The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-02-28
after the Yran,ps.

Representative Rhodes, Of Cumberland
county, is trying to solve the tramp PROB
lem in this State, if the thing is possible.
His bill, Just introduced into the House, ,
looks to fixing the status Of these WANDER
ing thieves and beggars. 1t enacts that
persons who 60 about from place to place,
subsisting by beggary OF charity, who have
no fixed place of residence, where they are
found, shall be arrested, regarded as tramps,
and upon conviction shall be sentenced to
an imprisonment IL solitary confinement
for periods varying from one year to eIgh-
teen months. If any member Of this wan
dering fraternity enters dwelling without
the permission of the owner, or shall klndle
a fire in the highway, or on the land Of
another without having obtained the own
er's consent, OF shall De found with fire
arms or other dangerous weapons III his
possession, or threaten to do injury to the
property of another, he shall, upon convic-
ton. be sentenced to solitary confinement
at hard labor for period not exceeding
three years. Any act OF yagrancy or beg
gary by persons who are not residents OF
thisState shall be evidence that the offend
der is a tramp. All persons who may see
such acts OF vagrancy are authorized to
apprchend the offender aud lake him be
fore justice OF the peace, who may com
NIT or discharge him as in the case OF
other offenders if found guilty, the per
son arresting him shall receive . reward of
five dollars. Females, minors and blind
persons are exempted from the operations
of the act. The act shall go into effect on
the fifteenth day OF next August.
The clause giving a reward to any one
who shall arrest and convict a tramp, gives
promise that the law, if passed, would not
prove to be a dead letter. Unless the de-
predations OF these nuisances are too gross
TO be borne, the victim of them Is only zoo
glad to get rid Of the offender without fur
theT trouble but when the stimulus of
pecuniary compensation for time aud tTou-
BILE is held out, we may expect that they
will recsve closer attention than they have
heretofore ,thad. The cost TO the people
from rewards ard the keeping Of these va
grants may amount 10 something, out 1t
may be taken for granted that p years
hard labor in jail viii prove so distastetul
to meE OF this class that they will hardly
encounter the chances Of q repetition. We
see only one serious drawback TO tepreseIi-
tative Rhodes bill--ihe Board Of PsrdOus,
That body must always be regarded as
most important factor in schemes OF this
kind. It's capacity for evil is uOt exceeded
BY the tramp-world itself We know Of
no.hing in the history Of that organization
that leads Us 10 suppose the plan heretofore
pursued By it towards public maleiactors
would undergo any material change. Their
capacity for turning them ont of jail will
undoubtedly be found equal TO tie ability
Of the courts to convict, aud the only ma
tcrial result would be ghc depletion Of the
county treasures 60 the extent Of the rc-
wards paid for She apprehension and con
vic,iOn OF these iutOlsEabio uuisancez. ILe
question, therefore, that SUCCESS itself Is,
Is it after ali worth the while TO give the
proposed bill q trial ?-LgucIstsr NcJC Era.
WHO BECOME INsAEE.-D KiIkbride's
report OF .he Pennsylvania Hospital for the
insane for The year ISsS shows that there
were 4Ij patIeuls IN the institution III the
beginning Of the year that 2O4 have since
been admitted and 2l3 discharged, leaving
406 at the close Of the year, 202 Of whom
are males and 2o4 females. Of those dis
charged 81 were cured, Il much improved,
Al improved, . stationary and 50 died
Since the opening Of The hospipGl in 1St1
there have been received for treatment
1926 males and 1881 females, in all 1851,
Dr.. kiTkbriG 5 observations have led him
to believe that fully Gs great % proportion
. of women as of men suffer from mental uu-
soundness, but that tAey are much more
easily taken care Of at home than meu, and
q greater reluctance is usually felt in sond~
ing them away. Tho youngest patient
treated was six years old tEc oldest over
ninety. 1t is, however, between The ages
Of twenty and forty that insanity is davel-
opyd with the greatest iIEQUCuc-- OF the
whole number o! male patients received
into the institution 1863 were farmers, 4 ]
merchants, 403 clerks, o. physicians, 100
lawyers 81 c!ergymen, = students, : edit
OTs, 3 reporters, 3OG lab0reJs aud 500 gen
tIemeu Of leisure. OF the female patieuts
there were 324 seamtresses, 1913 teachers
and S3J dOmestICS. or those 0! no CcCupa
tiOu, the daughters aud wives OF farmers
merchants aud laborers rank the highest
Not as is explained, that these classes RvC
moro prone 10 insanity than others, but be
cause they have such e large proportion e
the whole community. OF lGc males, ], 95(
were married, 2I9 widOweTs and 2,O6I
bachelors. OF the females G7S wer,
married, ~ widows and l. 500 spinstcrs
The causes of insanity given are various
III health and lntcmPcranco are The mos
common causes. mortified pride shJOI
the reason OF two men and one woman
Tight iaciEg" turned one w0man's hCaC
and ''an engagement Ia duel did tLt
same thing for one man. '-Haut OF eXer
cise' made six men and ten women crazy
aud disappointed Affection sent thirty
two men and sixty.one women into 90
green aud yellow melancholy. .'-PottsUsH
Standard.
LEATHER II ONE Wonderful ar
the changes that have been effected of lat
years in the manufacture OF leather by th
use Of chemicals and machinery ia place o
the old-iashioned tan pits and the SLOW
manipulation Of the CurrieT and tanner.
some ofOur old leather manufacturers coul
be IesGrrccted--men who were accuStome,
to soak their hides for years and tuTuiu!
them assiduously ~ certain seasous-Lov
they would stare TO see the present process
But every day we hear Of something new
in this direction. y Joint stock cOmDan
was recently formed in Detroit for the pur
pose of tanning leather in one hour. "
give the information for what it is worth
but it certainly does look like sleight-of
hand. The process is a chemical one per
formed By the action Of certain inexpeasiv
materials, tho compromising Of which j.
the rigbt proportions Is q secret. i
claimed that robes, tanned with the hal
on, are soft as the finest wool hides Of tn
deer, horse, dog, etc, ale smooth and soft
while calf and kip show the texture ant
grain which shUemakers most admire. y,
bark is required except a little to give Tn,
proper color to the leather. Bark is wOrtl
IS 20 - q cord, and about two huadle,
cords are required to tan /. 900 hides by tin
common method. Two cord would b
sufficient 10 give The proper cJlo- 10 th,
same number Of hides, and the saving !,
this item VIII be enormous. We under
stand that the company are turning on
from two thousand ID three thousand hide
per month. How the article is wearing ",
have not been able 20 ascertain, but shal
watch the result with interest Conner
ciql Bulletin.
REMARKABLE PRESENCE or MIND
correspondent Of The Hartford Times relate
that as Mrs. Isadore Middleton, Of Mobile
Alabama, was in her bedroom, in tbe ab
seuce Of her husband, putting away som,