Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-26
srROLL1NG yAGABONDs.

sTROLLING VAGABONDs.
These poor creatures used to command the
sympathy of the public. But the profession
is now overdone and the community now re-
gard the strolling beggar or the sturdy tramp
as professional villains, resorting to this mode
of lite for the purpose of committing rape,
murder, robbery, or anything that will ena-
BILE them to live without labor. If these
stroling vagabouds continue their outrages
they will soon be shot down like so many
strolling mad dogs. Every day we hear Of
their depredations. Only a few days since
the APPEAL contained the following dis
patch: 1.-The body of Maggie Dody, nine
years Of age, was found in a pool of water
near here on Monday, almost completely COW
cred with stone, and bullet hole through
the head The little girl had been brutally
outraged and then shot through the brain.
| 1t is believed that tramps committed the
horrible deed" We hear of similar out
RACES almost every day in various parts of the
country. In the rural districts the farmers
give the tramps shelter, and food,
and clothing, and after three or
four weeks of idleness, the scoundrel
reauites the kindness of his benefactor by
decamping at night on the finest horse or
mule. few days since a good-looking
tramp presented himself at the door of Will
liam r. Stewart, of this city. That christian
gentleman, whose heart is living fountain
of kindness, ever pouring its gurgling stream
upon the unfortunate, opened wide the doors
of his mansion, and still wider the doors of
his large heart, and gave the strolling
youth shelter The rascal was probably
twenty-three years of age, but would pass for
eighteen. HISS voice was full of compass and
musical as the Eolian harp. He SAID he
was raised in Natchez, Mississippi, and that
his name was Charles Walters. He pre-
tended to visit all the temperance meetings
and churches. Mr.. Stewart gave the poor,
unfortunate youth a new suit of clothes and
labored to secure him permanent employ
ment Walters had the cohdeDce of the fam
lily and full access to the house. On
Sunday night last, while the family were at
church, Walters, being satisfied with his
three weeks rest, ransacked the house, stole all
the money he could find, fine pistol and
new suit of clothes belonging to his room
mate George Fox, and has now gone where
the woodblne twineth." Such outrages as
the tramps are daily committing has arrayed
public sentiment against them, and they are
now outlawed by society. 1t is very difficult
10 convince tender-hearted women that there
is anything foolish in the manner Of their
treatment of the scores of lazy, good-for-
nothing rascals who pull at the door
bell -handle on all sorts of pretexts from one
weeks end to another. They believe their
studied addresses, and are really sorry when
they are no longer able to comply with their
requests. The man who has '.Just come out
Of hospital" and Is urgently in need of suf-
icient money to pay for a nights lodging,
day after day continues the recital of his dis
tressing story, carefully noting the localities
he visits, so that he may not commit the
blunder of doing a street twice during the
same season. The youth who has a widowed
mother and several young brothers and sis
tiers to support, finds his efforts so profitable
that he has got into the way of performing
his labors by card, which, in well-worded
postscript, he politely requests may be re-
turned to him; for he finds that the greasier
and more dilapidated the pasteboard is that
contains the account of the nature of his
woes, the better are his chances of success.
This youth becomes more and more enter
prising every day. He works on the ferry
boats and in the street-cars whenever he can
find a conductor good-natured enough to
give him a chance. Then there are the ped
dlers who sell their wares by appealing to
ths sympathies OF housekeepers. Some de-
clare that they have been driven to embrace
the occupation through failure to procure
any kind of employment by which they
might be able to support their families. They
whether in the shape of food, clothing or
money; and if the housekeeper feels no in
clination to possess herself OF a paper of
pins, a card of shIrt-buttons, or few yards
of tape after paying her money, they will
not take the trouble to remind her that she
can have them. In disagreeable contrast to
this class of peddlers il the impairment
dealer" in knicknacks who rings the hall
door bell, and, having obtained footing in
the house, cannot be persuaded to leave until
he has disposed of at least one article from
his stock. The canyasser for the swindling
book concern is likewise an intolerable nui-
sance, particularly in the suburbs of the city,
where he has free scope to rattle off his opin-
ions in the nauseating jargon OF his tribe.
Nothing but an order will stop him. A per-
fectly new style of nuisance has lately made
its appearance in the shape of the person
whose mild request is that he may be per-
mitted to run his fingers for one moment |
over the keys of the family piano. The pc
culiar nature of the request arouses the Gu
riosity of the ladies as to what on earth can |
be his object" Having been admitted on
this plea, the canvasser, for such he is, draws |
from his pocket handsomely-bou album,
containing photographs of parlor organs,
which he declares, with surprising burst of |
eloquence, no genteel family ought to be
without, IF only for the sake of making |
a contrast in melody" This obhging |
person does not require cash down;
he only wants an order in the form |
Of an agreement to pay by INSTALL
uents. The patent man for many a
day has been a steady nuisance. This
year he has added to his stock in trade all |
manner of unheard-of appliances. f'the Lady
IF the house" does not want an iron-stand
hat draws the iron like an electro-ma0net;
4 spring that helps to lift the coal-scuttle;
DOL for managing stove without soiling the
hands, pail-tilter, or potato-washer, he
aas yet another and another contrivance that
he is ''sure she must want" So he goes ON
md on, until he finally succeeds in catching |