The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-10
KNIGHTS OF THE TURNPIKE
aHE STONY or LONG TRAMP TOLD
BYAST LOUIs REPORTER.


.pany with several tramps of the road, furnishes
the following description OF tho Journey and
characters met 10y the waysidc between Ctucin-
matt ana 81 Louis
After rolling IN luxury FOR week on the pro-
Cceds OF some temporary newspaper work, fur-
hished 10y the press 81 Cinrnnati' CURIOSITY 20
see more 81 tramp life further West led me To
arrange for another journey OF ovcr three nun.
dred miles. 10 he conducted Without money and
without ufice. The preliminary arrangement
was very simple. II consisted in proceeding to
the ticket ONCE and procuring not ticket, but
a well executed lithOgrauhic map 81 the runway
routes 81 the West. After c9u.uliati9n OF the
different iines. the Ohio and Mi.slsslpp WIS
selected route likely TO meet all the require;
ments Of the case on Tuesddy' AUGUST Fl
looked about the city IN the hope mt miikne
tnnd some agreeable travelling companion whose
conversation would help 20 shorten me Journey,
but no such parsonage appeared ailu AZ aupuu.
o'clock r. NJ | sought the ff.lEht }aus
OF the ohio and Mis.ssipLi Railroad.
freight train was about making up ana !
stood I'm the shade awaiting the opera.
ton. occasionally dodgng about 10 AVOID
tile lanterns Of swuchman' CONDUCTORS anu
brakemcn. | managed to inspect all the cars on
thc train, found them all sealed, and not an
Impty one ON the track. After some hesitation
took u ladder between the bumpers, but just
a. the train was starting the light Of the con
ductor's lamp brought me into view. ana the
Prospective free ride splendidly stopped.
After waiting untl Il O'Clock determined 10
take possession u an empty freight car That
stood ON a side track and which | knew
would 20 some time or other. IN me III lrHlng
] wa arrccaby surprised to nnd Vt getting into
motion, and az no one came about To dispute
my right To travel IN II. began 90 indulge
pcasurabe autlcipations OF a considerable adj
rms FIRST DAY or r,tE Journey.
However, ut a distance " eve lilies found
my car was lyngon he side track again ana the
rest 90 the tram moving speedily away IL was
evident that nothing short 4 awak To the next
water station would DO walked out u the
turnpike, and the hrst object saw was ieilpw
tramp, with yalise known among tranps as a
turkeO, coming up the road and also journey
tng westwardly Acquaintances under such
circumstances are readily made. and ! soon
FOUND that he was a mechanical engineer, out
of money. and with an idea Of going TO Indian.
apolis or Chicago In seatch Of work. Finding
was going to -. Louis he concluded, Tor COM
pany's sake. to 70 along. and during the morn
ing we travelled together along tine pike dis.
portation Al about o O'clock we Stunned by
tie roadside near "a large corn field aud
took breakfast. our morning meal was
simple and frugal in the extreme. 1t
was AN excellent article two OF three ears apiece
served t. meet the demands u hunger. As we
were about finishing our repa-t We observed
two more tramps coming down the track,
They speedily made their way over TO our small
we could. invited them t. take chair ana have
breakfast, an invitation to which they promptly
responded 10y proc ring supply Of corn from
the adjacent field, aud cookins It as we had
done ours. one OF these men had tramped so
far that he was worn Out and discouraged. he
had lett san Francisco m the early part Of the
summer. h d been miner. and had walked,
tr yelled In freight cars. and lived on a starva-
tloh olli oi iate uhill Whatever gumpLion lac
NAV have possessed was about gone. He was
about the most Thoroughly discouraged man
ever met having Deliberately made u2 his mind,
~ soon as he reached Cincinnati. TO steal "A pair
OF boots and get sent to the wOrkhouse, where
he could ind something to eat.
Hts companion was entirely different. was
pushing and energetic. and a. We soon learned
doctor 10y profession. lie had been practising
In Nebraska, aud his drug store had been burned
up This. added 10 an unfortunate case Of bad
practice with which he was connected. sent him
Oh the road. ana with his soiled clothes. Gallo
shirt. and roueh straw hat he looked really
trimpish lie had a pocket case with a nne
supply OF medicines. and reported that he had
an extensive though non paving practice among
the tramps many u whom he found suffering
from chIll- and fever. lie evidently getting
tired OF his California friend. a. neither meat
cine nor advice would do 4im good, and ne an.
myself and proceed westward.
