The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-13
KING
PAYS A QUIET VISIT TO NEW
 YORK.
Ruler of Calf of Man--w. l.. ID. Cary Willing to Sell Monarch Out of JOb-Is a Naturalixed
 American.

A king came to New York Thursday really, truly king. but there was no visiting delegation to meet him as he came up the bay. and the hotel where he and the queen consort took apart ments failed to hang out the flag of their kingdom in their honor, says The New York Sun. In fact. the people
 didn't know that they were harboring royalty. On the itotel register was the kings signature, W. L. D. Cary and nothing more. It was rather disap- pointing. but perhaps the lord high | chamberlain had mislaid the royal seal. -~. . The Kingdom of William, Rex, lies just off the southern coast of the Isle of Man, and is called che Calf of Man. The island Kingdom contains 300 acres. It's coast line Is five miles long and the loyal subjects number forty-one. The island lies In British waters, but Great Britain has no Jurisdiction there, and can neither levy taxes nor enact laws. The isle of the Calf of Man ] is subject to no nation, but over it flies the flag of the United States. for
 the present king is an American citizen. The present king came into his king dom few years ago when 1t descended
 to him from an older brother who had
 1t from a long line of Carys stretch ! ing back into the dim dawn of English history
 Legend has it that an ancestor of the present owner held his own shield over
 the head of his king in a desperate bat
 tie when the king was sorely wounded. He saved his soVereign's life, but was himself wuonded, and in recognition of
 his bravery and devotion the island Kingdom was conferred on him and his heirs forever. w. l.. D. Cary was | II l IAf fcla 4
 boy. came to this country and made
 fortune in California When the death of his brother gave the island into his | possession he left his home in Oakland, | Cal, for a short time to look upon his | inheritance. Meanwhile, he had be-
 come an American citizen. and as king he hoisted the colors of his new coun- | try In the old. :.. ~#
 Great Britain made an attempt dur
 ing the rule of the present owners
 father to tax the island, but the sturdy | ruler carried the matter into Parlia- | ment, where he produced the original deeds, and England acknowledged that the island realm was free and inde- l pendent But the present king looked
 with disfavor upon his Kingdom. He
 had learned to hustle" in the Western
 world, and the quiet ways of the
 Manxman did not appeal to him. He
 sojourned in his Kingdom but five
 months, taking stock of Its resources
 and estimating its value. Now he has i returned to the New World and the
 island Kingdom is for sale. The king
 thinks that it should find a ready pur-
 chaser in this day when so many
 monarchs are out of job and so few
 situations of the kind are open. ! The Calf of Man is inhabited by the
 same race as the larger isle and 1t has
 the same breed of tailless cats. but no | N-T- of the Manor reigns supreme. He set
 ties all disputes, makes all the verbal | laws Cthere are no written oues) to | control his subjects and has vested in
 himself both the high and low justice. 1 Until the coming of the present King | the tenants of the farms had only
 verbal leases. and a mans word was
 his only bond. The present ruler has l changed all that and given written
 leases. which the tenants sign unwil- ! lingly, thinking 1t a foolish thing to | ask a man to put his hand to paper after he has given his word.
 1 In addition to his other privileges | the king of the island has the right to i claim all wreckage thrown on his | coasts, and this Is no small thing. for
 the tide sets in strongly along the shore
 and sunken reefs make many perfls Tor l the ships To warn vessels Of the ' dangerous coast the English Govern ! ment erected two lighthouses on the 1 island and for time maintained them,
 but the present king, to make his overlordship sure, purchased them and
 now maintains them at his own ex- pense.
 One of the lighthouse keepers Is an l American a Mr Hughes, who made
 his money in Liverpool and lives there
 in the winter. but in summer becomes
 the keeper of the light He has fitted ! the lighthouse up as a summer home ] in the most lavish manner but he
 stands his watch in the lantern at
 night, and in thick weather sends the
 fog bells warning out across the angry
 waters He is a good light keeper if
 he is rich, says the king.
 Of late years the island Kingdom has
 become a favorite spot for summer vis-
 itors, and the rather scanty revenues
 of the realm have been largely added l to in this wayIt is only about 500 yards 1 to the Isle of Man, and ferry runs rIf