Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-01
wilmington AS Rendezvous 20
Tramps.


REvULsIoN IN THE POPULAR FEELING AGAINST
THEM-THEY ARE EXPELLED FROM THE GAS
HoUsE-THEIR HABITS AND CONDUCT IN THE
CITY.
There is growing sentiment in this city which
is opposed to any further extension Of charity to
tramps. 1t is felt by many persons that the
many efforts which have been put forth in their
behalf is a misdirected sympathy, and daily eY-
perience shows that the numerous ltindnesses
which have been bestowed have been received
in an ungrateful spirit Not but that there are
really worthy ones among this army of wander
ders for there are such, but it i'd difficult to
distinguish who they are As usual thing,
however, the worthy remain with us but short
tlme-they seek work, and failing to obtain it
they "move on to another place. We hear
their tale Of sorrow for moment, it is soon lost
to our ears, and the utterers of it again upon
the great highway in search of more favorable
cline.
"Could we only know" is an expression
which has been frequently made in our hearing,
"tho really sorrow stricken and deserving ones,
an open handed charity to such would be
of ascertaining this fact is the very general pub
lie feeling. They all come down upon us i'll an
avalanche together, they all are haggard and a
woe-begone expression over-spreads their coun-
tenances al they give us a recital of their
periences. Their general nature is the same and
70 many stories have been told with such an air
OF sincerity that suspicion has been thrown upon
the whole.
The most common complaint which has been
urged against these tramps ID that they have
been with US in an unusual number the past few
weeks, and that they make no effort to get
away, content to remain and live upon the
charity which is extended them. In order to as
certain the truth of these statements we have
made inquiry from persons whose opportunities
afford them the best means of knowing the
tual state Of the caae The complaints are more
than verified. The Chief of Police informs us
that since provision has been 20 kindly made in
behalf Of the trampi the number in the city has
been doubled, or there is now regularly here
about one hundred. They divide off, it may be
an unconscious system, into regular squads
city cells and at the gas house. At the latter
place, however, they were excluded on Saturday
night, and Will not be again permitted to stay
there. This course has become necessary be-
cause of the filthy condition the house is kept
by them, the great annoyance they make them
selves, but principally from tho fact that some
OF them make it their permanent home. In sew
eral instances, it is stated to us, tramps have
wandered off to other cities to return in few
days, expressing the opinion that better accom-
modations are furnished them here than else
where.
Tho daily routine of these tramps, so nearly
as we can ascertain it ia something like this
Awakening in the morning, they procure break
fast in the basement OF the Third street market
house, they lounge about on the sunny sides of
buildings or medde in places where they have
no business until noon, when they beg their
dinner, extend their morning .avocation into the
afternoon, again beg their suppers, and then re-
tire for thenight at the gas house or at the city
hall In several instances it is known that dur
ing the day robberies have been planned and ex-
ecuted at night. Some arrests have been made
1t is astonishing how the knowledge of the
charity which is here bestowed spreads abroad
I'ramps from all points say on their arrival that
they have heard of 1t, and in one instance, a
Wilmington hummer who was in a far Western
State learning of what was being done at home
started at once on his return. And thus we
might go on at great length giving incidents
which have been brought to Our netice, but it
is unnecessary that we should do so. Deferring
to the growing sentiment to aly further extern
sion of charity to. these tramps We have made in
quiry to ascertain the validity of the complaints,
made against them, and our information seems
to warrant the belief that if charity is to he
continued it should proceed upon some hitherto
untried plan.