SQUARE NEAL
The day was hot. and when we took the rail-
way track the ties were heated up to a blister
Ing point. b, noon we began 70 get tired aud
hungry, AMI when We reached a!ittle town called
pevinney the doctor lett TO take dinner with
MS village brother " the same profession, while
the engineer and nv self started for the hotel.
IL sacrifice of the yalise. which Toy this time
meals IN the evening we were unsuccessful
IN ourcnorts 10 board he only freight train that
~ sed through, and decided 10 walk short
ui'tance into the county and camp out. By
Keeping shhip 10 OUT although the night
W. dark. about two miles from the town We
Il ihd corn ueld ana pot 81" patch, aud pro-
curing supply II both these substantial neces-
sule, If life we turned into piece Of timber.
roaring irc. We made a TrrliN far midnight
meal out ~ the roasted potatue, and corn. put
Oh som" hetN, pieces oi wood and stretched
ourselves nu tAt ground 90 Front of the IRE.
hi"pt sonndly, al hnugh the night was cold nd
q 1arp breeze blew up from TIE ONO. Al day
H. We were sonieWl at graz by discover
In tltt the plAce we had selected IN the dark
i'i cam ing out was tine best hat could have
De 20 obtained anywhere m the vicinity. After
breakfast We .iAcl 20 the next water station,
stared tire for cooking, and awaited ths ar
rivil Of the n.gut, determined To get ride this
Tin @.
lust here would remark that the railroads
milht Just a, Well beg the tranps ride rs t. try
keep lnem Of the trains They are bound To
ride II they are put or AZ every station, aud
tHDir progress Ia flI- manner j. only "A question
OF time. On Ihui-dty we lived well ON corn
and potatoes, dividing our frugal fare with o
shoemaker and -tonecItter VINO Joined the
party IN the afternoon. The shoemaker was a
veteran tramp, had been all over the United
State and Canada. and m the matter OF board
ins flvight trains evidently an expert. We had
n lleasan; httls chat after supper and concluded
o. start "a small western town. We had an en-
Eilctr, "A II 'n.-cutter. doctor, shocnake
At Yhout % clock and found an open car into
which the entire party 'imhel un3D.eryed. We
selves switched Oh, the only Jue who succeeded
H. getting aboard being the shoemg ker. The
ueTf morning. fter the moon rose the rest of
H. 7trur d uusitons between tne ouinpers II 4
pas,ng freight tfain' ana there va rode until
i5usht, ihen c91Sei our corr, ,l AZ MliAn, IN
dl.na' ana occupied our snare time that day IA
VAN by looking Tor the cathedral. In company
with the doctor called upon the village ply
stefan, by whom we were quite agreeably enter
In ned. We lost the stone cutter at THIS place,
and our crowd was reduced TO three.
BETWEEN THE BUMPERS ANp ny ExrREss.
The twelve o'oock ire .ht was our only
ch NEE, ana when It arrived every was
sc.lcd. Three ~ MS crowded ourselves on a
bumper as the train started, aud rode unob-
served rs far A. North Vernon. when the con-
ductof liashrl al Us and Inquired " -, cant
you get few more up there r. We told him we
might, II IL would bc any accommodation, and
no remarked That we lad better get OIL The
tram halted here awhile aud we determined
not To leave ~ just yet, Next tie engine WIS a
ma car, and among the freight II carried q
new Adams express wagon. watching Our OPP
pnitunity, We all three climbed into the vehicle,
ami stretching ourselves ont IN the bottom,
were secure ftum observation. We got along
very well until we reached seymour and there
daylight drove Us from the train.
At seymour We again took tine track, and
tuund thtf the corn was geitins 50 ripe that an
iupHrtant means ~ subsistence threatened TO
10 cat Oh. At about nine O'Clock We Logan to
cast Wi-tfll glauccs AT the farm houses, and
NJ ily picred Out one Ot rather unuietending
apiet tT"c, that, surrounded hy fine orchard,
urlinc GARDEN. and wayiL. corn fields, led MS
10 behave mat fhe owner must he . hos pitablc
man. Alas l9i Appearances was delegated
10 make The INST attempt az securing something
60 eat, aud walking az the hillside / boldly
stated along the walk. ! observed a large dog
lying On the grass dslvrl, ana when Wa within
lew feet of linn be 81 rang up, and with a
sharp bark came AT me Tie run was useless.
hnu A. he grabbed my hand spoke TO him gent
~ Win grJwl he let 20, aud followed me 10
coll. L abs z -