San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-01-12
A YOUTHFUL TRAMP.
The Adventures Of n New York BOY OF 10,
As Related tn Newspaper Reporter.
n MAJ Xnrl C,,.,

roads without paying one cent" said
little Willie Van Houten in the Second
Precinct Police Court, Newark, yester-
day morning. Willie is only 10 years old.
He has light brown hair and blue eyes,
and is intelligent. He was arrested on
Sunday on complaint Of his mother,
widow, who lives ut 1872 James Street.
He returned to his home on Thanksgiv-
ing Day, after an absence of five years,
and his mother, fearing that he was
about to go on another tramp, had him
arrested. Police Justice Jessup sent
him to the Essex County Jail for six
months, in the hope of reforming him.
Areporter for the Sun, by permission
of Warden johnson, conversed with
Willie in the Jail last evening. Willie,
said: Zone day in June, five years ago,
l ran away from home because had
trouble in the Tenth Ward School and in
my SundaylSchool. I stayed in Jersey
City for six weeks, and BACKED boots
and sold papers at the ferries. A rich
man in New York gave me suit of
clothes. next went to Port Jervis and
stayed there two weeks. Then I beat
my way to Buffalo on the Erie Railway.
l rode on a passenger train to Chicago,
the conductor not touching me because
I was so small. I sold papers in Chica-
60, but didn't like the place, so | dead
headed to St. Louis, where stopped for
several weeks. l slept in the police
stations sometimes, and l often made
fire outside the city limits and slept be-
side it. Sometimes I would wake up
and find 40 or so tramps around the fire,
but they were good to me-
al next beat my way on the Iron
Mountain Railroad to Little Rock, and
there worked for farmer while.
Then I got lonesome, and | worked the
cars until I got to Springfield, ILL.,,
where 1 sold apples for three months.
One night was tempted by jewelry in
store, and 1 broke into the place and
got hold of some watches just as a cop
collared me. o 1 was sent to the State
Reform School for several months.
After I got out beat my way home on
the railroads. got home in February.
1 had been away two years and eight
months, and had always had lots to
eat" u.. Sat 1oaa, y ,rlgj
"When did you go away from home
againP" lua ~ oiorn#rq
81 left in the following May, and
worked milk and freight car to Read
ing, Pa, where l worked, for q Mr..
Lewis, in furniture store, for three
months, and taen played the conduc-
tors on soft stories, and they passed me
to Chicago. stopped in Cincinnati,
Columbus, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Day
ton, Peoria, Saginaw, and Quebec, and
saw life, you bet Early last spring I
beat my way to Omaha, Neb., but was
kicked off of trains three times on the
prairies. / tried to 60 to San Francis
co, but the conductor chucked me off
the train forty miles beyond Omaha,
and, as it was cold and 1 was afraid of
Indians, beat my way, back to st.
Louis, The Omaha people were hard
set. After visiting all the cities in the
West, 1 made for home without one
cent in my pockets. l got into an
empty freight car one night, and was
locked in, and was carried to Scranton,
Pa. 1 had to strike the Erie road in
order to get home. 1 meant to stay if
mother would only let me alone; but
she has enough to look after, and can
make my living away from home. 1t
don't do me any good to lock me up
here among thieves, tramps and ruff
fans. 1t only gives me bad exam
ple." 44ou
"Did you not fall in with trampsP"
"Oh, yes, met lots of them, but 1
travelled alone, because could do bet
ter, for nobody refused me something
to eat I did chores for my meals, but
some people would not let me work for
victuals, because was so small. have
seen tramps tear a good coat from
mans back. The tramps travel in
gangs of 40 or 60, and there are 10 times
as many in the West as in the East.
Three years ago Capt. Kennedy got up
the German Band in Columbus and they
are tough set. met them in differ
ent cities. They would travel by differ
ent routes, and all bring up at one point,
and there they would drink and steal.
/ met Capt. Kennedy and his gang