The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-09-28
The Story Of q Vagrant Journey
Overland.

He was sitting down upon q piece of
hewed timber. which had lain unused in
he yard of the Southern Pacific Rail.
road near the corner Of Fourth and Town
send streets, and was busily engaged in
the nails in his wretched
looking brogans, the obtrusive points OF
which. with cruel spite, forced their
way through tine piece Of rag wound
around his foot Is an apology for Q
'ock and dug their way into his flesh.
He was very busy, also. this young aud
hearty looking specimen Of the genus
tramp voraciocsly munching . piece
Of dry, hard crusted bread while he
worked. He did not have the stale,
beery leok Of city hummer certainly
there was not that bangdog, God-for-
ssken something about bin waiclr is
the possession of the generality of the
great army of the unwashed. either on
the march or in camp. The tramping
of the Post pronounced him 1t
once. with that judgment gained by
daily contact with the species, Q young
man over whose head the winters land
summers also) Of but twenty years had
passed, and had called forth only the
slightest sign of hirsute covering on
his upper lip. He was stranger in q
strange lard. a traveller from some far
Of section Of this glorous country of
and want among the labor
ing classes. and OF prodigious accumu-
lation among the privileged few. His
dust stained clothes, ragged and torn,
his shoes. down at the heel and out at
the toe, his hat-in short everything
that fact to even An unob-
servant eye. To q mere passerby.
engrossed in the mad race
for the worlds wealth. or intent on
pleasure, he presented
No UNCOMMON sIGnT-
perhaps. but side glance.
and then. all-forgetting, one would
rush past: but to the reporter he waa O
jewel of price. whole cargo of mama;
in fact. he was just the person wanted
to unfold . plain, unvarnished tale of
tiresome wandcrings, such as he, no
doub. could tell. Between tramps no
introduction was necessary. That is
one of the little inconvenience or use
less ceremonies they are never subject
ed to. A brief
We'll, young fellow. what's the best
word = was sufficient to make him
pause n moment from his occupation,
and after recognizing friend and
brother, respond with doleful
'Ah. nothing; only this internal shoe
is bent on laying my foot up worse than
o boil
You seem to be stranger in these
parts; where do you hail from asked
the reporter.
Well, lastly from Denver City
leastways very nesr there; the ranch
where worked was some five miles
from that place.
Further conversation elicited the
following Information regarding his
life previous to his residence at Denver,
aud of the manner in which he sue.
ceeded in getting across the continent,
He was. he said, native OF Illinois,
having been born in Belleville, which
was thirteen miles east of st. Louis.
At On early age he left his home aud
went up to Chicago. where. until year
or 90 ago. he had been working in .
factory. Work there, however, ceas.
ing. and being
UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING TO DO
In that city, he determined to strike
out in the country and seek situation
on farm. In his travels from farm
to farm, getting few days employ.
ment in the harvest field or an orchard.
he was not alone. The whole state waa
full of trsmps-often so by choice.
but more often made 90 by the same
dire necessity that had forced him on the
road. He had there met, he said, hon.
est. intelligent men whose industry
availed them nothing where il was not
in demand. Obscure doctors and law.
yers, who had hoped. waited and year.
ned for practice. and skilled mechanics
all were represented IN that great
moving mass OF poverty struck beings.
Would these men work if they had a
chance
OF course they would, and whenever
they found q farm needing help to
harvest the crop they gladly entered
upon the task, and when they were
finished they moved on again. follow
ing the harvest day by day through the
state of Illinois; then over into Iowa,
searching out . days labor wherever
it could be found. Then they wodld
cross the Missouri into Nebraska. and
further south into Kansas.
But. queried the reporter. when win.
ter sets 10 what will they do then !
will they not suffer from hunger and
fierce weather during that season {!
Well, said be. they know that they
surely would il they remained North.
% they then travel South. stopping at
st. Louis. Memphis. Natchez and oil
those cities, and there they work on the
leyees when the river 10 not frozen
over. The winter season there 10 very
mild and short. Many hundreds Of
them tind work below New Orleans.
on the iettiea. Then. he continued.
many Of them find their way
OUT TO CALIFORNIA.
He has seen as many as twenty strike
some small town on the road 10 one
day. and that, too. without . cert nor
the slightest show Of getting bite to
eat from people who were constantly
being bssiceed for bread or work by
men suffering from the bitterest pans'
of hunger.
Had he gone without eating longs .
He2 we'll be thought that he had.
For three long days. on one OCCASION
Ia had tasted nothing. and 60 60 Tor q