Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-09-06
From the Cincinnati Commercial
LETTER FROM A TRAMP.
''T'm a pilgrim, and I'm stranger,
/ can tarry, i can tarry but night" /"

ed and carried responsibilities +; | have
added column and carried two, but |
pledge you the word of tramp that the
heaviest thing to carry, and the hardest
to get rid of, is a bad reputation. 1t is
the Old Man of the Sea it is Grim
Death to sick negro it is Aunt Je-
mima's Plaster; it is U. S. G. to his poor
relations--for it sticks. You cannot
throw it off you cannot trade it off +;
you cannot even rafe it off at church
fair.
And it has come to pass that tramps,
as class, have no reputation to speak
of or, rather, they have considerable
reputation, such as it is. They have a
positive reputation, which is bad they
have comparative reputation, for it is
worse than bad; they have superla-
tive reputation, for it is the worst on
earth.
Poor, homeless, friendless though we
were before, the newspapers, which make
and mar mems fortunes, have fallen upon
us, despoiled us of our good names, and
robbed us of that which enriched them
not, but made US poor indeed. Like the
multitudinous grasshoppers we have be-
come burden in the land and terror
to many good people.
There's a tramp l'' screams the house
wife, while she barricades the doors and
provides herself with kettle of hot wa
ter to scald the wretch's eyes out if he
dare come In
"Shoot the trampl" shouts the little
ragamufin from his secure position on
the gate-post, for he knows full well
that our subdued spirits will brook any
insult that he may offer.
''Kick him out; he's only a tramp r
exclaims the honest old farmer when he
discovers Ole of our number, worn and
weary under the haystack, fast asleep.
''Iramp's my meat p growls old Tow
ser, the watch dog, the very moment he
claps eyes on US, and forthwith he pro-
ceeds to divest us of the sole remaining
patch on our ancient pantaloons. And
so it goes we are feared by the women,
jeered by the boys, kicked by the men,
and worried by dogs. We have no other
rights than those accorded by Sam Cary
to the Democracy of the last decade-tC
die and go to the ID
1t was not thus in the good old time
When Oliver Goldsmith was tramping
over the continent, beguiling the peas
ant lasses with the plaintive airs of his
flute, we do not read that they scoffeC
at him or encouraged their dogs to reno
his garments. When Roger Williams
accomplished his famous tramp through
the wilds of the New World, he did no
report that the aborigines closed thei
front-hall doors at his approach, o
brought him before the police judge fo
having no means of support And
when far in the shadowy past, William
Allen footed it over the hills and valley
in search of state that was hard vi
for governor, no little children shout
ed out to him, ''Go up, old Barefoot 7
nor is it recorded in any musty docu
ment that he was reviled and scornet
for being vagrant and tramp, as ar
his followers in these later days.
But the worm will turn when troddel
upon; the wasp viii sting when it j
being crushed ; and there is yet tram
left who will raise his voice against th
abuse which is being heaped upon hi
class. There yet exists one in whom th
vital spark still shoulders, and so lon
as his tongue can wag or his finger wig
gle, he will speak and write for the OF
, pressed of his tribe. So look out H
who tramples upon the tramp, by th
tramp shall he be trampled.
, have been detained at Fosters Gross
/ ings by high water. 1t was FIRE water
: and it was about ten inches hight
not near so high now-in little brow
l-jug, owned, held and possessed by HoI
Granger Gordon, whose political res
dence is in Hamilton County. but who's
actual residence, l believe, is here upo
the banks of the muddy Miami. In Ii
darkness of the night the swollen an
constantly swelling waters we're encroacl
ing upon his premises, and threatenir
his basement dining-room, 50 that
was compelled to ask assistance Of Il
writer. with few other tramps wi
happened to be in the neighborhoOd,
keep the water out. Being equippt
! with umbrellas, lanterns, a full dec
and the aforementioned brown jug, '
went to work right manfully. Succe
crowned our efforts, for We kept the "
ter out-of ourselves. We made mar
! upon the jug, and rejoiced to note tn
the devastating fluid. instead Of advan
:, ing, was surely and rapidly receding.-
; When the next morning broke, col
gray and sullen, the turbid waves We
washing the walls Of the Granger's di
r. ingroom bull-frog sang hls mat
e song upon the sideboard mud turtl
) disported themselves upon the extensil
}. table. and the fishes played hide-an