame for this another quar- |
rel ..nsued, which reached climax last |
week in a rattle for an IS god watch, |
which is said to have been won By Louisa |
Giles. an elderly sister of the church. |
AS there was some delay in securing the |
time-piece, Louisa made complaint TO
King Lewis. who promptly called the |
preacher down. whereupon the latter. |
meeting King Lewis on the road on |
Tuesday. proceeded to punch his head, |
but WAS restrained from doing him Sc
rious injury by Sister Meivina Deason. |
VINO 1TdRHcq MIN away lApiu AL!t oNthS |
BY main force. The preacher was duly |
arrested. ard placed under bail. and in |
speaking of the event today King Lewis |
said: Hes got to hunt a new place, he |
has. cause he can't do no more preachin' |
in de Bucto Church. while I'm III COM |
mand. He's nothin' but Georgia mig |
ger. and dey makes de wus' preach |
ers dat was ever turned loose. Never |
seen a good one yit. It's lucky fer him |
1 didn't have a stalk knife handy when |
he tackled me. fer I'd carved de meat |
often him like a ham bone. De confer |
ence needn't send no mo such preach |
ers unless Il wants to have EN- carved |
up Why. he threatened to cave my |
head in wild de seat of my own wagon. |
DART him, I'll show de conference WHO |
am king Of Bucto-and I'm goin to land |
dat preacher in Jail. See if / don't.
Il kin run Bucto all right as a town,
but faint no easy Job TO run de chcrch. |
OATS whar all de troubles start every
time. / never had no furse wild my
people S long as I let EN- have dar own
way in runuin' de chorch. and jes' as
soon as | undertuk to haul EN- in a
bit dey banked on me, so now I'm 'gwine
TO let de chorch run herself and see how
it works.
THE GRAVE OF ST. PATRICK.