The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-08-10
History Of n Professional vagabond.
t.t AQUEER AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

History of Professional vagabond.
.'.s AQUEER AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
From the London Newsl
In the reports on vagrancy, presented 10
Parliament in the year 1868, there occurs the
notice Of the case of George Atkins Brine,
perhaps one of the most extraordinary ever
published. Brine was educated at the chari-
ty school of Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, and
subsequently apprenticed to butcher in that
town. He soon, however, relinquished his
trade and adopted mendicancy as his entire
mode of living. He used to boast that, when
ever he wanted home, he could 60 to his
own-house-Dorchester Jail. 1t occurred to
one of the secretaries of the Charity Organi-
zation Society in London, that if this man
were still alive and could be hunted up, his
life Ind experience would prove most valua-
BILE in shedding some light upon the thorny
question of vagrancy. After much difficulty
it was discovered that Brine was again back
at Sherborne, and that he had been in the
union of that town for the last twelvemonth.
According to information received he has,
"since tfe building of the new workhouse
there, apparently settled down." He says,
however, that he shall take another "strol'
when the late master of the Sherborne
Union, VINO mas Just obtained another situa-
uon' is settied. he proposes, apparently, to
ca,i, I'D tne character OF vagrant, upon bis
ola 1riend, ana to stay with him, but at the
expense of the district in which he resides.
Brine, although he has been vagrant for up
ward OF 40 years, has kept up constant cor
respondence with his family-andI his letters,
though probably in most cases written i'm
prison, were generally dated from some grand
place in the town where he was forced to So
journ. He was also very fond of telling of
the aristocratic company he had been in at
the races and other public gatherings which
ne USED 10 frequent bis letters to his rela-
lives are written IN an admirable hand, with
scarcely single iault In the spelling, and gen.
erahy emu WIN lew lines OF poetry-elther
Vi us own comPosition, or quotation from
some oiteh unnackneyed author like Quaries
eic. IL ne wanted TO get to any particular
place, ana II oy cnance happened to be the
seat OF the county lall, be would break win
COWS on tne ROAD, ana thus De conveyed SO
= ial on us way aI Pu"nc expense. here Is
ms own own. st9Ty' Drleny TOD, which Will speak
Ior Hsen, ne Is now 90 years OF age, and it
may, wltnout exaggeraa0n, be said, that he
nas Deen supported 1or oo Oh tnose years, Dy
tne puohc-eitner IN the workhouse or the
Ja4;
Honoied oir,DApologislng Tor not having
Ieplleu 70 your courteous note earlier, beg
~ answer some OF Mr. n. rs inquiries res
pecaHs me. IN tne nrst place, Mr.. Il. 1. de-
ne o " AxvW M What ,hdaced me 10 ADOPT such
.on.od q moJ s -, nyehnood; zndly, now have sup
posvoI ,uaySs ySen ~ my wandeflngs; Sdly, the
Of thar,. on5 All, sis:sea, ana my opinion
been ;nc.snaratod ;tI ;ue 1a,s "a wncn have
t;n, ,aSt O., Mow,ih rePty 10 tne nrst ques-
,o,, rWn, 49, I I.hn. " ~ seeA e9PloyMent a.
10y 10y .auo !:na' u Du'cner " anu not succeed
rns ior LII .iae, soon uiscoVered tnat more
ionvy :. ~, oou,u Do soI wl'nout Work tnan WIN
~. a.;,, TnaI ;is hnowleuse iackea was soon IN
oJi' iu.o my mlio Ny proiessional vagIants.
ny nv mJ~ i",;nnS nS'o SJpPoiteo M .nysen ourlhs
cIs.n hraast ~ T. m MI, a;J uGnn W lnaA1 e.
have st''cl ~ a. ,thr ey TI .,S uec.ale a. Ina.
verv ,itte at nv trade hann e ho morAeu
droyer: have beeo Salesman s1 wit6 e three s S;f.
