Poor Joe

Poor Joe is an American hermit who calls himself "King Joe" and lives alone in a tree east of Doverhill, in Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover. He dresses in a homemade crown and coat, torn trousers and no shoes, while keeping his beard neat. A wooden peace symbol hangs from his handmade necklace. He guards the tree as his kingdom and bristles at strangers who approach it.

Arthur Morgan can find Joe in 1899. Joe orders Arthur away, rejects the description of hermit and insists that he is a king. When Arthur returns, Joe says he is content with being king and maintains that Arthur cannot understand his happiness. His temper worsens if someone lingers by the tree, and he may curse at them or throw a rock.

In 1907, John Marston encounters Joe at the same tree. Joe demands that John declare himself either friend or foe. If John chooses friendship, Joe says a king must receive homage, though he cannot explain what form it should take. If John names himself a foe, Joe tells him to leave the kingdom. When John calls him crazy and presses him to repeat it, Joe retreats into the tree.