The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-13
HAMP AND HIS CHAIRS.
He Had Presented Them 10 Church
 But Took Them Away.

| Columbus CMo) Herald
 | Scme amusing and remarkable criminal cases have been tried in the Courts Oi
 Missouri. but one of the funniest was that cf the State vs. Hamp ROlllns alias HaHp Harney, which was heard in the Boone circuit Court before Judge Hook | adly few years agJ.
 Hamp was born the slave of General W ;. Harnsy Ha was later the property and coachman of Major J. s. Rollins, of | Columbia. It was in this way that he | got his name end his alias Several years
 ago his negroes of Columbia organized | St. Luke's Methodist Church an1 Hamn
 became one of it's pillars. After the con
 gregation secured suitable edihce
 the names ''Eze!Slll' and King David'' | rainted on their back5 He allowed the
 minister to occupy 'Ezekial," but re- | served ''k;ng David' for his own use. This latter, part of his con luct caused
 trouble in the church and q resolution
 was adopted requiring Brother Harney ito set his chair down with the common
 niggers" Brother Harney yielded, but
 this did not satisfy his captiOus critics.
 Since the chairs had been bought for the
 pulpit, they insisted that King David
 should be restored to 1t for the use of
 visiting clergymen, and Hamp had to be-
 take himself to the amen corner and
 finally to the mourners' bench itself. Then he became tangled in a church row and was entirely elected from member ship. As he left he picked up King Da-
 
 This proved to be the means of his res- tOration. The congregation could get along without Hamp. but It missed It's king. and Harney was reinstated on con- Things went along very smoothly after that until. in an unguarded moment, Brother Harney charged another brother with stealing chickens. The accused brother was tried and acquitted after which he charged Brother Harney with being a false accuser and got him put out of the church again. As Hamp left this time he carried away Ezekiel" He was subsequently allowed to return, on condition of fetching back the prophet and was even exalted to the position of class leader.
 In the course of few months, however, trouble originated in a new place. The preacher was the bone of contention this time The entire congregation took sides, tWenty-seven, among them Brother liar ney, being against him, and twenty-three for him. In this situation of affairs the preacher would have been beaten had not a young woman named Miss Johnson who was on his side. hit upon an expedi- ent for saving him. A rule of the church Is that member not in good standing cannot vote on any proposition Miss John son taking advantage of this preferred charges against the entire twenty-seven that were in opposition, alleging that they had fOrsaken the 'aith. after which the twentythree tried them and put them all out. Brother Harney, one of the | twenty-seYen. became so in- | dignant on the occasion of his third eject | ment from the bosom of the congregation | that he seized both King David" and | 'EzekiaI and carried them home.
 He was arrested. charged with theft | tired in Justice Court convicted and | fined l cent and costs. He refused to | accept this judgment and appealed to th . Circuit Court. One of the principal wit lesses for the State was Deacon Burl Diggs who told the court that he and | he other brethren and 'sistern" didn't 1 ;are so much for the loss of the chairs,