on, a.oIi oneap ~ oaeAs, nave Oeen pot-nawk-
o.. % ,pats DEL senuer VI pens, PaPer' ID
zo,s " eser l,nualsI spectacies, faces, etc., 1
naVe ueen distributor Oh Iehgious tracts;
naxe 1, Deea IN tne employ (lor Two years 10
gelne'I ol manslausnterlng quack doctors-
.E;a .Ea, .hns u,niee' ones, am more ashamed ol
.nas :. .nan u any oSuei y, my ,oiles, ior .ne
aloiy ,nal4rity VI inem are not foooerS only, but
4onieiuesl nave soiu earus a. an tne Prln-
an cnpI RACES ACES IN III Inglanu. III aiso altended fo1
Ilany yoaiS en 'me PlluciPa' pr'Ae-hsh.s.
nave been a shallow cove" 4; e., a member o
tne ianu navy, aiso hgnnyer VI e. a peg
s.ns iet..r nnposIoIl, q urker, one whe
as H1.' so ..,.n aiu nas.e, vi none
NY NY ia'orito iuiA was putcner' 'anoW cnahu
ie., ,1 y. Ier na; ai " ciomn an, HaVe u. Deel
a;aca straa.s a ~ Snd. mH pays ;"as M ~ ron,Sad
vaso ssoI LII sta,,oJ on nJn ,,;t os
yot f. for r. nv r;s;hi;tu was foo s.S;Iy
t;oIiod. ~ arS ,ncc ,ubon u,as ;,u,ted ~
sn.niS SnSu, ,,u.tv Sv" on.o aT al was su W
little dancer of 1r;Hn;na ' =, iha ,,,,r;t ~ u. e e
i'o'.o uauSoi "a NJ cSS':n"ns =" LILY PuPi' az ~
s' SWn rogueIy. LUIS was aI no.nonIy' Nortn
pury, N9rtnu%perianu. l must teh you, IL
suort, ! nave peen q rogue, impostor ana yag
aoona ol eacn anu every denomination.
say tnis because u Is True, ana because an m
now neSi'ity asnameo VI ~ oruy. Mr. n.
walls Manss ~ AnoM ,:.;. y vPlnlun VI tne casua ta
warus nave I've vl1teJ tS TOW VII nave visea nu
es '09 2 T., t,,antu d;aront Snas aa
% Years was ramRlinoNbnt am fnlIv con.
yinced that thew ali tend 10 foster yagrancy
Even such places as Oxford. Cambridge
Bath. Rochester. Norwich. and Hastinqs. d(
more harm than good: for out of every ter
tramps there are nine impostors. or profes
siopal tramps, You NAV think this is sayips
too much. but I am sure II ia the truth' i
there was no relief to be had there would b,
mo yagrapts. The difficulty lies in distin
on;sbino hatwean tho honast worL;no mo,
% snS ths room roome Nov % the dstr;hn.ors o .n", y
1uu Mo..S,s So oIos;.,, :, Pui o an'..
,hanssI saS mon tbo;r nws' sooeo;tn " N pi pth;
lhemseiges upon tnelr own sagaclty on TN
poht; nave Deen reclPlent OF Wauss d.
less than eignt LINES, SO ieave you 10 gues
wnetner 'ney relieved V, aesetV'ng custome g Ae
r a. s =. iii H'i.i Is ~ ,h. sa "m az ssue N,
ureW nan, IL is Tue SAME onco S"r0 ~.
t.ckGt Wnch opoa,neu % aS sneas ~ The rea
h MnG haJ ao hsan ref,sed was becanse he wa,
nnt ss se consnmmatea liar AZ was. This i,
trnth. If he had been a trading Far bt
would have gotten his bread, cheese. beer. ant
bed valued at eightpence. Again. Mr.. X. T
and his colleagues will never deal effectua,I,
,;th ,,ooronc1 un,oso tboy hao; =. .i -